Council confirms Innovative bus system is coming to Aylesbury area

Bucks Council has confirmed plans to trial a more taxi-like bus service in the Aylesbury area.

Passengers will be able to request buses to collect them from a virtual bus stop. Set to arrive in the spring of 2024, it is designed to help people living in rural areas that regular buses do not pass through.

WeMove is the company behind the ‘demand responsive’ bus service. It will be operating on a three-year trial period and has been greenlit after a similar project was launched in Wycombe last year. In south Buckinghamshire the service has proved so popular that it has already been expanded, the council states.

Government funding is being used to run the scheme. Passengers living in specific parts of the wider Aylesbury area can request a lift from one of the fully accessible minibuses at a nearby ‘virtual stop’ as the buses travel through their area.

Residents in Aston Clinton, Weston Turville, Halton, Hartwell, Stoke Mandeville, Bishopstone and Weedon will be served by on demand buses. The service will drop off passengers anywhere within the operational area, which includes Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury town centre and the railway stations at Aylesbury, Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Stoke Mandeville and Wendover.

Councillor Steven Broadbent said: "This new service is planned to start during the spring of 2024 and will benefit residents in villages around Aylesbury by providing another travel option to supplement existing public transport services. The established Wycombe scheme has demonstrated that demand responsive services are convenient and affordable for travellers. We’re looking forward to sharing more details about this new service soon."