Delight as 'essential' Mansfield and Ashfield 141 bus service is saved

Nottinghamshire County Council began subsidising the service in September 2022 and appointed Stagecoach as the new operator after Trentbarton announced they could no longer operate the service.

The county council has worked closely with Stagecoach to introduce a new operating model for the 141, which will see the cost of the subsidy for the council taxpayer decrease over time as the operator implements new ideas to improve, develop and market the service.

The route and the timetable of the 141 will remain the same, meaning local residents along the route will continue to benefit from a regular service.

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, cabinet member for transport and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We are delighted that the 141 service will continue thanks to the support of Nottinghamshire County Council and this is great news for residents and passengers in areas including Hucknall, Mansfield, Ashfield, Ravenshead, Blidworth and Rainworth to name but a few.

“This is an essential route for local people to get to work, go to the shops, visit family, attend medical appointments and to travel for leisure.

“I am really pleased that there has been an increase in passengers travelling on the service since the council began supporting the service, because it shows we were right to do so, and how important the service is for all the communities along its route. We hope passenger numbers will continue to grow, making the future of the service even more secure.

“We have been working very hard with Stagecoach to ensure the future of the 141 and we are committed to keeping this service running to serve Nottinghamshire residents.

“Investing in bus services and infrastructure to make journeys more attractive, comfortable, safe, and accessible to all is a key priority for us and we encourage everyone to support their local bus service whenever they possibly can.”

Dave Skepper, interim managing director for Stagecoach East Midlands, said: "Stagecoach is delighted to partner Nottinghamshire County Council to deliver service 141 between Sutton, Mansfield, and Nottingham.

“Bus services provide essential connections for people to reach employment, education, healthcare, and retail services. Our team of regular drivers on 141 are proud to serve our local communities in the Mansfield area."

A statement issued following the announcement by Dan Shearer and Lee Haywood from the Save the 141-bus campaign reads: "We are delighted that our campaign and petition to save the 141-bus route has been successful. Communities across Ashfield and Nottinghamshire will be relieved that such a vital bus route has been saved.

"We will continue our campaign to extend the route to places such as Wild Hill and Teversal which are currently not being served by the route to ensure that the route becomes commercially viable for the future.”

Councillor Helen-Ann Smith from the Ashfield Independents said, “We have campaigned for well over a year to save this vital service. Residents in places like the Healdswood Estate and Stanton Hill would have been left without a bus service altogether without the 141.”

"It was imperative that we worked together to send a clear message from residents that this bus was valued.

"3653 residents from every part of the route signed up and it was clear that this influenced the decision of Stagecoach who took over the service.

Since they took over, bus numbers have gone up as residents heeded our use it or lose it message. We have raised the importance of local bus services at every given opportunity and it’s clear that when communities speak as one – the powers that be have no choice but to listen.”