As bus cuts petition gains pace council promises replacement for 72/73 Biggleswade to Bedford service

A meeting was held in Sandy Library on Saturday (September 24), chaired by Central Bedfordshire Councillor Tracey Stock, to listen to residents' concerns about the route's disappearance from October 30, as Stagecoach states it is "no longer financially viable".

Meanwhile, an online petition against the changes, founded by Central Bedfordshire Councillor Simon Ford, has now been signed by over 1,500 residents.

However, Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) promises an alternative service to the 72/73 by October 31.

Resident, Marc Webber, claimed: "One passenger on the 73 said all seats were taken by Sandy and that people were standing by the time it reached Bedford. How can this be an unviable service when they extended it four months ago?

"It’s not correct the government has instructed Stagecoach to change the services. This is their commercial decision.

"CBC could have stopped this. At the same time they were being told the route was financially unviable, it was applying for (and were successful in getting) a Department of Transport fund to support several other bus routes in the area. Why didn’t they apply for Sandy services?"

Councillor Ford (Sandy) said: "So many local residents rely on this service to get to school, college, work or hospital appointments. It has hit residents hard, causing a lot of stress.

"I am working together with independent members from Biggleswade and Potton to ensure that negotiations to guarantee the future of this service remain on track."

Councillor Stock (Sandy) said: "I explained that CBC has been in discussions with other providers about an alternative service but unfortunately on Saturday I wasn’t able to confirm details because these negotiations were still in progress."

CBC Cllr Ian Dalgarno, executive member for Community Services, said: “We have been in positive conversations with other local bus operators. We would like to reassure residents that an alternative service will be in operation from October 31, and will share details of the new service soon.

"We are committed to working with commercial providers to maintain the current network. Unfortunately, we cannot stop an operator withdrawing a commercial service if it wishes.”

A CBC spokesman added: "Because the 72 and 73 services operate on a commercial basis, the council has not received any funding to support their continuation, instead operators have been receiving funding directly from the Department for Transport.

"The Bus Recovery Grant from the Department for Transport, given to operators during COVID-19, was due to end on October 5, which has meant operators have been reviewing their networks and reducing or cancelling commercially operated services that are no longer viable.

"There were no additional Department of Transport funds the council could apply for other than the Bus Recovery Grant.

"The council did not have confirmation of the cancellation until Stagecoach informed the Traffic Commissioner on September 16."

A Stagecoach East spokesperson said: “We sympathise with those people who will be impacted by the changes ahead. Unfortunately, running a traditional fixed route bus service is no longer financially viable for some rural areas.

"We’re calling for a rural connectivity summit to debate the financial realities and what solutions may be possible for the longer-term future of rural bus services.”