Local campaigners for Oldland Common Karen Ross and Cllr Jane Allinson are standing up for local residents who have been left stranded by the cancellation of the 533 bus service. Karen and Jane presented a petition to South Gloucestershire’s Transport Committee on Wednesday afternoon, signed by over 500 local residents and calling for an urgent rethink.

Local campaigner, Karen Ross, said: “The fact that we managed to collect over 500 signatures for our petition in just two days shows the strength of feeling there is about this issue locally. Residents have now been left with just one service – the 42, which doesn’t take them to many of the places they want to go. For example, if residents need to go to the One Stop Shop at the Kingswood Civic Centre they need to take the 42 into the centre of Kingswood and then walk the rest of the way or wait to change buses.

“We have a lot of older people living in Oldland Common, many of whom have mobility problems and will struggle to walk to catch an alternative bus. The 533 was a real lifeline for many older residents and now it has been taken away.”

Oldland Common Lib Dem councillor, Jane Allinson, said: “Without the 533 it now takes two buses to get to vital amenities like the Aspects Leisure Centre and the Gallagher Retail Park at Longwell Green. It seems deeply unfair that while Cadbury Heath is served by five buses, Oldland Common now has just one. This lack of an adequate bus service will lead to many more Oldland residents getting in their cars, increasing congestion on local roads.”

Karen said: “Local residents have made their feelings very clear through our petition, I hope that the Council now listens and takes action.”