THE threat to one of the main Severnside bus services has been lifted after a new operator was persuaded to take over the route.

Newport Bus will take over the 74 Chepstow to Newport service – the main route serving Caldicot – when current operators Stagecoach withdraw on July 20.

As well as saving the service, fares are likely to be cheaper and all buses will have low floors making it easier for people with mobility problems and parents with pushchairs to get on and off.

But the X74 service which runs via the Newport retail park will not be replaced, a public meeting in Caldicot was told.

Part of the reason for Stagecoach ending the service was a change in Welsh Government subsidies which means the company would not be paid for running empty buses from its depot to Chepstow.

Monmouthshire County Council's passenger transport manager, Richard Cope, told the meeting: "The Welsh Government decided it was no longer going to support dead mileage and with Stagecoach being based in Cwmbran they found it no longer viable to run that service.

"It's been difficult to get operators to want to do the service and we have had to negotiate with Newport Bus over other services in the authority's bus network for them to put on this commercial service so we are grateful to them."

He said that involved "tweaks" to timetables including Chepstow town services but none had been withdrawn.

The new service will run from 6.24am to 11pm and will be half-hourly until about 10.30am, then run hourly until 2.20pm and half-hourly to 6pm.

Newport Bus already operates the 74 in the evening and there will be no change to the timetable but the company will put on an additional evening running of the 73 between Chepstow and Newport via Caerwent.

The service via Coleg Gwent in Newport will also be continued, Mr Cope told the meeting which was held at the Bethany Baptist Church in Caldicot.

The 62, which runs between Newport and Sudbrook via Caldicot, could also be reduced to serving just serving Caldicot and the surrounding villages.

Mr Cope said: "The fare structure will be cheaper than at present. I believe the current (return) fare from Chepstow to Newport is more than £5 but Newport Bus is looking at a fare structure between £3.50 and £4.50."

County councillor John Marshall (Ind, Green Lane), who organised the meeting, said: "I'd like to thank Richard for his contribution. He has worked tremendously hard to maintain the service because it did cause a lot of worry for people."

Monmouth Assembly Member Nick Ramsay said: "I would like to congratulate Monmouthshire County Council for working so hard to find solutions to a very complex issue.

"The council has also been successful in retaining Monmouth's  town's service, which will operate using one bus instead of two."