Rural villages lose out as bus services are cut back

BUS services calling at two rural villages near Henley are to be reduced.

The 800 Arriva bus will now stop at Dunsden and Binfield Heath just four times a day in each direction from Monday to Saturday rather than nine. The Sunday service, which runs between High Wycombe and Reading, has been axed.

Arriva says the changes, which will take effect on Sunday, are due to low usage and the money saved will be used to increase reliability elsewhere on its network.

It had originally wanted to completely re-route the service away from the villages but Oxfordshire County Council negotiated the retention of some of the Monday to Saturday services as they were the most used.

The council will be subsidising services by about £20,000 per year on an initial arrangement until August 2024. But parish councillors fear residents will be isolated with less access to public transport. Lis Ransom, chairwoman of Binfield Heath Parish Council, said: “The people who suffer the most are the elderly, people with disabilities and those who cannot afford cars.

“It also prevents young people from being able to socialise and isolates the village. One man told the council that he can’t live without the bus and might as well ‘give up’.

“The new timings also do not help people get to work and instead encourage them to get their cars out again. This runs contrary to the county council’s environmental policies.

“The reasoning from Arriva is also strange: it says that it wants to start using double decker buses, which would be unsuitable on these roads. It serves the people at the other end, in High Wycombe and Reading, not us.

“The village has always had two wonderful things, its shop and its bus. Now it is going to be very hard for us.”

David Woodward, chairman of Eye and Dunsden Parish Council, said rural buses were an important lifeline for people without access to transport and schoolchildren used the service.

He said: “I accept that the usage is low but the company has not been sufficiently flexible in its attitude. Why not run a smaller vehicle, for example? They are smaller and more financially efficient. Or people could pre-book when they wanted to use the service. I wish Arriva would take a more imaginative approach.

“I agree that the new timings are too early and too late for people trying to get to work. There should be a service around 8am. Arriva claims the re-route would save about five minutes but I think that’s a really poor argument for not serving our villages.”

Kilian Hall, Arriva’s marketing manager, said: “We’re making changes to help keep buses on time and reflect changing work and travel patterns post-pandemic. Most journeys will now run along the A4155 between Lower Shiplake and Caversham, giving a faster and more direct journey between Henley and Reading. 

“We’ve worked in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council to continue running a limited number of journeys through Shiplake Row, Binfield Heath and Dunsden Green around key commuting and shopping hours. 

“The number of journeys through these villages reflects the low number of passengers boarding there and continues to provide access to essential services.”

The new times from Heathfield Close, Binfield Heath, are: Monday to Friday, to Reading: 6.34am, 9.38am, 2.38pm, 5.39pm. To Henley: 7.35am, 11.33am, 2.33pm, 6.37pm. Saturday, to Reading: 7.38am, 9.38am, 2.38pm, 5.38pm. To Henley: 8.33am, 11.33am, 2.33pm, 6.37pm.

The bus will stop at The Green in Dunsden Green about three minutes later.