Stagecoach offers Appleby a commercial lifeline

Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire is introducing a new commercial weekday offpeak service running three round trips between Penrith and Appleby from 4 September.

This will provide a limited replacement along the most populous section of the erstwhile service 563 (Kirkby Stephen- Appleby-Penrith) operated by Grand Prix Coaches until December last year. It takes Stagecoach into new territory.

The bus will undertake schools work before 09.00 and after 15.00 but the service will operate in school holidays. Campaigner Andrew Connell of Appleby has worked with Stagecoach to encourage it to take a marginal risk on this service and relieve some of the hardship caused by the loss of the regular six days per week Grand Prix service.

He is particularly heartened by Stagecoach’s willingness to extend the service to new residential developments in Appleby, which for nine months has held the dubious distinction of probably being the largest town in England without a regular bus service.