Rastrick resident thinks community is becoming isolated by poor public transport

On Wednesday, September 5, starting a journey to Bradford, I went to catch the 18:45 X78 bus from Tofts Grove, Rastrick, into Brighouse.

At the stop a new leaflet had been posted. Reading it carefully, it became clear that the X78 had been totally cancelled, and that a “substitute” service only provided a few buses a day, and these only between Brighouse and Elland. The X78 ran between Brighouse and Halifax, via Elland.

I had travelled on the X78 the previous week, and used the bus stops on Tofts Grove, but there had been no notices warning of this cancellation. How is anyone supposed to know?

One of the local residents I have spoken to since told me that he had been to catch his usual early morning X78 to go to work on Monday, September 3 and it had not turned up, meaning that he had had to go much later, on the 563. He told me that his employer has allowed him to change his hours; but how many employers are in a position to do that?

The X78 passed Lowfields – an important employment area. There were early buses from Brighouse at 06:12, 07:05 and 08:05. However, the first 563 (which goes via Elland to Halifax, but does not pass Lowfields) is not until 07:40, with the next one not being until 08:50.

As the last Halifax to Brighouse 563 runs at 18:12, there is now no evening service whatsoever between Halifax and Brighouse via Elland.

The X78 ran considerably later than this, although it was no proper substitute for the cancelled 278 which I campaigned against in April and May this year.

I shall be contacting our representatives on Metro about the loss of this vital connection. But why haven’t we heard anything from the Brighouse and Rastrick councillors and our local MP about this continual erosion of our bus services, and consequent isolation of Rastrick from the rest of Calderdale?

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