Crucial village bus service axed

A VILLAGE community near Coventry is in uproar at the removal of a bus service into the city centre.

Hawkesbury residents are upset at firm National Express' plan to stop the 60 service, which they say provides a vital link for access to work, education and shopping.

The 778 service, which ran between University Hospital and Bedworth - via the village - had already been axed in September after Warwickshire County Council withdrew subsidy funding.

National Express said poor passenger numbers were the reason for the closure and it was now up to the county council to help cover costs and keep it running.

The stoppage means residents will not have any services into Coventry, with just one bus running through Hawkesbury each day - the 209 to Nuneaton and Bedworth.

Lynne Price, chair of the Hawkesbury Village Residents Association, said: "We are in 2012 and the public transport in the village is going backwards, not forwards.

"People are reliant on basic amenities like a bus service and this will have a very negative impact on many residents who don’t have access to a car or are not able to walk almost a mile to the nearest bus stop."

A National Express spokesman said: "We are undertaking a network review of the service and are looking to make improvements and efficiencies in our network.

"The council have the ability to tender on this service - it is not commercially viable for us."