Leicestershire County Council Announces New On-Demand Bus Service

Leicestershire County Council has revealed plans to introduce a new on-demand bus service in a Leicestershire town early next year. This initiative forms part of a broader set of services designed to cater to Melton Mowbray and its surrounding villages. This on-demand service, enabling passengers to schedule bus journeys as required, is scheduled to commence on January 6. The council stated that it will operate daily, seven days a week, extending coverage to new housing developments, certain industrial estates, and points of interest presently lacking public transport access. The authority also indicated that these modifications would incorporate additional villages as stops along the Melton to Loughborough route. Furthermore, it specified that larger buses would be deployed for schools and colleges, running during peak commute hours to accommodate both entitled and non-entitled students. All revised routes are planned to serve both secondary schools within Melton. An additional on-demand service is set to operate across various zones within Melton, providing transport to settlements such as Harby, Long Clawson, Beeby, Hoby, and Bottesford. Ozzy O’Shea, the council’s cabinet member for transport, commented: “We have looked at flexible transport solutions that best support the area. The smaller on demand buses will operate in zones to maximise convenient connections, and bus users will be able to use an app or a call centre to book their journeys.” Funding for these new routes will come from government funds allocated for the county’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.