Residents feel isolated by bus service changes

Residents feel they have been left isolated after a bus service between villages in Nottinghamshire temporarily changed due to roadworks.

Both Kirk Hill and East Bridgford Road are closed for 12 months as part of the A614/A6097 improvement scheme, which includes widening the junction on the A6097.

It means trentbarton's Rushcliffe Villager service has been rerouted, with Shelford and Gunthorpe no longer served.

Nottinghamshire County Council and trentbarton said new journeys had been added to the Nottsbus 747 service to serve those areas.

The authority also told the BBC that passengers in Shelford and Gunthorpe connecting to the Rushcliffe Villager service could travel on the 747 route for free.

The Rushcliffe Villager provided a direct route from Gunthorpe and Shelford to East Bridgford, West Bridgford and Nottingham.

Residents say the 747 service, which runs between Cropwell Bishop and Oxton, requires them to change buses to continue some journeys, making travel times longer.

Some elderly passengers and those without cars have said they struggle to access shops, doctors and other services, with some facing longer journeys, multiple bus changes and lengthy waits for connections.

A trentbarton spokesperson said it had held "in-depth discussions" with the county council on "mitigations to enable customers" to travel.

"We do sympathise with people in Shelford and Gunthorpe, who use our Rushcliffe Villager, but the road closure has forced the temporary change in our route," a statement said.

"The road closure is not something within our control and we all look forward to being able to get back to serving the two villages once the work is completed."

The county council said it was funding eight extra journeys a week on the 747 service - which is operated by the East Midlands Combined County Authority - to connect passengers in Gunthorpe and Shelford to East Bridgford.

Lesley Jeffery, vice-chair of Gunthorpe Parish Council, said villagers had told them the change "isn't working", adding the extra 747 services "are not suitable for what the villagers want".

"It's inconvenienced a lot more people than we imagined at the beginning," she said.

"If they manage now, they're frightened they're not going to get it back."

Sandra Smith said she had to walk to East Bridgford for the hairdressers, and also had to leave the village to see her doctor.

She said a lot of pensioners "aren't going out at all" without the bus, and fears what will happen when winter comes.

"I'm a widow, I haven't got a car, I need a bus," the 79-year-old said.

"My daughters live in the village, but they both work, so I haven't got anyone to rely on during the day."

Beryl Deverill, 80, said she wanted to see newer, smaller buses replace older vehicles she said broke down too often.

"I don't drive, I just lost my friend five weeks ago and she used to take me shopping, and I'm absolutely stranded now," she said.

"I've got a little dog and I can't leave her alone, [and] you can't rely on the buses in the first place."

Roy Tomlinson, who has been diagnosed with throat and lung cancer, relies on the bus service to travel for treatment.

"To go to the doctor's now, it used to take me just over an hour to get there and back, and now it takes me four and a half hours," he said.

"I have to catch three buses there and three buses back.

"To catch the bus into town and then on to the hospital... on the way back, if I don't time it right, then when I change at Radcliffe-on-Trent, I sometimes have to wait 50 minutes for the next bus to get [to Gunthorpe], and if it's raining, there are no bus shelters or anything."

David Langford, director of highways, transport and waste management at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "We recognise that these works at Kirk Hill mean that some bus services are operating differently and we have made every effort to keep communities connected by bus."

He added: "Passengers who wish to travel into East Bridgford by bus from Shelford and Gunthorpe can board the 747 and change in Radcliffe-on-Trent to board the Rushcliffe Villager.

"We are working closely with trentbarton to make sure that tickets can be accepted on both the Rushcliffe Villager and the 747, and passengers can currently travel for free on the 747 between Shelford, Gunthorpe and Radcliffe-on-Trent if they state to the driver that they're intending to board the Rushcliffe Villager and vice-versa."

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