Southend News

Give us back our regular bus service

By John Geoghegan

11:00am Thursday 18th March 2010

NEIGHBOURS are battling to get a daily bus route from their homes to Leigh town centre reinstated.

People in Snakes Lane, Eastwood, are campaigning to get the route, which linked the road to the town centre and Southend Hospital, resurrected.

Snakes Lane, which links Rayleigh Road and Eastwoodbury Lane, had a regular bus service until four years ago.

But this was scrapped when the bus subsidy was withdrawn by Southend Council. Now just one bus a week goes down there, the number 18, which links Eastwood with Leigh town centre every Friday.

Pam Farley, 65, from Collins Way, has called for a meeting with representatives of local bus companies to see what can be done to get things moving.

She said: “I have just received my bus pass and would love to be able to use it for more journeys.

“A daily bus that goes into Leigh and the hospital would be really appreciated, especially for people of my age group.”

Former Tory councillor David Garston, who is hoping to be elected again for St Laurence ward on May 6, has joined the campaign and is planning to speak to Arriva and other operators to see what can be done.

Arriva’s marketing manager, Richard Lewis, said “We are always happy to look at ideas put forward by our customers, or potential customers.

“Any new service which is introduced has to pay its way, and we would need to be sure that there was sufficient demand to justify its introduction.”

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