SUNDAY BUS SERVICES TO BE EXTENDED
In a major boost for local public transport, Mayor Dave Hodgson has announced a radical extension to Sunday bus services in Bedford. The new programme of services will replace the current, extremely limited Sunday service with regular buses serving the same routes which operate across the whole Bedford town network over the rest of the week.
Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "This move will provide a major boost to public transport in Bedford on Sundays. The comprehensive extension of Sunday services will help the many people who want to be able to get around on a Sunday for a range of work, leisure and social reasons.
"Local residents have told us that they find existing Sunday bus services to be extremely infrequent and often confusing, mainly because they are so different from the usual weekday services. Our new programme of Sunday buses will resolve that and provide a service local residents want.
"Running the usual Monday to Saturday routes on a Sunday is a major step in providing clarity for bus users, who will now be able to use the routes they know seven days a week.
"This overhaul of Sunday buses is part of our drive to protect the local and wider environment with real action, supporting residents to use sustainable transport. It also furthers our aim of supporting a thriving town centre during these difficult economic times by helping more people to access it, including in the run-up to Christmas."
It is estimated the introduction of the new Sunday service will require a one-off contribution of approximately £48,000, funded from the Council's General Contingency Fund, to kick-start what is hoped will be a viable and valued service for bus users.
The new service will mirror the existing town network and be based on a minimum hourly frequency. The existing Monday to Saturday services are operated by Stagecoach on a commercial basis and they will also operate the Sunday service following a competitive tender process.
The new service is expected to start on 5th December 2010.