A WOOTTON BASSETT mother has urged Thamesdown Transport to review its decision to cut a bus route to Swindon.

The bus company announced last week it would be stopping the R1 service between Royal Wootton Bassett and Swindon.

The service, which was launched in May, will end by Sunday, October 22.

The closure came after Stagecoach increased the number of buses on its 55 route, meaning there weren’t enough passengers for the R1 service to be viable.

But mum-of-one Carla Newman has begged Thamesdown Transport to reconsider its decision to end the service.

Together with other parents, she has urged bus users to sign a petition urging the company to keep the service.

Carla, 27, said: “I catch the R1 from the bottom of Station Road to the High Street.”

The bus enables her to take daughter Tanisha, who has difficulty walking, to school.

“She’s so upset,” Carla said. “She said to me, ‘I can’t walk.’ She has a problem with her legs that means she can’t walk that far. I feel so bad.”

The R1 service runs along the same route as competitor Stagecoach’s 55 service, which travels between Swindon and Chippenham.

However, Carla slammed the Stagecoach buses: “The drivers are rude, the buses are dirty and they don’t wait for you.”

Carla and Tanisha joined other parents and children in Royal Wootton Bassett’s High Street last week to protest at the end of the R1 service.

Already, the group has collected 36 signatures for their petition calling on Thamesdown Transport to reverse the closure.

Carla said: “We’ve made signs saying, ‘Please save the R1.’”

Despite the pleas, Thamesdown Transport says it has no plans to keep the R1 service.

Its general manager Alex Chutter said: “I’m delighted to learn our passengers enjoy travelling with us here.

“We are unable to continue operating the R1 because, following another operator’s decision to increase the frequency of their own service, there have been too many buses serving this area, resulting in not enough people using the R1 to cover our costs of running it.

“Feedback from local people is always very useful, and we will bear in mind any significant increase in demand when we plan our next network change.”

Responding to the criticism of their 55 service Rupert Cox, the managing director of Stagecoach West, said: “We carry around 1,190,000 passengers a year on the service 55.

“The vast majority of customers tell us they are happy with the service but occasionally things do go wrong.

“If anyone isn’t happy with the service, we would encourage them to contact us directly in order for us to resolve their concerns.”

Stagecoach say it is planning to bring in improvements to bus services in North Wiltshire next year.

To find out more about the R1 bus closure visit the website, which can be found at www.swindonbus.co.uk.