A clash has taken place over a Reading Buses service that has been saved just days before it was supposed to be cancelled.
The Pink 22 bus route runs between the town centre and Caversham Heights, and was initially meant to be cancelled on Monday, July 20.
But following an intervention between Reading Buses and Reading Borough Council, the bus will now be retained.
John Ennis (Labour, Southcote), lead councillor for transport, said council officers and the bus company have been negotiating behind the scenes to save the service.
He also made a commitment to keep it running at a meeting organised by Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central at Highdown School on Monday, July 6.
However, at that stage, officials were unable to confirm its return.
It was only yesterday (Wednesday, July 15) that confirmation could be provided.
Cllr Ennis said: “From the outset the Council has been exploring every possible option to enable the pink 22 to continue to serve passengers. I’m pleased a solution has now been found.
“I had requested that Council officers think outside the box and consider innovative and novel ways in which this could be achieved. Given that only a commercially viable solution would enable the route to run, that was a far from easy task, but they have worked behind the scenes to come up with a solution which does exactly that, which I’m sure the community appreciate.”
The solution involved using a one-off grant to purchase a new electric bus due to be added to the fleet next Spring.
Robert Williams, the chief executive officer of Reading Buses, said: “We are pleased to have found this solution to ensure that the pink 22 to Caversham Heights can continue to run following substantial declines in patronage over the last few years.
“Our hope is that the new electric bus will provide an additional incentive for residents to give the service a try, as the service is ultimately only justifiable if a larger proportion of the community use it than just those who have no alternative.
“We also intend to continue conversations from the public meeting about how the route could be amended in the future.”
Opposition Conservative councillors have characterised it as a reversal by the council, with the proposal to cut it in June causing stress for passengers.
Cllr Isobel Ballsdon (Conservative, Caversham Heights), said: “I welcome the council’s U-turn to save the pink 22 bus. This is a real victory for our community campaign and everyone who refused to stay silent.
“But this should never have happened in the first place. Vulnerable residents have been put through weeks of unnecessary stress and uncertainty, and Caversham Heights commuters are still left with a service that’s far less useful than before.
“This decision proves that when our community stands together, we can force the council to listen.”
In further comments, she agreed that the news is bittersweet as buses will run on a revised timetable every 50 minutes during the peak and 45 minutes during the off-peak, compared to 30 minutes during the peak and 60 minutes during the off-peak.
