West Worcestershire MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has welcomed a review which will be carried out following the abandonment of a bus stop on a busy route between Malvern and Worcester.

The bus stop near to the Swan Inn at Newland was discontinued last year after First Bus decided the service was being delayed by buses turning back on to the A449. Bus users complained to Dame Harriett about the extra distances residents have to walk to get to the nearest bus stop.

Following an intervention by the MP, Worcestershire County Council has agreed to review this latest route change which will make it harder for local people to hop on a bus.

Senior managers at First Bus met with the MP earlier this year to discuss ways to improve services for Malvern commuters. The company has resumed the 44 service on Sundays and added services later into the evening.

Dame Harriett said:

“I have had a number of local people reach out to me to share their concerns about the removal of the bus stop near to the Swan Inn and I was pleased to learn that the County Council will engage with First Bus with a view to trying to bring the Old Worcester Road bus stop back into use.

“We should be making it easier, not harder for local people to hop on a bus and I know that elderly and disabled residents especially were dismayed at having to walk to a more distant stop.

“This has always been a case of ‘use it or lose it’ and we rely on First Bus and the county council to make it as easy as possible to get onto a reliable convenient service.

“We have made great leaps this year to offer more bus services both at weekends and into the evening and there is an on-demand bus service too which is proving popular with young people.

“I will continue to work with all of the local bus operators to enable more people to chose buses and trains to make their regular journeys and help us make progress towards reducing our reliance on cars.”