On Thursday evening I attended a public meeting at the Strutts Centre, Belper to discuss bus services in the Borough of Amber Valley. I was able to secure an assurance that there are no planned changes to the 9.1 route which will be a relief to residents in my ward: Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook and Horsley, who rely on that service and who had heard rumours about the route being discontinued.
The meeting was well attended and representatives of Trent Barton, Derbyshire Community Transport, Accessible Belper, Women’s Institute and a number of fellow local Councillors.
With thanks to Cllr John Porter for organising the meeting.
Common themes that came out of the meeting:
🚌 the desire for reliable real time information, particularly where the buses are cancelled
🚌 buses running less frequently and lack of sufficient services in the evenings.
🚌 lack of bus drivers and engineers causing operational issues
🚌 the need for reliable buses for the disabled community given the lack of availability of accessible taxis in the area
🚌 the need for publicly funded bus routes which are not commercially viable for the private companies but where there is socially necessity for the community.
It was good to hear the representative of Trent Barton acknowledge that whilst they have been working to improve the services, there is more work to do. I was pleased to learn they intend to continue with their plan to improve going forward.
Kind Regards
Cllr Linsey Farnsworth
