Sunnymeads Lack of Bus Service to continue
RBWM have announced that the current bus services (305) will continue to be part funded for another 12 months, meaning that at least part of Wraysbury will continue to have a partial bus service.
“Interim changes made last autumn to subsidised bus services in the borough, designed to support operators on a smoother post-Covid journey, will continue for an additional 12 months.
The changes to certain sections of some routes, to the timetables of some buses and to the frequency of some routes, have been in place since October and affect services provided by Thames Valley Buses, White Bus and Bear Buses.
These were initially funded for six months, however the council has since secured extra targeted funding for bus services meaning that from 1 April these changes will be extended for 12 months. This gives the council more time to work with operators and communities to establish a longer-term solution for the bus network from April 2024 that reflects changing traveller habits, with the aim of keeping residents connected in a cost-effective manner.”
The 305 Service, which runs six services a day from Staines to Colnbrook (07:40 09:20 12:11 13:51 15:39 17:14 opposite Broadwater Close) running all but one service along Coppermill Road, and one down Welley Road (red). The last service is just after 5pm, which does not give access to events in the evenings in Staines, nor for any commuters to get home after work.
A large part of Wraysbury & Horton are not well served by the current service, Welley Road currently has one bus per day in Each direction, stopping at Sunnymeads at 8.01 towards Staines, and 15.44 towards Colnbrook, which is next to useless.
Prior to 2021 the No10 bus also ran through Wraysbury, down Welley Road about 18 times a day, and into the evenings, this was stopped as a money saving exercise, and now it seems we may only have the 305 service for another year.
Wraysbury and Horton are lucky to have two train stations, but neither is very central, and with the very limited bus services anyone who doesn’t own a car, and is even slightly impaired is severely hampered, and impacted by the current bus services, or lack of. We already have chronic issues with isolation and the difficulties for our elderly and infirm to get out of their houses the lack of transport is a major contribution to this.
As we are all being urged to move away from cars towards public transport, and a greener future, the provision of an effective public transport system is essential. Our villages are not secluded, we are not a great distance from the major hubs of Windsor, Staines, Heathrow, Slough… It almost feels like they divert buses around us, rather than run them through the villages, where we might use them.
A protest group have setup a Facebook page called “Replacement No. 10 Bus” to try and focus attention on the problems the termination of that service has caused.
