A JOURNEY to Llandudno hospital is set to take double the time for some bus passengers living in village.

Changes to a raft of bus services across North West Wales are set to be introduced on January 27.

One service the changes impacts is the X5 Arriva service from Bangor to Llandudno.

Most journeys on the X5 will no longer serve Abergwyngregyn and Dwygyfylchi and the X5 will no longer directly serve Llandudno hospital.

Arriva Buses Wales said changes followed a review that highlighted an “extremely low number of customers using the service.”

Cllr Anne McCaffrey, Capelulo Ward Councillor, has arranged a meeting for villagers on Saturday, January 19 at Village Hall, Dwygyfylchi at 10am. Arriva have been invited.

 

Villagers have been invited to a public meeting

Cllr McCaffrey said: “Arriva Cymru proposed to stop this service to and from Dwygyfylchi after 8.30am Monday to Saturday. This will mean in essence a 50 per cent reduction in bus services to Dwygyfylchi.

“After 8.30am, the X5 from Llandudno will no longer exit the A55 to enter Dwygyfylchi. It will drive past the village and only exit the A55 at Puffin Roundabout to pick up passengers from the neighbouring town of Penmaenmawr and do the same at Llanfairfechan; and the X5 from Bangor will leave the A55 to serve only Llanfairfechan and Penmaenmawr; it will rejoin the A55 at Puffin Roundabout, bypassing Dwygyfylchi.

“One concern is the fact that the X5 bus service connects villages to the hospital in Llandudno. They will now have to change and wait for an onward service.

 

Arriva say Changes to the X5 service have been made to reflect customer numbers

“Connectivity is key in rural communities - the village has got 1,500 people.

“We had a doctor that was in Penmaenmawr, that closed down last year. Villagers now have to go to Llanfairfechan. The bus services are absolutely critical. We can’t have passengers hanging around the bus stop, it is becoming more difficult and complex. Reducing the bus service will make accessing GP appointments more difficult and will probably double the time it takes to get to Llandudno Hospital, as this will now involve getting two buses and waiting around for a connection.”

Cllr McCaffrey has lodged an official objection in an attempt to stop the changes with the Traffic Commissioner for Wales.

Michael Morton, Arriva Buses Wales managing director, said: “Changes to the X5 service have been made to reflect customer numbers and to improve its reliability, and Conwy County Borough Council was consulted throughout the process. As part of the changes it is only off-peak and afternoon services that have been reduced, which came about following a review that highlighted an extremely low number of customers using the service. We have, however, added an extra bus to the service to improve reliability. We are also aware changes mean the X5 will no longer directly serve Llandudno Hospital, however an on-going review of customer numbers who currently travel to the hospital is in progress to identify future route requirements.

Mr Morton added: “When making changes to the X5 service, we met with officials from Conwy County Borough Council to consult.”