We'll be stranded without our bus, say passengers

ELDERLY bus users in Bedminster Down say they will no longer be able to get out and about when a popular bus service is axed.

The 510 runs between Bedminster Down and Hotwells and is used by a large number of pensioners, some with mobility problems.

They catch it to go shopping in Bedminster, visit the doctor or hairdresser, and sometimes have lunch in a cafe or pub.

But after today, the subsidised bus will be off the road due to council cuts.

It is one of a number of services affected by changes announced by Bristol City Council after a reduction in Government funding.

Some will not run so often from next week, routes for others will change and the weekday-only 510, operated by Wessex Connect, will go completely.

Passengers at the Bedminster Down end of the route were told bus operator First's 75 service from Bedminster Down Road to Bedminster Parade was a frequent alternative for them, while those who qualified for community transport were urged to enrol for the free dial-a-ride service.

But the pensioners said for many, it was too far and too difficult for them to reach bus stops for the 75, while restrictions on the use of community transport meant they could only use it a limited number of times and only when booked in advance.

Michael Lynch, 70, of Brooklyn Road, Bedminster Down, said: "A lot of pensioners use the bus to go down to Asda to do their shopping as it stops right outside the front.

"I use sticks to help me walk and find it hard enough to walk on the flat. It's hilly around here and I couldn't walk all the way up to the main road for the 75.

"The 510 stops near my home and we have a regular driver, Dave, who has become a friend to us.

"There are people on that bus a lot older than me and they say they would become housebound without the service. It's essential for the passengers, who are nearly all pensioners.

"It can only run with a subsidy from the council and we feel it's wrong that the council is abandoning us like this."

Mr Lynch's wife, Marilyn, 65, said: "It's like a little community on the bus and a few people have said they won't be able to go out any more."

Joyce Norton, 74, of Ilchester Crescent, said: "There are ladies in their 90s who use the bus and there's no way they could walk up and down these steep roads. This is affecting their independence.

"I belong to the dial-a-ride scheme but there are limits on how often it can be used.

"You have to book a bus in advance so can't just decide one day to go out if the weather is good or you feel up to it. The council is just fudging the issue when they suggest using it."

As a thank you to the regular driver David Ringer, passengers presented him with a special cake they had made yesterday.

Council spokeswoman Kate Hartas said: "Elderly and disabled people can use the free door-to-door service if they cannot get to the alternative bus."