Cuts to a key Watford bus route come into effect today (July 26).
Sullivan Buses’ 306 Watford to Borehamwood Circular will now run hourly during the day from Monday to Saturday, having previously offered a service which ran every 30 minutes.
The Sunday and evening timetables are run with a council subsidy so are unchanged.
Service 306A, which serves St Michael’s School and Queens’ School on the same route at the start and end of the school day, is also unaffected by the change.
The 306 route runs from Watford High Street, through Bushey, Bushey Heath, and Borehamwood, before looping around and going up to St Michael’s School and back to Watford High Street.
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Next month will see another significant service cut with evening and Sunday services set to be axed on the 322, which runs between Hemel Hempstead and Rickmansworth's Berry Lane estate via several key stops in Watford.
The route serves Watford General and Watford Junction station.
The changes will come into force on August 30 and have been criticised by the town's MP Matt Turmaine, who said that "continuous bus cuts just make travel more difficult" and claimed that it demonstrates how the present "privatised bus free-for-all" does not work for passengers, with what makes money driving decisions.
In response, an Arriva South spokesperson said: "We understand that changes to bus services can be unwelcome news for some customers.
"From the end of August, we'll be removing the evening and Sunday journeys on the 322. Hertfordshire County Council previously provided wider funding support for the 322 service, which came to an end. Since then, we've tried to continue running the evening and Sunday journeys commercially, but passenger numbers have not been sufficient to cover the costs.
"We shared our plans with Hertfordshire County Council in advance, who confirmed that alternative services already in place are sufficient to meet that demand.
"We recognise the pressure this places on some customers and want to reassure people that daytime, Monday to Saturday services on the 322 continue as normal, including a service to Berry Lane Estate in Rickmansworth, which the county council has agreed to support with funding."
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