A bus service scrapped by Stagecoach for commercial reasons has been saved by a rival operator.
The C18 service, between Gilfach Estate to Bargoed, runs every 30 minutes from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, but the day-time service was set to be scrapped from November.
The New Adventure Travel (NAT) Group however has agreed to take over the service on a commercial basis after talks with Caerphilly County Borough Council.
The replacement service will operate from Monday, November 6 on an hourly basis and the NAT Group has also altered the timetable of the X38 bus service to include Gilfach Estate when travelling from Bargoed to Pontypridd. The improved timetables have been designed to ensure that buses depart from Bargoed 30 minutes apart.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy, Infrastructure and Sustainability, Cllr. Sean Morgan, said: “We will continue to work in partnership with all of our transport providers to ensure that residents are able to easily access public transport, which can often be a lifeline for many residents.”
Journeys at 7.05pm and 9.05pm will continue to be provided by Stagecoach. Passengers who buy a return ticket from NAT Group earlier in the day will be able to use it on these journeys.
Caerphilly AM, Hefin David, said: “Last month I met with Stagecoach and Caerphilly Council to discuss the removal of the C18 Gilfach Estate to Bargoed. I put forward the views of Gilfach and Bargoed residents in that meeting and pressed both Caerphilly Council and Stagecoach to find a way of retaining a similar service.
“I’m pleased that arrangements to find an alternative provider have proved successful”.