the villager bus service V1 is to double frequency from hourly to every 30 minutes as part of a series of changes designed to improve punctuality and reliability.
trentbarton’s changes to the villager network, which serve several villages between Derby and Burton, will come into effect from Sunday 28 May.
C-Geoff Girling
As part of the improvements, the villager V1 will run every 30 mins during the day, and once an hour in the evenings from Monday to Saturday, with buses running later into the evenings.
The new route will take the V1 through Mickleover, Etwall, Hilton, Hatton, Tutbury, Rolleston and Stretton. From the same date the villager V2 will no longer run. The V2 served Belfield Road in Etwall and Egginton village, but due to low customer numbers these journeys will no longer operate.
The changes have been designed to simplify the network, enabling more frequency and better punctuality.
Tom Morgan, director of service delivery at trentbarton, said: “The research we undertook back in 2016 was one of our biggest research projects in recent years.
“We were encouraged by the level of responses and it was clear to see what customers wanted. These changes will benefit the majority of our customers, meeting their top priorities from a bus service; better timekeeping and an increase in frequency.”
the villager V3, which runs between Derby and Burton through Willington, Repton and Newton Solney, will run every hour during the daytime and evenings Monday to Saturday. It will also see an increase in frequency on Sundays, when it will enjoy an hourly service instead of every two hours. The V4, which runs between Burton and Centrum Business Park, is being withdrawn.
Tom said: “We’ve added in extra evening and weekend journeys for those that work or play later. The changes will make the villager a simple, attractive and frequent network, that will encourage more customers to travel by bus and widen access to job opportunities in Derby and Burton, boosting the local economy.”
