AFTER RESIDENTS said they were fearing for their jobs due to Stagecoach’s plans to stop a bus running from Chepstow to south Gloucestershire, the bus company has announced plans for a new service.

The new X14 service, which will start on January 5, 2020, will offer seven round trips a day between Chepstow bus station, Bulwark and The Mall bus station, with the first Cribbs Causeway arrival at 10.20am and last departure at 17.35pm.

The service will only run temporarily on a trial period, after which a more formal decision will be made as to whether the service continuing to run is the most sustainable option.

The news comes after Stagecoach said it was going to stop the Severn Express running from Chepstow to Cribbs Causeway last week, as the service is only used by four or five passengers each journey.

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Residents said the suggestion that so few people use the service is untrue, and responded by petitioning against the decision, which received 1,150 signatures.

Rupert Cox, Managing Director at Stagecoach West, explained the decision to implement a new service, saying: “Since announcing our proposed changes to the Severn Express service, many residents have told us how much they value the Cribbs Causeway link, which wasn't included in our original plans.”

The new X14 service will complement the Severn Express. The Express will run hourly on a direct route between Chepstow and Bristol, missing out the Cribbs Causeway stop.

Mr Cox added: “The decision to change the service was determined by existing customer travel patterns and a desire to reduce journey times to Bristol city centre. The changes are essential to the survival of the Severn Express, but we hope that the new X14 will complement it and encourage residents in Chepstow to use the bus service.

“The X14 service will run as a trial in response to feedback from residents who value the link and we hope that the local community will support the route so that we can continue to run the service permanently.”