From next month local residents and commuters will no longer have the option of catching the 130 bus between Macclesfield and East Didsbury.
Arriva have announced on their website that the service, which currently runs from Macclesfield Bus Station via Nether Alderley, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Handforth, Heald Green, Cheadle Hulme and Cheadle will be cancelled from Sunday 26th January 2020.
Following numerous enquiries from local residents regarding the future of this service, wilmslow.co.uk has contacted Arriva for confirmation on several occasions in recent weeks.
In response to our enquiries on November 26th, an Arriva spokesperson "Arriva is currently in consultation with the local authority regarding the 130 service for January. Updates for all of our services can be found on the Arriva website."
Arriva cancelled the 130 service to Manchester in October 2018, as it was "no longer commercially viable to operate" so the buses have terminated at Parts Wood in Didsbury since then.
Prior to that Arriva reduced the 130 bus service from a half hourly to a hourly service between Macclesfield, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Handforth and Manchester in January 2018 then withdrew the Sunday service at the end of March 2018.
Speaking today (Thursday, 12th Dcember), an Arriva Spokesperson said, "Arriva have formally notified the Traffic Commissioner of their intent to withdraw the 130 service. Once this request has been accepted by the Traffic Commissioner the Arriva website will be updated."
A Cheshire East Council spokesperson said: "We are disappointed with the decision by the operator to withdraw this commercial bus service.
"We anticipate that other operators will be considering whether to offer services over all or part of the route on a commercial basis. It is important to note that in law the council is unable to intervene in a competitive market.
"We are monitoring the situation and should no alternative commercial offer come forward, we would consider whether there was a case to provide a subsidised service on all, or part of, the route."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Be careful how you vote today.
Yes, you are right. It is disappointing that Arriva have decided to deregister the 130 service; however, this is a commercial decision and the 130 is currently an unsupported (unsubsidised) route.
Cheshire East Council is anticipating that an alternative provider will come forward to register their interest in taking over the service from 27th January and assuming this happens, the service will continue much as it does at the moment.
In the event that no alternative provider comes forward, Cheshire East Council will give consideration to contracting a supported (i.e. subsidised) service; however, the council is unable to intervene currently in what is still a commercial route.
Kind regards,
Craig
you write 'be careful how you vote...' so perhaps you are not a Tory?
Going by the C.E. web site, although the Conservatives are the largest group, they are easily outnumbbered by the Labour/Indepentent group (33 v 41) and even more outnumbered if the other Councillors align with the Labour/Independents (33 v 49)
So if you believe that C.E. will fail to support this service, please do not put the 'blame' on the Conservatives.?
My 'vote' comment was more generic than this local potential public service cut issue.
Seek out the money for buses around here? Cheshire East? M.P. ?
'Buses were de-regulated from central govt & local council control in the '80s, and since then have been allowed to run-down to the point where an operator loses any commercial and profitable interest in routes.
The utilities, British Rail, BT, Post Office, etc have all suffered similar fates.
Has competition improved any of the above? Arguably, only BT evolved properly - mainly because it is the only "service" in which real competition can exist, and that has kept BT on their toes, sort of.
Yes, this is a little simplistic, but it helps demonstrates the point, doesn't it?
So, what next for privatisation - the Beeb, NHS???