BUS changes next month will improve access for people to go to school, college, work or leisure, say transport bosses

The views of users have been taken into account when changes to the Forest of Dean’s public transport network are introduced from the start of September.

Stagecoach, which became the sole operator of bus routes in the region earlier this year, says it has listened to the views of the public in a consultation exercise and has created new links to their services which will benefit them.

The list of changes is comprehensive.

Chepstow will be a new destination for many Forest customers, with the number 24 running every two hours through to Lydney, Blakeney, Soudley, Cinderford and on to Gloucester.

Cinderford will have improved connections to much of the wider Forest through the number 22 and 24 services involving stops in Littledean, Ruardean and Mitcheldean among others.

The 25 and 27 each serve Dilke Hospital, with the 25 continuing to Coleford and 27 via Parkend and Yorkley to Lydney.

Shopper buses run to Kensley Vale as 710 and Mitcheldean via Harrow Hill as 713.

Coleford sees buses every 30 minutes to Gloucester, either as 22 via Ruardean and Cinderford or 23 via Whitecroft, Lydney and Westbury-on-Severn. 

The 22 and 23 buses will run through Five Acres, Broadwell, Coalway, Tufthorn Avenue and Milkwall to Sling.

Dilke Hospital link buses run as a number 25 every two hours during the daytime.

Lydney remains served by the number 23, hourly to Gloucester, as well as Coleford via a new route through Whitecroft.

Service 24 is a two-hourly link to Chepstow or Soudley and Cinderford.

And the new Lakeside bus gate will be served by buses on number 27 to Yorkley, Parkend and Cinderford, while Primrose Hill receives journeys on 755.

Newent remains served by numbers 32 and 132, hourly to Gloucester but some at new times.

Communities in Parkend, Yorkley and Viney Hill will be better connected to the wider Forest in September. The 27 runs during the day to Lydney and Cinderford, whilst peak time buses to or from Gloucester run as 24A.

Mr Rupert Cox, managing director of Stagecoach West, said: “We had a great response to our consultation earlier in the year, with over three hundred people giving us their views on our proposals.

“Connectivity is vital to the Forest community, so we have taken great care to serve at least two of the region’s major towns on each of our principle routes.

“With large numbers of students already using our buses every day, we’ve also built our timetables around lessons whenever possible.”

Full timetables of the Forest of Dean changes are now available on the Stagecoachbus.com and printed leaflets will be available during the next few weeks.