RESIDENTS in the Lansdowne Road area of Worcester are campaigning to increase the "minimal" bus service that leaves many of them forking out for taxis on a daily basis.

Such is their strength of feeling, a petition against First in the Midlands was received by The Evening News yesterday.

The 35C service - which runs through Lansdowne Rise, Wilfred Close and Bishops Avenue - caters primarily for elderly passengers who depend on the bus system. However, at present, the service only travels to the city centre twice a day - at 9.50am and 12.50pm.

Though buses run every hour in the evening, residents say this does not reflect the needs of the community.

"All we ask for is one bus every hour to and from Lansdowne Road", said Carol Goodall, a resident of Wilfred Close and spokeswoman for the group.

"These people are totally dependent on public transport and they have already paid for their bus passes.

"With such a poor service, they are now having to pay £5 a time to get a taxi to and from the city centre on a pension."

A recent incident, in which three passengers waiting for a bus - including an 83-year-old woman - were turned away because it was too full, has exacerbated the issue.

"The Logo for First is laughably 'Transforming Travel'.

"What sort of service is this?" said Mrs Goodall.

Impossible

A spokesman for the company explained that, since a change in management in May, all routes had been revised.

"We found the old 34 - now 35C - route was hardly used at all," he said.

"It was simply not economic to maintain its previous level of service, although of course, it's impossible to please everyone.

"We were considering a complete stop to operations in that area, but, in consultation with the council, buses are still provided for the community."