Almost 500 Woodley residents are demanding the return of the number 19 bus to their roads.
Cllr Kay Gilder who represents South Lake, handed a petition in at Wokingham Borough Council’s meeting last Thursday. Residents in and around Fairwater Drive and Nightingale Road want a return of the service which was split into three last summer.
Some have lost their only direct route to hospital and some of those wanting to attend Loddon Vale GP practice are having to take two buses.
Cllr Gilder said “Since the number 19 bus has stopped calling at Fairwater Drive and Nightingale Road in Woodley, residents from South Lake have lost their only direct route to both the Royal Berkshire Hospital and our local GP Surgeries.
“Elderly and less mobile residents have to make other arrangements to get to essential medical appointments and this is causing considerable distress, inconvenience and in some cases financial hardship.
“In one case the cost of alternative journeys for a resident has come to £40 in just one week!”
Reading Buses chief executive Martijn Gilbert said the company took a financial risk by taking the 19 and 19a services from being fully subsidised to a commercial operation with a top up subsidy from the council, and that the South Lake area had low usage.
He said: “There still is a service, Orange 14, serving this area, allowing residents to transfer on to the 19s, and this includes our Woodley Transfer ticket allowing interchange between the two services.
“We have analysed the routes and have deployed the buses in what we think is the most efficient way to maximise resources.
“Indeed, since the change in July, the 19s service has seen an increase in passengers on the route, showing that this method is working to attract customers and is helping to stabilise and secure the future of this service, whilst also contributing to significant improvements to route reliability and timekeeping.”
Mr Gilbert added: “It should be noted that, while we appreciate the public feeling that has generated 500 signatures, the fact remains that there were not 500 people using the service in this area and, had there been, the service would not have changed.”
