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[shapps]

All,

After a series of discussions and updates, this is the most up-to-date information I have on the now terminated 406 Bus service.

You'll probably already know from your own knowledge or this discussion thread that the 406 Bus Service ran right from South Hatfield to Hatfield Town Centre, the QE2 and then Panshanger. In a sense it was a bus route which covered all the bits that were not otherwise included in more conventional routes. See maps in earlier posts.

As a result when the route was set to close I was receiving representations from all over Welwyn Hatfield, but the concerns were naturally related to specific parts of the 406 route.

I've therefore been working with various organisations to see whether there is a way to get some or all of the route covered again. There has been some small success with this.

As those who use it will probably know, the former 406 route through Travellers Lane to the Town Centre has now been picked up by the Centre Bus 366 Service which operates twice an hour. This has been of some help to residents in the Travellers Lane / Woods Avenue area and also for students at one of the several schools in the vicinity.

This obviously hasn't resolved the issue elsewhere and there are still many residents left without a suitable alternative.

The 406 Service was losing money each year and the only way to get a more comprehensive service back would be to form a partnership between various organisations. I've spoken to the University's bus company UNO and they might be prepared to pitch in with the County, local schools and businesses if the demand was there. The funding required would be in the region of perhaps £80 or £90k per annum.

I don't want to raise expectations, not least because the Centre Bus 366 service has already taken up some of the slack in the area where many of the up front complaints about the 406 closure were coming from, but if you do feel like you're now missing out from the service missing elsewhere, then please post back on this thread and I'll monitor what's being said and may bring this back up with the authorities. 

I'll also alert all those who have previously contacted me to this post in order to gather more intelligence on the situation as things now stand - post the 406 operating.

Grant.

[adamedwardsteather]

The gap for Birchwood residents is access to the QE2 hospital, which is now difficult for those without a car.  I also know of one person who works at Morrisons in Panshanger who now has to take 3 buses instead of one to get to work, or now has to walk long disances to fill the gaps.
 
We only have the 300 every half hour now and that does not serve the QE2 part of WGC.
 
A rerouting of a Welwyn to Hatfield bus via the Birchwood estate rather than the station which is well served by many routes is what is needed.  Given a quick sprint from Mill Green to Tesco along the A414, this would not add too much time to anyone of the routes.
 
Thanks
 
Adam

[Katerina Allen]

Just to let you all know that Grant's also now written to the Chief Executive of Arriva Buses to see whether he would consider extending one of their existing routes to cover Pansanger, so that transport links between there and the QEII can be improved.

We'll keep you posted with their response.

[Katerina Allen]

This the précis of the letter we received this week from the Chief Executive of Arriva Buses, following Grant's recent letter to them - pretty unhelpful I'm afraid!



Dear Mr Shapps

Thank you for your letter in respect of Arriva service 406.

This service was operated commercially by Arriva, although for some considerable time it failed to cover its operating costs. Given this position the difficult decision was taken to deregister service 406.

In your letter you suggest that we could reroute another bus to operate along Heronswood Road, but I'm afraid that this would not be possible., It was a lack of demand that resulted in the loss of service 406 and to divert other buses from busy areas to a road where there is little demand for travel will simply undermine the financial stability of other local bus services.

Yours sincerely

David Martin

Chief Executive