A NEW two-hourly bus between the Forest and south Herefordshire is set to launch next month following a successful community campaign.

Newent, Ross-on-Wye and Ledbury were left isolated after the bus services connecting the towns and villages were axed in 2022.

Businesses lost staff, children couldn’t get to school, and some people were so isolated it affected their employment.

Instead of waiting for the government or county councils to solve the problem, local people, councils, and businesses came together to raise start-up funding for the new 232 Daffodil Line bus service.

After months of hard work, they were delighted to announce that the contract for the operation of the new bus service had been awarded to local operator DRM Bus, and the new service will start on Sunday, April 2.

The bus will run every two hours, seven days a week and will provide an evening service on Friday and Saturday. The route runs from Ledbury to Ross-on-Wye via Much Marcle, Dymock, Newent, Gorsley, and Upton Bishop.

The bus fare will be kept affordable, and concessionary passes will be accepted. The towns are determined to keep fares low, so everyone can afford to take the bus.

Newent-based community action group Buses4Us was set up in response to “drastic” rural bus cuts back in February.

Ross-on-Wye, Newent, and Ledbury have always had close links and had good public transport connections.

There were regular buses for 70 years, and before that, a railway, the Daffodil Line. But in 2022, the bus company serving the communities decided they didn’t look like a great prospect for making profits post-pandemic and axed the buses connecting the towns and villages, despite it being a main route to the nearest train station.

A survey commissioned by Gloucestershire County Council revealed that the closure of bus routes had left a number of villages isolated with no buses and a lack of facilities within the villages themselves.

“We couldn’t have got here without them,” said campaigner Clare Stone, referring to the support from Gloucestershire County Council Integrated Transport Unit through the tender process.

The main job for campaigners now, is to get as many people as possible to use the bus. The more passengers they have, the less support they will need in the future from donors and sponsors.

The towns have pledged to ensure that the new service has all the financial support it needs to get well established.

Fundraising continues, and they’ll continue to look for sponsorship and donations to help support the service.

This is a huge milestone for the towns, and they’re working with DRM Bus, a local operator with strong roots in the community and a reputation for quality service. Campaigners feel like the Daffodil Line is in safe hands.

The towns are now encouraging people to use the service, saying if everyone who lives along the route takes the bus just once a month, they’ll never be at risk of losing this vital connection between their communities again.