Harborough MP Neil O’Brien has welcomed changes to bus services in Harborough and Oadby, which will take effect later this month. The MP has been pushing for better coordination of services and improved timetabling, having held meetings with two local bus companies earlier this year.
The changes will made to the X3 Market Harborough to Leicester service, which also serves Kibworth and Great Glen. The 31/31A Oadby to Leicester service will also be amended. Crucially, on the X3 route, Arriva are changing the timetable to better coordinate with the Stagecoach X7 bus service to offer a half hourly service. In Kibworth, buses will now call at Brookfield Way on New Road, rather than the cemetery, with customers travelling to Market Harborough no longer having to cross the busy road to reach the bus stop. In Great Glen, buses going to Market Harborough will now join the A6 at Archers Roundabout where it is easier to pull out into traffic compared to the Burton Brook slip road.
In Oadby, the 31 will continue to run in clockwise direction around Oadby, running along Uplands Road. The 31A will run in an anti-clockwise loop running along Ash Tree Road rather than around Coombe Rise. They will both run up to 15 minutes Monday to Friday and an improved frequency of every 15 minutes on Saturdays. Both services will run every day, including in the later evenings and Sundays, replacing the 31E route variation. Additionally, Copse Close and Launde Way will be served by the 31A between 9am and 2.30pm Monday to Saturday.
Commenting, Neil said:
“I have been campaigning for better bus services for several months now, specifically for better coordination of services along the A6 corridor. I am delighted that Arriva have taken onboard my comments and are amending X3 timetable so residents in Market Harborough, Kibworth and Glen now have a half hourly service.
“Residents in Oadby have also contacted me, frustrated about the timetabling, so the changes to the 31 and 31A services are also welcome.
“However, I am still pressing for a formal partnership to be agreed between Arriva and Stagecoach. This would allow a single ticketing system to be adopted and ensure that a half hourly service is formalised. I am in discussions with Leicestershire County Council, Arriva, and Stagecoach about this and things are progressing. I will update residents as soon as I know more.”
The Arriva timetable changes will come into effect from 29th August.
