Two circular bus routes through our village, which provide Ruddington’s only direct connection with Morrisons at Gamston, Wheatcroft Garden Centre, the Central Avenue Shops in West Bridgford and NTU’s Clifton campus, are being withdrawn permanently next month.
CT4N’s Services 22 and 23 have been under threat before, because of Nottingham City Council (NCC) spending cuts three and a half years’ ago, when they were still free buses run by ‘Nottingham Community Transport’. On that occasion CT4N stepped in to operate them on a commercial basis with fares payable, and buses then continuing daytime from Monday to Friday. However, it seems this is no longer profitable and so the 22 and 23 will cease altogether after Friday 16th September 2022.
Barry Allitt, the company’s Operations Director, explains: “CT4N stepped in to save these services back in 2019, however the effects of the COVID pandemic and rising operating costs – including fuel and salaries – have now made these services commercially unviable for us to continue operating.”
This removal of CT4N’s services has additional implications for Ruddington bus passengers. From Monday 19th September, Nottingham City Transport is to re-route some of its daytime Navy 3 buses away from Ruddington. This is to maintain an hourly direct bus link from 8.30am to 3.30pm to the City Centre, Trent Bridge and Clifton Centre for the residents of Wilford Village and Silverdale. To be called the 3A service, it will be partially funded by NCC on a trial basis.
The knock-on effect for Ruddington bus users will be that the Navy 3 (soon to be known as Service 3) will have a revised timetable between approximately 9.30am and 3.30pm on Monday to Saturday, where buses will operate hourly via Ruddington to Clifton, rather than half-hourly as now. However, our peak-time service will continue unchanged, with buses up generally every 30 minutes. You can preview the new Service 3/3A timetable >>HERE<<.
Whilst this might seem like more bad news for our village, it appears the alternative could actually have been much worse!
NCT’s Head of Marketing, Anthony Carver-Smith, reveals to RUDDINGTON.info: “The 3 was a borderline service before COVID, typically breaking even. It is currently carrying 78% of its pre-COVID passenger numbers, against the significant cost increases we are experiencing. With government funding reducing in the coming months, the route would have been at risk and need attention, as it wouldn’t be sustainable. The City Council are partially funding the 3A, which helps the overall viability of the 3.”
The latest news comes in the wake of the announcement that NCT’s fares will be increased on all its buses from this Sunday (28th August). However, for Ruddington, this is a rise of just 10p to £2.50 for a single adult fare to or from our village to the City on the Navy 3 or Green 10 – well below the current rate of inflation.
