Following concerns from School Aycliffe residents we contacted the County Council for details of bus changes.
The following reply was received:
Andy Leadbeater, Durham County Council’s sustainable transport manager, said: “We were recently informed by JSB Travel they were no longer able to provide a service through School Aycliffe. We have been working with other bus companies to seek an alternative provider and are pleased to confirm that Eden Bus Service will take over the service from Monday, 27th October.
“The service, which will continue to be subsidised by the county council, will have a new timetable and revised routes. It will operate as the number 17 service, running hourly during the day from Monday to Friday.”
The service will operate on the following routes:
• Alston Crescent – town centre; equivalent to part of the current 116 service but re-routed to include Bluebell Way, where there are currently no services.
• Circular service from town centre to Washington Crescent, Mellanby Crescent, Neville Parade, Gilpin Road, Clarence Chare to town centre – equivalent to most of current 19 service.
• School Aycliffe – town centre via Cumby Road and Emerson Way, which are currently part of the 19 service.
Services will run hourly between School Aycliffe and Newton Aycliffe from 9.31am to 2.31pm and from Newton Aycliffe town centre hourly from 9.18am to 2.18pm.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to continue to provide all of the elements of the current service. Wellhouse Drive will no longer be included on the route, but Arriva’s Sapphire service runs four times an hour nearby. Two lightly used stops on Westmorland Way will not be served by the new service. However, the county council’s Link2 dial-a-ride service can be pre-booked.
