Worksop: Cuts to Manton bus services cause chaos for elderly passengers as winter approaches

Cuts to bus routes from Manton into the town centre have left elderly passengers having to walk further in darker and icy conditions as winter approaches.
Worksop Bus StationWorksop Bus Station
Worksop Bus Station

The 42 and 43 Stagecoach buses, which travel between Worksop and Retford through Manton, used to travel onto Westgate and Bassetlaw hospital before terminating on Hardy Street.

The route ensured that passengers could pick up medication from pharmacies on Potter Street and visit the Newgate medical centre and hospital safely.

But the buses now terminate at the recently opened Worksop Bus Station on Queen Steet, meaning that passengers are having to walk uphill in order to reach these places.

This has raised concerns with residents as the weather turns, including one Manton pensioner who did not wish to be named.

She told the Guardian: “I have arthritis and it’s no fun having to walk up for twenty minutes or more up the hill, so I can’t imagine with it must be like for someone who is disabled and has even more difficulty getting around.

“I don’t drive, but I want to keep my independence and not have to rely on other people who do have cars, as do other older residents I know in the Manton area.

“Our only other option is to get on with it and walk, which will be dangerous for us as the pavements get icy, or wait and catch another bus.

“What bothers me is that residents were not consulted about this. We weren’t told that the bus routes would be cut. People just assumed that a new bus station would make things easier for us when it has actually made things harder.”

Kevin Greaves, said: “Unfortunately we have had to make cuts to some bus routes.

“But passengers will find that there are plenty of alternative buses that they can hop on once they reach the bus station to get to these destinations.

“And the great thing about the bus station is they can have somewhere warm, safe and pleasant to sit and have a coffee or a snack if they have to wait.

“This was not the case when buses terminated at Hardy Street, which was unwelcoming and unsafe, especially during winter.”

Stagecoach were not available for comment.