NESTON Town Council has demanded urgent action to retain a bus connection to Hooton Station.

It comes after current operator Aintree Coaches announced that it was scrapping the 272 service, which links Neston to Ellesmere Port via Hooton.

The town council says that after the service ends on July 21 only car drivers will be able to make use of the train station which provides swift and regular access to Liverpool and other areas.

The commuter fare from Neston to Liverpool and back is £7 compared with just £4.60 from Hooton, and trains are more frequent from Hooton.

Neston Town Council is pushing for a maximum bus fare of £1 each way to Hooton and is calling on Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) to step up and arrange a service.

Dr Phil Lloyd, chair of its Transport Working Group, told a meeting on May 22 that a Freedom of Information Request had revealed CWaC makes almost £23,000 profit per year from Hooton car park.

Town councillors considered that this money should support a better bus connection between Neston and Hooton Station.

Neston Council also wants an urgent meeting between CWaC officials and its own Transport Working Group to consider this and other issues that affect the connectivity of the town.

The meeting heard there have been three petitions since 2015 concerning bus services, rail services and the state of the roads – and each has attracted over 2000 signatures.

The council concluded that action is needed to ensure Neston, with a population of 15,000, has the same quality of connectivity by rail, bus and road as comparable towns in the area.

Mayor Pat Kynaston said: “The recent review of the Neighbourhood Plan highlighted the importance of Neston’s Public Transport Standard to the progress of the town. Neston Town Council is determined to campaign hard for improvements – starting with a better link to Hooton Station that opens up faster and cheaper connections with important destinations such as Chester, Liverpool and Ellesmere Port”.

Dr Lloyd added: “Neston Town Council has been making the case for a better link with Hooton for some time because that station has faster services and cheaper fares – benefits that should not be restricted to car owners.

“The end of the 272 creates an opportunity to provide a new service to Hooton that will attract passengers if it runs at the right times and costs are reasonable. But thanks are also due to Aintree Coaches for operating the 272 without financial support for so long.”

In response, CWaC has said it is “actively seeking” a replacement provider for the 272 service but stressed its own research had concluded few people travel to Hooton Station by bus.

Cllr David Armstrong, Cabinet Member, Legal and Finance said: “The Service is operating on a commercial basis, which means that it is not supported by the council. However, with the agreement of Aintree Coachline, we have been conducting a series of on bus face to face surveys to understand the needs of passengers that are currently being analysed in conjunction with electronic statistical information kindly supplied by the operator.

“It is clear from the data however, that while Hooton Station should be a popular key destination for people wishing to access the Merseyrail train services, in practice few people travel there by bus.”

He added: “ARRIVA also provide a half hourly bus services throughout the day (and into the evenings), from Ness Gardens, Little Neston housing estates, Neston town centre, Liverpool Road to Clatterbridge Hospital, Birkenhead and Liverpool using modern state of the art buses which are fitted with WiFi.

“In addition to this, Avon buses operate direct services from Neston and Parkgate to Chester, Heswall, Arrowe Park Hospital and West Kirby.”