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28th September 2010

1. The new service will commence on 17^th May 2010 on a purely commercial basis with no support from any of the local authorities. Clearly it needs to be used as frequently as possible if it is to be successful.
2. Competitive fares will be charged – for example an adult day return from Birchgrove is £3.45  and a single fare is £1.95. Our day rider ticket will be £4.00. All Wales Concessionary Passes are valid on all parts of the route.
3. The timetable you have is the final version and we will be in the are the week prior to the 17^th May will leaflets and posters as well as copies of our new timetable books. Naturally the more support you can offer the better for the start of the service.
4. The service will be operated by modern, super low floor vehicles which are obviously ideal for parents with buggies and the not so mobile members of society.

Great news, South Wales Transport will be providing a new Service 208 from Neath-Birchgrove-Neath to start 17th May 2010.

 22nd March 2010

A petition was handed over to Val Lloyd AM from 234 Birchgrove Residents.

* A huge number of residents who attended the Birchgrove public meeting in February were angry and dissatisfied with the bus service they are receiving from FirstGroup. This is because Birchgrove has no doctor’s surgery, chemist, dentist, optician, chiropodist, library or significant employment. Our shops are limited in what they sell so a regular and convenient bus service is, therefore, essential.

* Until recently, there was an hourly bus service (143) along Birchgrove Road to Skewen and Neath where many Birchgrove residents have to travel to the above-mentioned facilities. However, the 143 now runs only twice a day at 08.20 am and 05.07pm. In between times, residents of Birchgrove Road, Parc-y-Helig and Trewen have to walk either to the stop opposite the Bridgend Inn or half way down the steep hill to the M4 Roundabout to catch the new 59 bus. These stops are about half a mile apart. The new 59 route along Ffordd-y-Mynydd completely by-passes a heavily populated section of Birchgrove Road. Many of its residents are senior citizens although people of all ages including Neath College students are also affected. It is a long walk to and from the bus stops, particularly in wind, rain or snow, and far from ideal for pensioners with or without heavy shopping bags. Many residents of Gelli Gardens sheltered complex (off Parc-y-Helig) have simply been unable to go out since the bus route changed.

* Whilst residents do not want to deprive those living further up the hill (along Ffordd-y-Mynydd) from having a bus service it is equally wrong to deprive those living on and around Birchgrove Road from having one. A simple solution would be for the bus to travel up Drumau Road, turn around on the small roundabout at the entrance to the Gwalia Estate (where it can pick up/drop off passengers) and travel back down Drumau Road before turning left into Birchgrove Road on its way to Skewen and Neath. These are both small, local, compact towns which particularly suit elderly people who cannot walk far. Many Birchgrove residents also have family and friends living there. It is neither practical nor fair to tell people to catch the Swansea bus when that is not their required destination.