Elderly people in Torbay accuse Stagecoach of cutting off a lifeline by stopping bus route

Elderly people in Torbay have accused the bus company Stagecoach of cutting off a lifeline by stopping a popular service.

From next week a journey which would have taken 15 minutes on the number 32 service will take more than two hours and involve multiple buses.

It is the latest in a number of changes to services planned by Stagecoach across our region.

Many older people in Torbay rely on the number 32 bus to get to the supermarket at the Willows.

At the moment, there is one every 20 minutes but from next week people will have to get off at the hospital, go all the way into Torquay, before changing again to go back up to the Willows, turning a 15-minute journey into one lasting more than an hour - both ways.

Rosemary Shaw started a petition to try to save the service.

She moved to the area from Manchester in order to be close to her family.

The irony is, now she cannot easily get to them as they live near the Willows.

Rosemary's petition already has nearly 1,100 signatures.

In light of the public outcry, Stagecoach has said today that it is working with Torbay Council to try to maintain a bus service between Torbay Hospital and the Willows - which is currently part of the no 32 route.

Mrs Shaw hopes a meeting with Torbay's MP Kevin Foster next week will help reinforce just how valuable this service is.