A trial of a new bus service for Spondon will begin in the coming weeks following approval by Derby City Council.
Update, March 2023: Service now launched. See here for details.
The new service will act as a shuttle service from the outer areas of Spondon into the village centre. It's hoped that it will go some way to replacing the former Spondon Flyer service which was previously axed by Trent Barton, leaving many Spondon residents without a bus service that is accessible to them.
Spondon Councillors shared initial details of the plans on their Facebook page at the start. A post read: "We are pleased to update that following weeks of hard work and discussions with the council, bus providers and residents we have some positive news to share. Coming up this week, a paper will be presented to cabinet for approval for funds to provide a link from the edge of the village to the village centre!"
The Councillors then later confirmed on Wednesday 16th November that the plans had been approved at that day's Cabinet meeting.
The Facebook post further explained: "The scheme is specifically aimed at providing ‘small bus’, that is a small vehicle service, to connect parts of communities with no service to local amenities. They will not connect directly to the city centre. But they will provide a test of ‘small bus’, and ‘big bus’ integration, as one of the elements of the National Bus Strategy."
With the plan approved, details are now being worked out on the specifics of the service including the route, timetable and fare structure. A start date for the service is also yet to be confirmed but Spondon Councillors said that "Council Officers are trying to deliver these schemes as quickly as possible". They also stated that the initial trial of the service is expected to operate "for at least 3 months".
We'll share more details on the new service as they are announced.
