CAMPAIGNERS are calling on Gloucestershire County Council to find a way to restore the 62 bus service between Dursley and Gloucester.

Bus operator Stagecoach said it has axed the service, because it was losing £80,000 a year on the route.

The cuts came into force last Sunday and entailed the service between Dursley, Cam, Berkeley, Sharpness and Gloucester being reduced from hourly to two-hourly.

Information about the new service was sketchy, with some passengers only finding out about the changes when the bus they were expecting didn’t turn up.

There was also a delay in the delivery of the latest timetables, which outlined details of the changes, leaving staff at Dursley library, Berkeley town hall and GL11 to provide photocopies for those that needed them.

Members of the Cam and Dursley Transportation Group (CDTG) set up a petition on August 24, calling upon Gloucestershire County Council to find a solution.

Cllr Wendy Thomas, CDTG chair, said: “We want the council to find a way to restore this service by exploring other options, such as subsidies, community transport, or another bus provider."

At present, the council does not fund the 60 or 62 services between Dursley and Gloucester, and it has had no involvement in the reduction of services.

However, Cllr Thomas said: “The council is responsible for bus services in the county.

“They have a choice, to fund, or not to fund.

“Key services enabling people to get to work, school, college, hospital appointments, and more, are now not being provided.

“GCC’s Local Transport Plan says they will: ‘work with transport providers to provide an appropriate level of service throughout the day, evening and at weekends to link communities with employment, education, health services, retail centres and enable connectivity between bus and rail services’.

“We call on GCC to restore this service and honour this plan.”

Cllr Nigel Moor, cabinet member responsible for transport at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Stagecoach has reduced the frequency of their 60 and 62 bus services between Dursley and Gloucester, due to poor passenger numbers.

“We have been working hard to maintain essential services that allow people to travel around Gloucestershire, especially in rural communities.

“However we are not in a position to supplement this commercial service with extra funds, but we will look to see if any other options are available.”

Berkeley resident Liz Ashton said: “It’s ridiculous, the community is getting more and more cut off.

“But this issue is not Stagecoach’s fault.

"The problem is a lack of funding from the the top. The government have cut local authority budgets and so the county council haven’t got any money to pass on to subsidise rural routes.”

The online petition can be signed here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/ petitions/save-dursley-s-62-bus-service