Our popular bus service the mickleover is to continue to operate in and out of Derby's bus station following discussions with he City Council.

We had planned to finish the mickleover buses in Albert Street following punctuality problems caused by major road works, but now we have committed an extra vehicle to the route whilst the council looks at ways to improve traffic flow.

Explained Commercial  Director Alex Hornby: "This is an important route that also serves the Royal Derby Hospital. Over the past few weeks we have been carrying out time trials and collecting customer feedback on the issue.

 "Opinion was fairly evenly divided on where to finish the service but following a meeting with the city council this week we have decided to allocate extra resources to ensure reliability improves whilst maintaining the link with the bus station.

 "In return the council has pledged to introduce measures to improve traffic flow through road works in the Morledge area and to give buses priority at key junctions."

 The mickleover is one of our most popular buses, providing a luxury service every seven to eight minutes between Mickleover and the city centre, via the hospital. According to regulations laid down by the Traffic Commissioner, 95 per cent of buses on any route should be on time, but we were was forced to rethink the route to meet this requirement.

 "Providing the best possible service to our customers is at the heart of everything we do. Now, thanks to council support and the allocation of an extra bus to speed up turnaround times, we look forward to providing a much improved service without having to inconvenience any of our customers," added Alex .

Commented Cllr Chris Poulter from Derby City Council: "We are delighted that by working together with trent barton who operate the mickleover service we have been able to retain this important service at the bus station. We will continue to support them in their efforts to further improve the reliability of the service in challenging circumstances. The bus station needs to operate as the hub for as many services in the City as possible and is a vital interchange for people travelling to the hospital, rail station and further afield.