A BUS service which serves towns and villages that straddle the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire a border offers a glimmer of hope and path to follow for communities which have lost their public transport links.
The 232 Daffodil Line which connects Ross with Newent and Ledbury, was created in April last year and has gone from strength to strength.
The route is named after the former Ledbury to Gloucester train line which cut across the area known for Britain’s best wild daffodil display.
It emerged after Stagecoach’s decision to axe the regular 132 service from Gloucester to Ledbury and the stretch of the 32 route from Newent to Ross.
Campaigners banded together and created Buses4Us to try and reverse the downward spiral of public transport in the area.
Clare Stone, who leads the group, got to work on the new service after she raised questions about the bus service at a Gloucestershire County Council meeting in 2022.
She was instrumental in championing and getting the project started. A trial mini-bus was launched and its success ultimately led to the establishment of the 232 bus route.
“Ownership of a private car should be a choice not a necessity,” she said.
“Sadly, in most rural areas if you don’t run a private car because you can’t afford to or choose not to, you are shut off from a huge number of social, economic and educational. And that needs to change.”
Ms Stone eventually obtained funding of £35,000 a year from Gloucestershire County Council with the help of the authority’s transport cabinet member Cllr Philip Robinson (Con, Mitcheldean) and this sum was matched by Herefordshire Council along with town and parish councils located along the route also contributing to the operation of 232.
The route is going from strength to strength. It is often standing room only at school pick up and drop of times.
The Daffodil line operates a two-hourly service between Ross and Ledbury seven days a week. The bus operates a ‘request stop’ service and will drop passengers anywhere along the route that is safe.
Ms Stone says the company has the ultimate ambition of it becoming an hourly service.
