New photos taken onboard the 178 bus service – which was scrapped in a shake up of the timetable by operator First West of England, cutting several villages out of the network – show that the route remains well used, even outside peak times.
The snaps by transport campaigner Damien Valentine were taken between morning and evening rush hours, when the double-deckers appeared to be over half full. High Littleton, Farmborough, Timsbury and Marksbury are all set to suffer from the cut, which comes into force on Saturday, October 8, depriving the villages of regular bus services to both Bristol and Bath.
A petition to save the 178 route has attracted more than a thousand signatures, as well as calls to Bristol Live about the effects it will have on residents. Mr Valentine said: “Today I used the 178 to get to Bristol and back, travelling at quieter times of day – the 10.15am from Timsbury and the 2.10pm back. Both were double decker buses, although I sat downstairs.
