Major changes to bus services in Melton, Bottesford and Vale of Belvoir
Major changes have been announced for bus services serving residents in Melton Mowbray, the Vale of Belvoir and Bottesford.
Central Connect have withdrawn the LC2 route from today (Monday) and the 93 will cease to operate after Saturday although local authorities have stepped in to offer alternative services.
With regard to the LC2 – which travels between Melton and Bottesford and picks up in Vale villages en route – Leicestershire County Council is funding a third bus to work in that particular Melton FoxConnect zone.
FoxConnect is a flexible, on-demand, bookable bus service that allows passengers to book journeys within the zone, up to seven days in advance, via the app or the telephone booking line.
It has proved popular in the area, with an average of over 2,300 journeys completed a month in a service which operates Monday to Saturday, from 6am to 7.30pm.
After the ending of the Central Connect 93 – which picks up in Bottesford, Bingham, Grantham and Nottingham – the 93A/93B will start serving Bottesford and Grantham from Monday February 2.
Leicestershire and Lincolnshire County Councils have worked together to fund a temporary six-month service on the core service route.
Both authorities will monitor passenger usage and feedback and this will be fed into planning for a longer-term solution.
In addition, Leicestershire County Council will solely be funding the LC9 Centrebus service, also for an interim period of six months, to ensure Bottesford passengers retain a continued access to buses serving Bingham and direct to Nottingham.
Centrebus will be operating three return journeys on the LC9, Monday to Saturday from Grantham to Bottesford with no local authority funding.
On the changes, Councillor Adam Tilbury, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for transport, commented: “We’ve been determined to make alternative arrangements to cover the withdrawal of these bus services.
“We’re stepping in to help keep Bottesford connected, and it’s been great to work with Lincolnshire County Council to help fund the bus route to Grantham.
“We also know the Fox Connect service has proved to be very popular across the county, so we’re pleased to be able to expand this to replace the LC2.”
Book FoxConnect services through the telephone booking line on 0116 216 7756 during opening hours 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.