The axing of a bus service has proved a devastating blow for Cleevemount residents.
The estate, between Prestbury and Cheltenham town centre, lost its regular W service which was cancelled by Gloucestershire County Council last month to save cash.
Jenny Hedley is now forced to travel by taxi to go shopping. On a recent walk to a more distant bus stop, the 60-year-old, who uses a walking stick and struggles to carry more than one shopping bag at a time, suffered a fall.
She said: “The council told us we would always be in walking distance from a bus stop. That now isn’t the case.
“I slipped and traffic had to stop to help.
“I’m afraid to use the bus now, I’m frightened of causing further damage to my hip. It’s awful, an absolute disaster.”
Cleevemount residents now have to use the Castleways 606 service, which offers a return trip to the town centre once every weekday.
Alternatively the council has said they can catch either the N service bus or Stagecoach’s A route from Prestbury Road. But each one is at least 1,000 paces further than the W stops.
Mum-of-two Margaret Thomas lives at the top of Cleevemount Road. She used to use the W bus to get home in time for her daughter’s return from school.
She said: “It’s a real blow. We’re realising now that we’re never going to get the service back. To not have a proper bus service when we’re only 35 minutes from town, is awful.”
When the council said last year it planned to axe the bus, Cleevemount OAPs who relied on the service collected a 100-signature petition. Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood got behind the campaign, being spearheaded by resident Glenda Combes.
She said: “There are elderly people who have relied on the W bus for years. Now they are worried how they are going to get out to go shopping.”
There still remains a glimmer of hope after county councillors David Prince and Diane Hibbert uncovered which is cash linked to a planning application in Windsor Street.
Developers hoping to build a care home are understood to have paid £40,000 for public transport improvements. They hope this could fund the W Bus. The council said it was considering this but added: “We would need to ensure a solution is viable when the money runs out.”
