Fears of growing that two Preston bus routes will be scrapped as part of a plan to axe spending of £300,000 of spending on the city's public transport network.
Councillor Tom Burns is worried that the 88A and 88C Orbit Bus routes face closure after it emerged that the city council has refusied to underwrite the cost of running the services.
Labour councillor Mr Burns said he had heard strong rumours that transport firm Rotala was planning to cut the Orbit routes.
Mr Burns said: “Rotala are not going to renew the licence. If they don’t do that it means that they are not going to run it.”
The Fishwick ward councillor also spoke about the damaging effect closure would have on the elderly and the poor.
He said: “People who rely on this service to get to schools and hospitals will be hit hardest.
“The frequency of the 88A and the 88C was designed to encourage people to use public transport and to get cars off the road as part of a green agenda.”
He added the reason why the council were not willing subsidise the routes, which run every 15 minutes, was cost.
The affected areas would include the city centre, the Royal Preston Hospital, Deepdale, the Red Scar Industrial Estate, and others.
Last week Cllr Frank De Molfetta and Cllr Jonathan Saksena started a petition attracting over 500 signatures to save the service.
Mr De Molfetta added “If Rotala doesn’t renew the service then elderly people will be imprisoned in their homes."
People who work on the Red Scar Industrial estate could be amongst the worst affected.
Dawn Coombes, 38, a payroll clerk at Menzies Distribution in Red Scar, is a single mother from Lea who has two sons.
Miss Coombes has also launched an online petition to try and save the service. She said: “For many this route is not only a lifeline, but a way to get to and from work. If this route is axed, travel time will double and travel cost will double, as Preston Bus don’t run a bus up to Longridge Road, Red Scar.”
The ambitious petition, aiming to get 10,000 supportes to fight the cause was launched in January on www.petitiononline.co.uk, has so far received over 40 signatures.
Liberal/Democrats in Preston have also called on Rotala and the Lancashire County Council to ensure the Preston routes are not scrapped.
Lib/Dem Cllr for Cottam and Ingol, Bill Winlow said: “Rotala have only just taken over buses in Preston and we are concerned they may not continue with this route, because of the removal of the County Council subsidy from the non-profit making part of the route to Bluebell Way.
“We will be looking at our budget proposals to see if we can subsidise this service for a short time to enable Rotala to make this service pay for itself. Bus companies have to serve the public as well as operating at a profit.
“It is very difficult for a bus company to respond quickly to a decision of this sort at a time like this. Indeed, it seems wrong for the Cabinet Member to have signed off the decision before the County Council has ratified it at its budget meeting on February 17th.”
Liberal Democrat Cllr for Ashton Mark Jewell added: “The Orbital Bus Route serves many of the residents I represent. Many have said to me they do not want to lose this service, because they can get to the hospital and shops directly. Before the Orbital route, residents had to go into the City Centre to come back out to where they wanted to get to. It was a nightmare. This is a popular route and must be retained.”
Rotala, which bought Preston Bus from Stagecoach last month after an intervention from the competition commission, were not available to comment.
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