Plea for villagers to help secure future of No42 route (From York Press)

Plea for villagers to help secure future of No42 route

8:50am Wednesday 10th October 2012 in News

RESIDENTS in a Selby village have been urged to make the most of their local bus route, and prove it is financially viable.

The number 42 service between York and Selby, ran on Friday and Saturday nights through Cawood, Wistow, Kelfield, Stillingfleet and Naburn, but was cut when North Yorkshire County Council withdrew funding from service provider Arriva.

An appeal from local parish councils saw a six-month pilot scheme to restore the Friday and Saturday services launched last year, with parish councils underwriting costs along with Arriva and Selby District Council’s Eastern Community Engagement Forum.

Coun John Cattanach said the relaunched Saturday service had been extended to run until the end of the year, and with just a few extra passengers, the Sunday service would also prove financially viable, meaning Arriva would fund the route, saving money for the parish and district councils.

He said: “I’ve worked out that we just need one more paying passenger per run on the Sunday service, and that could make the service commercial.

“I would like to show Arriva that passenger numbers are something that can be worked on. We did our bit, and will continue to do our bit, and Arriva have been absolutely fantastic throughout. When you put it in those terms, it’s not unobtainable.”

The recent flooding, closure of the bridge at Cawood, and ongoing problems with the road at Kelfield Ings, has meant bus services were amended, but Coun Cattanach said things should be back to normal within days.

He said: “By Thursday, fingers crossed, everything will be ticketyboo.

“This time last year, we had paid to extend Friday and Saturday and lost Sunday and Bank Holidays.

“In April, Arriva reinstated them, and decided to extend the Friday and Saturday scheme through the summer months.

“I’ve heard there have been people singing ‘we are the friends of the 42’ on the last bus back from York on a Saturday, which I’m pleased about.”