A SENIOR councillor has written to a bus company urging them to reconsider route changes.

Arriva Buses Wales are due to implement a series of planned changes to a number of services throughout Wrexham county, which are due to come into effect at the end of March.

The impacts of these changes will be felt by a number of communities throughout Wrexham, with planned changes to the routing and frequency of services.

In a few cases, services are to be completely withdrawn.

Those services affected include:

  • Service 4: Wrexham – Rhos – Penycae
  • Service 4A: Wrexham – Johnstown – Afoneitha
  • Service 4B: Wrexham – Rhos – Afoneitha
  • Service 12: Wrexham – Brymbo
  • Service 26/27: Wrexham – Mold
  • Service 33: Wrexham – Llay
  • Service 42: Wrexham – Hightown (service withdrawn)
  • Service 44: Wrexham – Barkers Lane (service withdrawn)

Cllr David A. Bithell, lead member for environment and transport, has written to Arriva Buses asking them to reconsider their decision with regards these services.

He said: “I would urge Arriva Buses to reconsider their plans for these services.

“I have consulted on these changes with elected members and many residents have raised have voiced their concerns as to how these changes could leave their communities disconnected.

“Many of the changes proposed would leave residential estates currently served by buses cut off, meaning elderly, vulnerable or mobility-impaired individuals would have much further to travel before they reached a serviced bus stop.

“For many people, that would be the equivalent of completely cutting them off from bus travel, meaning they could no longer rely on the transport links they need in order to maintain their independence and day-to-day lives.”

Cllr Bithell added: “While I understand these are commercial decisions of Arriva they also have to consider the impact that these planned changes will have on many of our communities.

“Even if the reductions resulted in a skeleton or reduced service this would still provide links for those people who rely on them.”

He added: “The Welsh Government is currently consulting on plans to improve public transport in Wales.

“Whilst I am fully supportive of the White Paper, it is my view that it does not go far enough and will not deliver the necessary improvements required to reverse the worrying decline in the local bus industry across Wales.”

Explaining the reasons behind the route changes earlier this year, Michael Morton, managing director of Arriva Buses Wales said: “Services that are being adjusted are not commercially viable and are being modified or withdrawn in order to protect the rest of the Wrexham bus network.

“It is unfortunate that, in recent years, local authority funding for socially necessary bus routes has been cut to the point that Wrexham Council is finding it difficult to provide payments for services that do not make money, leaving it to the commercial bus operators to do their best.

“We do not agree that the local bus industry is at breaking point. In recent times, some operators have tried to gain work and volume by running services, either commercially or under contract to local authorities that have, clearly, been below cost and this is the only reason why there are fewer operators than before.

“Free market competition is part of the bus industry in which we find ourselves, as it is in most other industries and those who run efficiently and commercially will always survive.

“Other models, where competition is not the norm, inevitably cost much more as they are publicly funded, whereas more than 90 per cent of an, undoubtedly, excellent network in Wrexham, is commercially provided at no cost to the ratepayer.

“Bus fares in Wrexham have been reduced in recent years especially for regular customers and we have frozen the cost of whole day and weekly tickets for at least the first three months of this year.

“We welcome our regular meetings with Cllr Bithell and Wrexham Council officers and we will continue to work with them to look for better ways of operation, including the possibility of high tech demand responsive minibus services.”