MPs call for urgent review of Stagecoach service cuts
Following the start of the new school term, South Cotswolds MP Roz Savage has warned that recent changes to local bus services are hitting residents hard - from students and parents to hospital patients, shift workers and older people.
Timetable alterations to key routes, including the 51 from Swindon to Cheltenham via Cricklade and Cirencester, have left passengers facing longer waits, overcrowded buses, and extended journeys. In some cases, daily travel times have stretched to 11 hours, with families forced into costly alternatives. For many, especially in rural communities, this means more car journeys, heavier congestion, and higher household costs.
Roz commented:
“Parents are struggling to juggle school runs with their work, patients are unable to get to hospital and GP appointments, young people are left waiting around for hours, and shift workers are forced into exhausting days. These changes have happened just as the new term starts putting extra pressure on bus users.
Reliable and affordable public transport is not a luxury - it is a lifeline. When buses don’t work for our communities, opportunity is taken away. That’s why I’m calling for urgent fixes — practical timetables, fair ticketing, and a system that puts passengers first.”
Roz Savage is collaborating with neighbouring MPs, including Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (North Cotswolds), whose constituents are also affected by the change. Their letter urges immediate talks with leading transport officers and councillors at Gloucestershire County Council to address the timetable issues and secure fairer, more workable arrangements.
Roz added:
“Buses are a lifeline for our rural towns and villages. We cannot allow changes like this to put barriers in place to access education, work and healthcare. I will continue to fight for a system that connects, rather than cuts off, our communities.”
Notes to Editor:
· Morning journey retimed: The main service now gets passengers into Cheltenham almost an hour earlier than before, leading to long waits and childcare pressures.
· Withdrawal of the 16:20 service: The 16:20 Cheltenham–Cirencester bus has been cut, leaving a peak-hour gap until 17:10. This has affected pupils, apprentices, and NHS staff finishing around that time, forcing them to wait almost an hour or face much longer days.