New bus service will help shoppers get to the city centre

Residents in Norton without a nearby bus service are being encouraged to make the most of a new service.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been working closely with local bus operators to reintroduce a bus service for residents in the area.

Now the number 42 service is officially up and running after the city council struck a deal with Stantons of Stoke.

The weekday service, which goes from Ball Green to Hanley via Norton Lane, Milton Crossroads and Abbotts Square in Abbey Hulton, will run on a temporary basis ahead of a more formal tender process.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker said: “We have listened to residents, and I am so pleased that we have been able to start the long-awaited bus service along Norton Road which residents are so desperate for. The number 42 service will mean residents can easily visit the local shops, the crematorium and the city centre – something they have not been able to do for a long time.

“The contract for the number 42 is currently only until early next year but it will give us a chance to establish if this service will be viable going forward. We have tried our best to include the areas around Norton which are not currently very well served to give this service the best chance of survival, and we would really encourage residents to make use of this new bus route.”

The service is being delivered through the city council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which is being funded by £31.6 million of funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).

The plan has so far seen the launch of the council’s flagship Affordable Fares scheme which offers discounted bus tickets for adults and young people, the introduction of a number of new bus routes and enhanced services across the city.

It also comes ahead of the launch of the city council’s new Transport Prospectus which will outline the council’s proposed vision for transport in Stoke-on-Trent through to 2040.

Keith Stanton, managing director at Stantons of Stoke, said: “We are keen to work closely with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, who are making all this possible.

“With funding via the Bus Service Improvement Plan we are able to re-establish areas with a bus link, which brings so much with regards to connectivity and inclusion that other areas take for granted.

“We look forward to future opportunities and we will ensure that the travelling public are provided with a reliable, affordable service.”