In the rolling hills and remote corners of rural Britain, a quiet crisis is unfolding. For many residents in small villages from southern Scotland to Derbyshire, the humble bus—a daily fixture and lifeline—has become a rare sight. Recent changes to local bus services have left entire communities feeling stranded, cut off from essential appointments, work, shopping, and even the simple pleasure of socialising. The stories emerging from Glentrool in Dumfries and Galloway, and Morton in Derbyshire, paint a vivid picture of what happens when public transport falters in places where it’s needed most.
In Glentrool, a village tucked away in the scenic expanse of southern Scotland, frustration has reached a boiling point. According to the BBC, residents describe the new bus timetable as “utterly ridiculous.” The core of their complaint? On Saturdays, the first bus from Glentrool to nearby Newton Stewart arrives at 11:30 a.m.—but the last bus home departs just five minutes later, at 11:35 a.m. Previously, villagers could count on return services until 5:20 p.m., giving them hours to run errands, attend appointments, or simply enjoy a day out. Now, that window has slammed shut.
“Our village is quite remote and a lot of our residents are elderly—some don’t drive,” explained Glentrool resident Jayne Mee, as reported by the BBC. “We all rely on the bus service in one way or another—to get to appointments, to get to the shops, to get to work, or just to get out.” The new timetable, which splits services between school days and non-school days, simply doesn’t work for those who need it most. “On non-school days we simply cannot use the service to Newton Stewart because the last bus back is five minutes after the first bus in—utterly ridiculous. This has caused a lot of upset and inconvenience to our residents.”
For Susan Hutton, who retired last year and now volunteers in Newton Stewart, the loss of a workable bus service is more than a logistical headache. “We are stranded, there’s no doubt about it. It’s a beautiful place and we welcome people coming up here and it’s great, but we are stranded if there’s no bus,” she told the BBC. “We say hello on the bus in the morning, you know, it’s massive—it’s a massive thing to people and we’re trying to stop loneliness in the community—this is not helping at all.”
The sense of isolation is echoed by Andy Smith, who used to rely on the bus to socialise in Newton Stewart. “There were a couple of bars on the main street that were beneficiaries financially of us getting in there and we could use a bus home—that bus has now disappeared. We can still get into town—not at the same time—but we’d not have a bus home at all. We used to have the 17:20 but that’s no longer run, so no access to a bus service for getting home—that’s our biggest problem. To me it’s a loss of the socialising experience.”
Andy Dowell, a Glentrool resident for more than five decades who doesn’t drive, has seen his independence curtailed. “I’ve got a rail pass here which I renewed on 14 July just before this coming and I can’t use it—I can’t go on the train, I can’t get home. So that’s redundant now, just about.” He noted that a taxi from Newton Stewart costs about £15—a sum that quickly adds up for those on fixed incomes. “It’s just ruined it, I’m sorry, but they have.”
These problems emerged after Stagecoach, the major bus operator, ended almost all its services in Dumfries and Galloway in August 2025 following a contract dispute with the local council. The local authority insisted its terms were “industry-standard,” but Stagecoach disagreed. In the aftermath, new contracts were awarded, with Dumfries and Galloway Council and other operators stepping in from August 7. The council, alongside transport agency SWestrans, has since invested £2.66 million across 45 long-term contracts to keep public transport afloat. “Without this investment, and without DGC Buses stepping in to run services throughout Wigtownshire as operator of last resort, this part of the region was at risk of having no services running at all,” the council stated. Still, officials admit the current timetable might not meet all needs, blaming low passenger numbers for the changes. They have launched a campaign to gather feedback and refine the network, thanking residents for their patience.
The pain of lost bus services isn’t confined to Scotland. In Morton, a Derbyshire village three miles from Alfreton, the number 55 bus was once a “vital lifeline.” That changed in March 2025 when Hulleys of Baslow ceased trading, and Notts & Derby Buses took over—removing the stop in Morton. Now, villagers are left with only a “dial-a-bus” service, which must be booked in advance and is widely regarded as inadequate for daily needs.
Val Hatton, a 75-year-old Morton resident, wrote to local officials: “We now have to walk across to Stonebroom to catch a bus to do mundane things such as shopping or going to work, school etc. I am 75 years-old and quite fit for my age and do not struggle with this at the moment but I dread the winter when this will be decidedly arduous. There are many elderly residents who are struggling to cope as it is. We have Morton Grange nursing home in the village and people without transport cannot visit loved ones, also [there is] no way of getting to the church or churchyard easily.”
Campaigners have collected hundreds of signatures calling for the return of the 55 bus, but the bus company cited low passenger numbers for the reroute. The council, after efforts by both the previous Conservative and current Reform UK-led administrations, decided not to fund reinstatement due to high subsidy costs and the impending transfer of transport powers to the East Midlands Combined Authority (EMCCA) in March 2026. “Given the significantly high subsidy level per passenger required to reinstate the 55 to Morton and the upcoming transfer of transport powers... Derbyshire County Council has decided not to fund the reinstatement of the 55 service,” a spokesperson said.
Local leaders, including Bolsover MP Natalie Fleet and Labour NE Derbyshire District Cllr Kevin Gillott, have backed residents’ calls for action. “This service was never a luxury. It was a vital lifeline for residents, especially the elderly, disabled people, students, and those commuting for work or appointments,” said Fleet. The new Labour East Midlands Combined County Authority has stressed the importance of rural connectivity and plans to address these challenges in its upcoming Mayor’s Transport Plan.
For now, Morton residents must rely on the Travel on Demand Derbyshire minibus, which operates six days a week. While officials tout its flexibility, many villagers find it unreliable for medical appointments and daily routines. Some residents, unable to catch a bus home, face taxi fares of £14 one-way from Alfreton. Others have had to cancel GP appointments, and the sense of isolation is palpable—worse, some say, than during the Covid lockdowns.
Across Britain’s countryside, the bus isn’t just a means of getting from A to B—it’s a thread that holds communities together. As local authorities weigh costs against community needs, rural residents are left hoping that their voices will be heard—and that the next bus won’t be their last.
