VILLAGERS on the number 65 bus route from Monmouth to Chepstow have reacted furiously to the news the bus service is planned to be withdrawn later this month.

A proposal to end the service was first raised in the spring, citing ‘budget-saving measures’, and Monmouthshire County Council will now make a final assessment of the service before deciding whether or not to stick to the planned July deadline.

The route’s buses include stops in Devauden, Llanishen, The Narth and Penallt, and it is in those rural villages where people will most feel the impact.

Trevor Pilling, from Devauden, believes the village will become “very isolated” if the bus service disappears.

“Bit by bit, the village is closing down. We’ve already lost the post office and the pub”, Mr Pilling said.

“The whole thing seems madness.

“The alternative is nothing – we’re stuck here. A taxi to Chepstow costs £12 each way, and we are both on state pension”, Mr Pilling said.

Mr Pilling, who is almost 70, said villagers were shocked when he told them the bus service would soon end. No official announcement had been made or displayed anywhere, he said, and the decision had been “swept under the carpet”.

Another resident who lives along the bus route, Susan Watson, said the buses not only allowed villagers to stay connected to the wider community, but the journeys themselves gave people valuable social contact.

“The government emphasises the need to improve people’s mental health, but that bus is a social occasion”, Mrs Watson said.

“The impact will be enormous on people of all ages.

“There’s no need to spend millions fighting loneliness, you just need to keep people connected with services.”

Responding to concerns over the bus service’s withdrawal, the county council said in a statement the initial proposal to withdraw the service was a “budget saving measure”, and villagers understand why a bus that is rarely full may not be the most profitable venture.

Mrs Watson, though, who uses a free bus pass, says she would happily pay a discounted fare, similar to those offered on trains in Wales, rather than lose the bus service altogether, and she believes other people she has spoken to would do the same.

“I have a disabled friend who can hardly walk, and she told me she would rather pay than lose the service”, Mrs Watson said.

Monmouth MP David Davies, who has received “quite a few” letters about the buses from his constituents, said: “I hope we can persuade the ‘powers that be’ to rethink this”.

On the council’s final evaluation of the service and the impact its loss will have on passengers, Mr Davies said: “I welcome the fact it’s being looked at, and I encourage people who want the service to continue using it – it will come down to numbers”.