Bus cuts mean more pain for Bedford’s residents
Stagecoach is planning to axe vital bus routes in the Bedford area from 31st May, 2026. Routes 7,10 and 53 are axed altogether, but other parts of Bedford Borough are suffering from re-routing, leaving residents with very long walks to a bus stop.
Eight bus stops in Putnoe will lose all of their services. Back in 2024 Putnoe Lane was served by 4 buses an hour – now these proposals give just 6 buses a day! And Putnoe Street now loses all of its buses.
The 53 and 53A from Wootton have been cut, replaced by the 2W. This will mean that Hillgrounds in Kempston will lose all 8 stops. Elderly residents in Edward Arnold Court will have to walk 0.7 mile to the Saxon Centre to catch a bus to Bedford.
The disappearance of the 53 and 53A also mean that the Cranfield UNO bus is now the only bus serving large parts of Wootton, which will also mean that students accessing Bedford College from Wootton, Gibraltar Corner and Kempston Rural are all forced onto the same service.
In Shortstown, cuts to the number 3 service see some schoolchildren in New Cardington having to walk 20 minutes to reach their nearest bus stop to Bedford Academy.
Councillor Michael Headley, Borough Councillor for Putnoe, said, “Axing these bus routes is devastating for local residents. After reductions and diversions last year, bus users have now been hit with vital routes being axed altogether. We have been campaigning against these cuts since the rumours started to surface and the changes to the other routes to compensate fall far, far short of what is needed.”
“It can’t be overstated how these changes will seriously impact people who rely on the bus services and don’t have access to a car. It is devastating. The council needs to step up and work to restore a decent, reliable network in this area.”
Wootton and Kempston Rural councillor Sue Abood said, “With the loss of the 53 and 53A route, Wootton and Kempston Rural residents will have to use the C1 bus. With this running even less frequently than the once-an-hour 53 did, this further denies those in Wootton and Kempston Rural a decent public transport system.
With the need to go to North Wing for blood tests, this reduction in service will make an already difficult and lengthy journey even harder for those who don't drive. Those traveling to Bedford College and back will struggle as all travellers will be crammed onto one bus rather than two. This is a shocking decision by Stagecoach with wider reaching effects than they probably realise.”
Goldington councillor Christine McHugh said, “These massive cuts affect people’s ability to get to work, the shops, the doctor, the dentist. If you have mobility issues, you may be left high and dry as far as the buses are concerned.”