Councillor David Topping, Cabinet member in charge of the environment, said:
“As a result of Cheshire West and Chester Council’s decision to end the subsidy for the 37 bus service after 8pm (serving Middlewich, Sandbach and Crewe), Cheshire East Council has been carefully considering whether the benefits of subsidising additional journeys justify the substantial cost to the taxpayer.
“Currently, a service is provided for anyone travelling between 6.30am and 8pm during the week. This means that the majority of people will be able to use the service to get to work, school or college.
“The biggest impact of the changes will be on uses for social and leisure purposes, which are a relatively low priority for Council support.
“It will cost £77,000 a year to restore the evening service, which is a substantial amount for the taxpayer to commit to something that is not heavily used.
“We are aware of only a handful of people who previously used the service and – while their travel needs are important – we have decided that the benefits cannot justify the extensive costs.
“Nevertheless, the Council wishes to hear from anyone who may have been affected by the change in the timetable to help give us a full picture of how the changes may impact on people.
“If anyone has been affected please email the details to: transportpolicy@cheshireeast.gov.uk”
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