Arriva scraps Sunday bus services in Stafford and Cannock
All Sunday bus services in Cannock and Stafford have been cut by an operator after funding was axed by the county council.
Arriva will no longer keep the buses running in Stafford and Cannock after Staffordshire County Council decided subsidies are ‘simply not sustainable’.
In addition, the number 8 from Parkside to Moss Pit, via Stafford, will stop running at 8.26pm Monday to Saturday and the number 9 Stafford to Highfields at 7.50pm.
And the 76A from Stafford to Wolverhampton will also be cancelled on Sundays and bank holidays.
Consultation
The county council made changes to bus funding following a consultation last year and four per cent of journeys will be cut from April.
Simon Mathieson, of Arriva Midlands, said: “Cuts to funding will result in the withdrawal of all subsidised services provided by our Cannock depot on Sundays, as well as a number of other evening and daytime subsidised journeys during the rest of the week.
“The removal of these subsidised services will have an impact on some of our other evening and Sunday services.
"It will become financially unsustainable for us to continue to cover the overheads we incur opening our Cannock depot on Sundays and we have made the decision to cancel all services that run from our Delta Way depot on Sundays with effect from April 1.”
Councillor Mark Deaville, the county council’s cabinet member for commercial, said: “Some journeys are costing taxpayers £10 a time, which simply is not sustainable.
"After gathering public feedback. it was agreed to proceed with the option which protects the most current daytime services for the lowest overall average subsidy, meaning more than 96 per cent of journeys will still be possible.”
Arriva closed its Stafford base in 2016, saying services would be 'more sustainable'.
