Villagers call for return of bus services

People living in Darton, Kexborough and Mapplewell say they are struggling to access vital services following the demise of the 235 Barnsley to Huddersfield service.

Darton post office is closed after the flooding in June and Kexborough does not have a doctors' surgery - forcing residents to make trips to neighbouring villages.

But without the direct link travellers must take one bus to the town centre and another back out.

Now a petition has been submitted to Barnsley council calling for the route to be restored.

The 235 service was operated by Stagecoach on a commercial basis during the day. It was withdrawn in May after falling passenger numbers meant it was no longer commercially viable.

The evening and Sunday service was jointly funded by the South and West Yorkshire passenger transport executives.

But the West Yorkshire organisation withdrew its funding, leading to a complete withdrawal of the service.

Coun Linda Burgess, of Darton West Ward, said she hoped local councils would pay to reinstate the service.

She added: "We are hoping the SYPTE will be able to provide a service funded by contributions from councils in South Yorkshire. We need to support public transport on routes like the 235 service that aren't commercially viable."

SYPTE spokeswoman Pam Horner said they were working to resolve the problems caused by the withdrawal of the 235: "We know there has been a loss of local links between Kexborough, Mapplewell and Darton and we're still investigating any possible alternatives but it does require significant work and there is no guarantee as of yet of a solution."