Residents on an estate of private housing in Derriford have been busy celebrating the return of a bus service after years without one.
Residents from Powisland Drive, Dunraven Drive, Upland Drive and Moorland View gathered at Derriford Church to welcome the new service and celebrate with a special cake that had decorative icing showing a number 14 bus.
A large crowd had gathered at the bus stop beside the church car park. After a photo shoot, a sizeable number boarded the bus then returned to the church hall to join in the cutting of the cake. Residents thanked local Councillors Jonathan Drean and Dave Downie, Managers from the Stagecoach team, and transport managers From Plymouth City Council who have continued to give valuable support to the residents in obtaining the service.
Leading the celebrations was Dr Marion Nash who has been busy campaigning with fellow resident Muriel Allen for a bus service. The new service is being provided by Stagecoach who have taken over the number 14 service from CityBus and extended the route from the Derriford ‘Hub’ at the hospital to include the estate.
For quite some time residents have been expected to walk some distance in order to catch a bus.
Dr Nash said:
We are all absolutely over the moon about this new bus. It is a very large and hilly estate and even I was so surprised last year when I went round putting our initial survey into houses, how many people worked but didn’t drive or were not able to drive because of eye or other problems.
“They were all marooned on this large hilly estate because at that time unless they could walk three miles to the hospital and three miles back there was no bus. Then City Bus stepped in and changed the route of the 42a to give us a bus on the Tavistock Road. However many people still could not easily walk from our estate, hilly as it is, to the Tavistock Road.
“Now that a bus is coming to our very roads I can’t adequately described how relieved and happy we are about it. I really appreciate being able to get the bus outside my house to the Derriford Hub and then I can go anywhere in the City, to Tavistock…in fact any of the connections out there! People going from here to Derriford Hospital for appointments or to visit people will now be enabled to catch the bus.”
Dr Nash at the launch event said:
“We must now make sure that people use this service so that we don’t lose it”.
She also remarked at what a pleasure it had been working with Stagecoach to plan this event. “They have been so positive”.
Bob Dennison, the South West managing director for Stagecoach said he was delighted to see so many people at the launch. The number 14 route was one of several services run with the support of the city council that Stagecoach have just taken on.
Passengers who do not change at Derriford Hub will be able to travel direct to Crownhill, Morrisons, Cherry Tree Pennycross, Ham, Keyham, Devonport and Mount Wise before travelling via Millbridge to the City Centre. The service runs hourly from Monday to Friday from 7.25am at Derriford Church to 18.30pm. The service starts a little later on Saturdays at 9.25am. The last link at Derriford hub to the estate is 18.26pm weekdays and 17.26pm on a Saturday.
For disabled residents who want to use the bus service from the estate but cannot walk to their nearest bus stop, rather than driving to the nearest park and ride service, an offer of help comes from the church itself. Sue Vickery said that they can park in the church car park by prearrangement after calling Sue on 07795 967330.
For residents wanting to keep informed of community events in the area the Facebook page is ‘Saved our Derriford bus and community news’.
