A DECISION to axe a bus service from the village of Llandegla has sparked outrage among residents.

A public meeting has been arranged following Arriva Cymru's decision to no longer serve the Tweedmill or the village of Llandegla via its Services 51 and x51, Rhyl to Wrexham, from January 14. 

Service 51 will no longer call into Tweedmill and on service x51, Llandegla will no longer be served and the service will remain on A525. 

Justifying why the service is being axed, Arriva Wales said "overall" it is taking longer to operate and punctuality has been reduced.

A resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "The peaceful village of Llandegla in Denbighshire has been thrown into disarray following the controversial decision by Arriva Cymru to reroute the X51 Wrexham to Denbigh public bus service.

"This alteration, which comes as a result of a recent timetable review prompted by the introduction of a 20mph speed limit in Wales, has left residents outraged and facing limited access to essential services.

"For years, the original route of the X51 bus service provided direct access into the heart of Llandegla village, acting as a lifeline for those without personal transportation and playing a vital role in supporting local commerce.

"However, with its rerouting proposed by Arriva Cymru, many villagers now find themselves cut off from their usual daily commutes and faced with reduced mobility options.

"This is more than just inconvenience," the resident added.

"Public transport plays an integral role in rural communities like Llandegla. It is not just about convenience but also about social inclusion and economic vitality."

The resident feels the decision will also impact businesses.

"Without easy access to customers who rely on public transport or passing trade from commuters using the bus service between Wrexham and Denbigh, these establishments may face significant losses," they said.

A spokesperson for Arriva Wales said: "The withdrawal of this service in Llandegla is due to the impact of 20mph on the 51 and X51 services. To be clear this is not to say that Llandegla and its speed limits are the issue but now the service overall is taking longer to operate due to reduced speeds across the network.

"The consequences of this change in speed has been severe and has caused increased lost mileage and reduced punctuality.

"We have been open in raising our concerns with Transport for Wales, the Welsh government and local authorities. There have also been press statements and questions raised in the Senedd about this on the basis of our concerns and the consequences.

"As a response to reducing speed of buses there are these options to reduce frequency: speed up buses by withdrawing the service from an area or increase the amount of resource in the bus service.

"This service is already operating at a low frequency and there is no funding to support increased resource going into services so we have had to amend the route with the time saved by not operating in the village," the spokesperson added.

"This time has been reinvested into the service to help it operate to time.

"These changes have taken place based upon a review of patronage and estimated time savings.

"The service will also now not call in to the Tweedmill."

A public meeting has been arranged for Friday, January 12 at 7pm at Llandegla Memorial Hall.

The resident added: "All are welcome to attend and voice their frustrations directly to Community Councillors who will be on hand to record and pass on comments to Arriva Cymru.

"We call upon Arriva Cymru to reconsider their decision and reinstate the original route for X51 Wrexham to Denbigh public bus service."