Users of a bus that connects Rutland villages to Stamford and Uppingham fear they will be 'stuck in their villages' if planned cuts go ahead. 

The R5 service that shuttles between Uppingham and Stamford will be cut back to school times and peak hours only, with a new demand response service filling in the gaps. 

The move has angered Ketton villagers and speaking at the coach service in Stamford today (Jan 21), they spoke of their frustration. 



Ivy Foster and Margaret Dwyer are regular bus users (Photo: LDRS)

Friends Ivy Foster and Margaret Dwyer (pictured) use the bus several times a week to shop and for medical appointments. 

Margaret said: "We have to use it for doctors, dentists, shopping and hair appointments. I use it regularly and it is important for my social life. Without it I would be stuck in Ketton and unable to get out as much. I would be lonely. 

"If I had to book ahead I would find that difficult, as I don't know how I feel. Sometimes I just get up in the morning and think, 'I'd like to get out and take the bus to Stamford'. It won't be so easy with a demand service." 

Ivy said: "We don't want to be stuck in Ketton all day, every day. We often get the bus in at 9am and then get the 11.30am or 1pm bus back." 

The proposal is that the changes happen in August, although the new timings and system has not been advertised as yet by Rutland County Council, which commissions the bus routes. 

The authority is aiming to save £300,000 a year with the new system. It currently spends £132,000 each year on the R5 service, which runs at least every two hours until 5.30pm. 

Lincolnshire County Council's call connect service will be introduced between the hours of 7am and 7pm, with passengers having to book a journey at least an hour in advance and routes are planned according to demand.  The new on-demand service will be free to use for the first three months. 

The parish council will be putting a petition with a few hundred signatures into the council next week. The parish council wants the authority to reconsider the plans, although they were rubber stamped by the cabinet in November. Cabinet member for transport Christine Wise (Lib Dem – Uppingham) said the changes would be better for passengers. 

She said: "We want a modern rural bus service that gets people where they need to go, at a cost that is manageable for the Council and in a way that is greener for the environment." 

Parish Councillors Mary Cade (left) and Christine Bickley (right) will be presenting a petition to Rutland County Council on 30th January (Photo: LDRS)

Ketton parish councillor Mary Cade, said that rather than reducing the service, the authority should have increased the timings, as currently the R5 service does not run early enough for people who work in Stamford to use it for a daily commute. 

She said: "There should be a decent bus service. What we want is for the council to look at the bus service as it is and consider how they can get more people to use it. You can't use it to get to work and for most of the schools in Stamford you can't use it. Rutland is very Oakham-centric and the whole of the east feels very cut off."