CAN WE GET THE BUS BACK?

When the No.3 bus was rerouted away from Church Road and Bangors Road North in December 2017, we were contacted by many concerned residents asking us what we could do to help restore even a reduced service.

After trying several avenues with little success, chair Alan Wilson obtained an agreement from Bucks County Council for IHRA to conduct a survey amongst locals as part of BCC's review of buses they support. With the help of local shops and organisations, survey forms were made available and nearly 100 completed survey forms were returned to us. The results of the survey were summarised in a report and sent to BCC early in August. On 23rd August we had confirmation that the report had been received, and that Bucks CC would use this alongside the recent county wide survey currently being analysed and see what could be done.

Here are some of the main findings from our survey:

• Nine out of 10 respondents said their preferred destination was Uxbridge and would like to travel in the morning
• Six out of 10 said they'd like to spend 2-3 hours there
• Seven out of 10 would like to go two to three times a week, and nine out of 10 would like to go every week.

We also received nearly 90 comments on the forms, with the most commonly expressed being how disappointed residents are at the loss of the bus; that "it's now too far to walk to the nearest bus stops"; people are being "forced to use taxis they cannot afford" and that they feel "trapped and unable to socialise".

Once we receive further information from BCC we will write to IHRA members, survey respondents and post an update on our website.