CONCERNS have been raised about the loss of rural transport services which provides a vital lifeline for regular users.

The Pickering Town Bus Service is to cease operating next month after local company Hayesway Travel decided it was commercially unviable.

However, regular users of the service have now launched a petition calling on North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) and Ryedale MP Kevin Hollinrake to step in and ensure the service is maintained.

Michelle Payne, one of the regular bus users, said: “This is a lifeline for a lot of elderly and disabled people and a vital public service.

“Many people use the bus every day for shopping, as well as trips to the doctors, dentist and library. It is also a vital part of their social life for people to meet up.”

Mrs Payne, 70, said she had already received a lot of support from users of the bus, as well as people in the town.

“The shop owners are very keen to keep the bus service as losing it will have an effect on the town if customers aren’t able to get there to shop,” she said.

“Not having the bus will make a big difference to a lot of people’s lives.”

Mrs Payne said the petition was available to sign at various locations in Pickering and would be presented to Mr Hollinrake on May 18.

Douglas Hayes, from Hayesway Travel, which is based in Pickering, said the company had not taken the decision to stop running the town bus lightly.

“We don’t want to make the cuts but unfortunately the route is not commercially viable and we have been running it at a loss,” he said.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised by timetable changes to the 31X route from Kirkbymoorside and Helmsley to York, including the withdrawal of the evening service.

John Dean, who lives in Beadlam, said: “I and others who live along the route of the 31X bus are shocked by the sudden changes vaguely referred to on the NYCC website.

“The withdrawal of evening bus from York to Kirkbymoorside would be catastrophic for many people, affecting all kinds of plans based on a late afternoon bus.”

A spokesman for NYCC said: “The council became aware earlier this week that the bus operator

Hayesway intends to cease operating the Pickering town service with effect from June 7.

“This service has been run independently of the council which does not, as a rule, support town services financially. We are reviewing usage of the service while waiting to see if other commercial operators are willing to step forward and take up the service.”

They added: “After the loss of the previous bus operator in January, the 31X service was registered by Yorkshire Coastliner as a commercial service without financial support from the council. While the council is aware that the bus operator is making some changes to the timetable, it is a commercial decision made by the operator, which is free to decide what timetable it will run and its frequency.”

A statement on the website of Transdev, which runs Coastliner, said: “From April 29, there’ll be changes to times on the 31 and 31X. We’ve taken a look at how you use our buses, and the new timetable has been designed in consultation with NYCC and Reliance Buses to offer the best quality service possible reflecting your travel patterns.”