New bus service will restore village links

From Monday March 5, Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire Ltd, in partnership with Lancashire County Council, will introduce a new 582 bus service to restore a daytime local bus link for the villages of Gressingham, Arkholme and Whittington.

The two-hourly bus service operating Monday to Saturday daytime will run between Lancaster and Kirkby Lonsdale via Caton, Brookhouse, Hornby, Gressingham, Arkholme and Whittington.

The new Service 582 is an extension to the existing commercial service from Kirkby Lonsdale to Skipton, and will also connect with Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire’s wider North Yorkshire Craven Connection network Services 580 and 581 offering through links to Ingleton, Settle and Skipton.

County Coun Andrew Snowden, lead member for highways and transport, said: “Supporting a good public transport network is one of our key priorities as it helps our economy, widening access to opportunities for work and education.

“Buses also provide journeys for essential activities such as seeing friends and family, visiting the shops and attending vital appointments. These new buses add to all the improved services which began in December 2017, restoring even more public transport links to local communities. We’ve listened to what people have told us about the local need for these buses, and the difference they will make to their lives. These new contracts are for three years I’d ask that everyone support these services once they begin operating to help us sustain them. I know how much these services will mean to local residents.”

Last year the county council agreed to make an extra £1m available to support bus services, increasing the budget from £2m to £3m. The subsidy was £7.5m in 2015.