A regional bus operator has been accused of isolating residents through potential changes to a key County Durham bus route.
Arriva is surveying the public on plans to alter the X22 service, from Peterlee to Middlesbrough – following continued concerns from passengers.
The current route was set in July 2023 after the bus operator scrapped a direct link from Peterlee to Darlington, stopping in Trimdon, Sedgefield and Newton Aycliffe.
Arriva has proposed two options for the future of the X22 service, which include maintaining it as it is, with links to Stockton and North Tees Hospital, or revising the service to connect it to Newton Aycliffe and Darlington instead.
But residents have warned that reinstating the service to Darlington and Newton Aycliffe would remove the direct link from the Trimdon villages and Fishburn to Stockton, and no service along the route would stop outside North Tees Hospital.
Chris Lines, Independent councillor for Sedgefield, said residents are being forced to make an “impossible” decision and urged Arriva to reconsider its approach to the consultation.
He said: “This is an appalling piece of consultation by Arriva. There’s no doubt that people here are strongly in favour of the reinstatement of a direct service to Newton Aycliffe and Darlington, but to support that in the survey, residents effectively have to also show support for removing the direct link from the Trimdons and Fishburn to Stockton.
“That’s a totally unreasonable choice to ask people to make. Residents are simply being asked to choose between one or the other and that’s just not acceptable.”
Arriva urged people who use the X22 service to respond to the survey. A spokesperson said: “We understand that people feel strongly about their local services and we want to ensure that any future network changes reflect the needs of as many communities as possible, which is why we’re encouraging everyone to take part and share their views.”
Yet, Cllr Lines said issues with bus services have been ever-present in his inbox and in conversations with residents since Arriva withdrew the X21 service in July 2023.
“Of course, we want a connection from Sedgefield and Fishburn to Newton Aycliffe and Darlington, but not at the expense of an important link to North Tees Hospital and Stockton, and a way must be found to retain the latter as part of any changes,” he said.
The potential prospect of all regional bus services being brought back into public control, as mooted by the North East mayor, is supported by Cllr Lines.
He added: “When residents are presented with disgraceful so-called choices like these, it reinforces my view that doing that cannot happen quickly enough. Rather than delivering bus services that connect towns and villages in County Durham and to the rest of the region, Arriva appears determined to isolate them from each other, and the consultation itself has the potential to be hugely divisive.”
Arriva said feedback will be reviewed carefully before any decisions are made. The spokesperson added: “This survey is a genuine attempt to gather views from residents on how local bus links could be improved, including the possibility of restoring a direct connection to Newton Aycliffe and Darlington.
“The questions are structured to help us understand local priorities where different route options exist and there are no predetermined outcomes.”
