‘All change’ on the Deeside shuttle bus

The Deeside Shuttle bus, which provides transport on demand for Flintshire workers to and from Deeside Industrial Park (DIP), will no longer offer a pre-bookable door to door service from September

As part of a review of subsidised bus services, the change to the service was sanctioned last May by Flintshire county council.

The council say levels of subsidy for the shuttle service are very high, at a cost of over £6 per passenger, and is no longer affordable.

Currently, passengers are required to phone and book their journeys for the Deeside Shuttle through a call centre type arrangement.

This will not be necessary in the future.

The new service will run in much the same way as other public transport, supported by a timetable and with fixed stops, it will operate as an ‘express service’ stopping only at specified bus stops along its route.

Journeys up to and including 31 August 2015 remain unchanged and passengers should continue to phone and book their seats as usual.

From Tuesday 1 September 2015 passengers will need to go to their nearest specified bus stop and catch one of the timetabled buses that will get them to work on time.

Route maps and timetables will be available at local libraries and Flintshire Connect Centres or can be downloaded at www.flintshire.gov.uk/DRT.

Councillor Bernie Attridge, Cabinet Member for Environment said:

“This review has become necessary due to the unprecedented level of financial savings the Council is having to make. However it is important to us that we support Flintshire’s economy and by replacing the existing Deeside Shuttle service with these new timetabled routes Flintshire residents will have continued access to employment on Deeside Industrial Park.”

Questions about the new service should be directed to: email streetscene@flintshire.gov.uk tel. 01352 701234.