Community group launches new hourly bus service between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire

A community campaign that was setup to combat public transport cuts between Gloucestershire and south Herefordshire has launched a new hourly bus service linking the two counties.

Named after the native wildflowers of Gloucestershire's Golden Triangle, the 232 Daffodil Line bus service connecting Newent, Ross-on-Wye, Ledbury and surrounding villages will now run hourly, Monday to Friday from this week.

Having operated on a two-hourly schedule for the past two years, the doubled frequency is being welcomed by the local community, with the service a key connection between the north Forest of Dean, south Herefordshire and Gloucester, via a change at Newent.

The service launched in 2023 following a fundraising campaign led by Newent-based community group, Buses4Us, in response to cuts to regular services between Gloucester, Ledbury, Newent and Ross.

Campaigner Clare Stone said she was 'delighted' to launch the new service, which she says now offers residents a viable alternative to taking the car.

She told Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter: 'Our aim has always been to offer an hourly service. 

'It’s what we had on this route until 2016 and all the research shows that a bus every hour can free many rural residents from private car dependency and all the social, economic and environmental problems that dependency creates.'

One Newent resident said of the service: 'My son works in Ledbury, he’s always been able to get the bus to work in the morning, but the last bus back in the afternoon has been too early; and I’ve had to go and pick him up – no more of that now!'

And a Gorsley resident added: 'Getting to college in Gloucester is going to be easy now – no worries about missing the last bus home from Newent'.

With the new service being subsided by government funding through Gloucestershire County Council and Herefordshire Council, while a passenger base is established, Clare says everyone needs to 'get on board and use it' to ensure it can continue.

The standard single fare for the service is £2, to anywhere along the line. The full timetable can be found on the Daffodil Line website.