Hundreds sign petition for bus route review in Great Barton, near Bury St Edmunds, following route changes and capacity issues

Hundreds of people have signed a petition calling for an urgent review of bus routes.

Parents in Great Barton, near Bury St Edmunds, were furious when they learned buses had stopped calling at several locations in the north of the village.

They say this means groups of schoolchildren now have to walk along the main A143 road to the bus stop opposite the post office, which puts them in danger from passing traffic.

A petition was launched in the village by Suffolk county councillor Beccy Hopfensperger, who has also called for a public meeting with the service provider.

Cllr Hopfensperger, said: “We now have three paper petitions in Great Barton.

“One is with the parish council, one at the Freedom Church and the other is being passed around the village. There is also an online petition, which already has 150 signatures, alone.

“There are issues with buses being full with standing room-only and I have had reports the morning bus hasn’t even stopped in Great Barton on a number of occasions.

“We are continuing to pursue the matter and will not let it lie.”

The changes occurred following the takeover of Simonds Coach and Travel service by the Transport Made Simple Group (TMS) in May.

Parents on the Moreton Hall estate have also joined the call for a review.

Mum Clare Jones said: “Both my boys go to Thurston Community College and would get off the 304 in Eastgate Street to walk home after school. This has now stopped.

“The changes have also affected a lot of parents in Moreton Hall, without any consultation. It’s very worrying.”

The main routes causing concern are the former 304 and 338, which have now become the 70 and 70A.

Great Barton Parish Council called the situation ‘totally unacceptable’ and stressed the route was also used by elderly people.

Similar concerns have been raised about the former 337 service, now the 73, which has been temporarily funded by Suffolk County Council after concerns it had been axed.

Bardwell Parish Council has set up a task force with other councils to fight to retain the route.

Peter Nathanail, TMS managing director, said changes were made to the new 70 and 70A to ‘keep them sustainable’.

However, he added: “We are working with Suffolk County Council to identify options for revised timetables and increased capacity.

“We are happy to work with the community to deliver bus services which meet their needs.

“Unless external funding is made available, however, we have no plans to return buses to Moreton Hall or to the now unserved parts of Great Barton.”

A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council said: “These are commercial routes and not the responsibility of Suffolk County Council. The decision to cancel the routes was made by Simonds Coach and Travel and without consultation.

“We are in conversation with the company to see if they will look to reintroduce the cancelled routes, but that is a decision for them alone.”

Regarding the 337 route, she said: Following Simond’s decision to withdraw the 337 and 338 routes, Suffolk County Council has stepped in to fund a short-term replacement to ensure journey needs could be met up until Christmas.

“This is intended to give the parishes affected time to determine what their ongoing travel needs may be and submit a proposal for a service that could potentially be funded with our Bus Service Improvement Plan grant.

“We are aware there have been issues with capacity and journey times in the first week of operation affecting students who do not qualify for statutory home to school travel under the current policy. We are working with Simonds to resolve these problems as soon as possible.”