A petition to save a countryside bus route from budget cuts has been launched by a woman who describes the route as her “happy place”.
Lin MacCallum Stewart set up the petition to save the subsidy for the 79 bus to Ditchling Beacon after hearing how Brighton and Hove City Council proposes withdrawing the subsidy in its budget plans for 2024/25.
After four days more than 100 people signed the petition titled Urge Brighton and Hove Council to Maintain Subsidies for the 79 Bus on the Change.org website.
The 79 receives a £29,000 subsidy which supports the Brighton and Hove Buses service that runs at weekends and bank holidays all year.
Without it the bus the route is likely to close.
The 76-year-old retired business analyst said:
“My happy place is the top of the Downs and the 79 bus is the only way I can easily get there without spending a fortune on a taxi.
“I don’t have a car nor someone who can drive me there. During the week I sometimes use the 77 bus to go Devil’s Dyke but not quite so frequently because this is a less convenient route for me.
“I have MS and so on a good day I can walk several miles but during my bad times I can’t walk far at all.
“Whether I use the 79 to go to the Downs just for the views and fresh air, or for a great place to start a walk it lifts my heart once I get off the bus.”
The 77 Devil’s Dyke route’s subsidy is also under threat.
However, the £29,000 earmarked to be cut pays for extra weekend buses, not the whole service, meaning its loss would reduce the service from two buses an hour to just one.
The subsidy for the summertime weekday service, which runs for a few months from Easter, is not affected. Buses do not run at all on the route from September to Easter.
Ms MacCallum Stewart said:
“The 79 and 77 bus routes aren’t just a line on a map there is stunning scenery in all directions once they leave Brighton.
“Pensioners can travel free with their bus passes and just enjoy the views and fresh air when they get to the top of the Downs.
“You can see the sea across the hills on the way to the Devil’s Dyke, a stunning view. Families with children can have cheap and healthy days out by taking a picnic and perhaps flying kites or just letting the children have a good run around.
“Walkers can start high and get from Ditchling Beacon to Devil’s Dyke along the South Downs Way, or they can head off towards Lewes.
“I have spent glorious days walking with friends from Ditchling Beacon to Black Cap for a flask of coffee, then on to Lewes to catch the bus back to Brighton.”
Bus subsidies are just one of the £30 million in cuts and savings proposed when the budget is up for debate next week.
The annual “budget council” meeting at Hove Town Hall is due to start at 4.30pm on Thursday, February 22.
Both meetings are scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
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