RESIDENTS in Cofton Hackett have expressed outrage after it was announced the number 20A bus route will no longer serve the area.
National Express West Midlands’ 20A ran between Bromsgrove and Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital via Cofton Hackett but will no longer be stopping in the village as of June 1.
The route, alongside the 20 bus, will be replaced by a new X20 service which will remove stops in Cofton Hackett while extending the service as far as Birmingham city centre.
Rebecca Farriday, a Cofton Hackett resident, has launched a petition arguing against the service changes with 10 signatures already penned.
She told the Standard: “We are outraged at the loss of the bus service to our village. Many people in the area use the service, from students and mothers with infant school children to disabled people, the elderly and workers coming in and out of the area.”
The resident also emphasised the need for increasing transport services in the area not reducing them – especially as possible nearby developments on the horizon at the former MG Rover site and on Groveley Lane will raise demand.
Following the changes, Cofton Hackett residents’ will need to travel to Lickey Road opposite Leach Green Lane to access the new service.
Diamond Bus’ 145 and 145A will continue to serve Cofton Hackett but only between Bromsgrove and south Birmingham, including Longbridge and Rubery.
Another resident, Tanya Hopkins, told us about the impacts of the changes on her daughter, who has a condition which causes pain in the heels and arches of feet.
She said: “Here we are, surrounded with hills and spaces without actual footpaths that are suitable, especially in bad weather.
“Unfortunately one of my daughters suffers with plantar fasciitis so she could not walk that distance every day for the bus to get her to school in Birmingham city centre.
“She would not be the only person either. There’s elderly, other disabled people, mothers with young children and pushchairs.
“The 27 was taken last year because they said the 20A was good enough and now we have none.”
In a statement, a National Express West Midlands spokesperson aimed to mitigate residents’ concerns by suggesting the use of the service in Cofton Hackett was ‘very minimal’.
And the spokesperson emphasised the benefits of the route’s extension into Birmingham city centre, which users had asked for previously.
