Lobbying and cooperation with operator Cotswold Green has secured a doubling of the supported service for the Gloucestershire village of Sheepscombe, as well as faster journey times into Stroud.
The previous service 228 ran on Thursdays only via a circular route, with residents of Sheepscombe having a particularly indirect route, which effectively left the village of Slad relying on a demand responsive service from Community Connexions. On Saturdays, service 229 bypassed Sheepscombe and neighbouring hamlets in order to provide a direct route for other villages.
Suggestions from bus industry consultant Neil Barker, who also is a non-executive director of Warrington’s Own Buses, and lobbying of local councillors by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tyler of Linkinhorne combined with an open approach by Gloucestershire County Council and Cotswold Green led to both routes serving Sheepscombe and both operating a direct route into Stroud from 28 February.
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