Pensioner forced to walk two hours to get home after bus service cuts

Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Rother Valley has written to Mark Harper to invite him to meet residents who have been affected by the scrapping of the bus service connecting Rotherham to Crystal Peaks in Sheffield.

Jake Richards sent the invite after a meeting with South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard so he could hear from residents in Aston and Swallownest who had been affected by the cancellation of the 27 bus.

The 27 service which serves Swallownest, Aston and Crystal Peaks shopping centre was cancelled as part of a raft of changes last year.

The loss of the ‘lifeline’ service has seen residents in Aston and Swallownest becoming ‘isolated’ and even losing their jobs, according to Mr Richards.

One resident in her 80s, Marjorie, had been forced to walk two and a half miles home from Crystal Peaks with her weekly shop after the hourly bus did not turn up, and no taxis were available.

In his letter, Mr Richards wrote: “Since [the 27 bus] has been scrapped, older folk are more isolated and others have lost their jobs. Lisa is a care worker. She works night shifts helping the most vulnerable. She is paid a modest salary. She is often forced to pay for a taxi home (of around £15) after work, which leaves a huge dent in her pay.

“These are the workers our country needs – who put in the hard graft to help those who need it most. But our transport system is letting them down. The current situation is not good enough.

“People deserve a reliable bus service to access key services, and have confidence that it will turn up on time. I am writing not to moan, nor complain, about the government, and government policy. Instead, I want to invite you to come to Swallownest and Aston to meet with those who struggle with the bus service every day.

“People are not interested in who is to blame for the current bus system, but just want a solution. I therefore propose a cross-party meeting to hear from residents and to come up with a solution. It cannot be beyond the wit of government – and us all – to deliver a reliable bus service for this community.”

First said it cut the route as it was no longer profitable to run, with the swathe of changes coming as financial support for operators during the Covid pandemic stopped.

The Department for Transport and First have been approached for comment.