Improvement to rural bus service

A rural evening bus service is being reinstated, thanks to funding from the council.

The funding will mean that improvements can be made to the TVCA supported service 6/6A bus, including the reinstatement of evening bus services to Hurworth and Middleton St George, which stopped in 2011.
The improvements will come into force from Sunday 4 May and will last a minimum of three year.

The improvements include:

• introduction of daily evening services for Middleton St George, Middleton One Row and Hurworth.
• an improved hourly frequency (currently once every two hours) on Sundays.

Work is continuing with Stagecoach to try to incorporate a service for Middleton One Row on Sunday evenings into the new timetable.

The changes have been funded by Section 106 money which is given to councils by housing developers to support services in areas impacted by new developments.

Libby McCollom, cabinet member for local services, said: “I am delighted that we can use this money to improve the bus service for residents living in these rural communities.

“The bus is a lifeline for so many people and it is great that we can reopen this service on an evening and increase the number of buses on a Sunday.”

Steve Walker, MD of Stagecoach North East, said, "it's great to be able to work alongside Darlington Borough Council to bring an enhanced 6/6A/6B service to the town’s network. This enhanced service will provide a valuable transport connection to some rural villages who have seen limited connection to the town centre in the last decade, and will become a valuable asset for the residents."

Residents living on the route will receive information about the new route and TVCA is updating all affected bus stops with the new timetable