Edward Leigh MP is calling on Stagecoach Lincolnshire to explain to local people the company’s decision to cut services along the number 3 route from Lincoln to Grimsby. The MP, who represents the Gainsborough constituency including Market Rasen and Caistor, was responding to the significant change to the Number 3 service from Monday 2 April 2012. This will include the loss of an hourly connecting bus service between the south east and north east of the Gainsborough Constituency during the daytime.

The Number 3 currently serves local residents in Nettleham, Welton, Dunholme, Faldingworth, Market Rasen, Holton-Le-Moor, Nettleton, Caistor and Cabourne. Through journeys will now end during the middle part of the day with the last through departures from Lincoln and Grimby at 8:40am and not resuming until 1:40pm.

Stagecoach have admitted that they are eliminating less economical services because of the Department of Transport’s twenty percent reduction in the Bus Service Operators Grant, equivalent to an additional 39p to the cost of a gallon of diesel. But talk of local authority intervention might be overly optimistic, given the £1.3m savings to the county transport budget and the need to find £125m in savings to put the County Council budget on an even keel.

“I am relieved that the cut to the Number 3 service won’t be as deep as originally proposed,” Edward Leigh said, “but it is still regretful that those who will need to travel outside the peak period will have their options severely curtailed.

“In rural parts of the country such as ours,” the MP continued, “providing connections by regular public transport is challenging, but important. I’m not convinced Stagecoach have made a proper case for curtailing the Number 3 service. This follows from their cuts to Sunday and Bank Holiday services from last year.”

“This situation is the responsibility of the bus company, and I hope they find more imaginative ways of responding to public demand. They can’t solve their problems simply by demanding subsidies from taxpayers who are hard-pressed to make end’s meet already. All this underlines the overriding importance of cutting the vast deficit we have inherited from the previous government.”