A man who is registered blind fears cuts to a bus service to his village will have a negative impact on the elderly and vulnerable.
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) will withdraw the Navy 3 and 3A services from June 21.
As a result, Wilford Village and Ruddington Lane will no longer be served by any buses.
Following a review, the operator says it can no longer sustain the services because the route is “severely underused”.
Residents and local councillor Andrew Rule, of the Nottingham Independents and Independent Group, have criticised the move, particularly after a new bus shelter was only recently installed, alongside new glass and branding.
Brian Hardy, who is 84 and registered blind, uses a stick to get around.
He said he uses the service alongside his partner, Ann, to get to their GP surgery in Ruddington from their home in Wilford Village.
Ann has had numerous heart attacks, and the pair may one day be unable to use their car.
“We have got a shiny new bus stop, but no buses,” he said.
“We need the bus to get up into Ruddington, which is two buses, or into West Bridgford, which again is a two-bus journey, but at least it is better than not having the facility at all.
“West Bridgford is such a lovely shopping centre, with nice restaurants, and the tram is great for going into [the city centre]. Yes, that is what we use it for, but it doesn’t get us to other places we need to be, such as Ruddington, where our doctors are.
“We’ve had neighbours who live down the village. They had to move because of the poor bus service. I can see that will be the fate for all of us.”
Dave Boulton, a resident of Wilford Village for 36 years, said the area had already lost too much, including its library in 2008.
“It is a key bus route, and it is going to be the elderly and vulnerable who are going to be using it.
“In a political context, we see lots of messages about using buses… It is hypocritical.
“Wilford has historically had an elderly population. It is still an attractive place because it is safe, but if you cannot have access to services, people are going to want to leave here.”
Cllr Rule added: “We’ve already heard from residents about how this will impact them, particularly those who use the service as a connection to access services to get to Ruddington, particularly for medical appointments, and this will make it hard for them to get there.
“When the mayor (Claire Ward) was elected, she placed great emphasis on bus services and the fact that it was her ambition that people wouldn’t be so reliant on cars to get around. But if you are going to cancel bus services, you are going to force people to use cars.
“The tram has its place, but last I checked, it doesn’t stop at Ruddington or West Bridgford.”
NCT has announced that several bus services will stop altogether, while others will have shorter routes and reduced frequencies.
It is the most significant shake-up in 15 years, owing to its current operation being “unsustainable”, with patronage numbers failing to return to pre-pandemic levels.
A spokesman for the bus operator said: “Nottingham City Transport has undertaken a network-wide review of its bus services, which will begin on June 21, 2026.
“These changes are driven by a combination of higher costs and fewer people travelling, which is not a sustainable position to be in.
“After reviewing the number of customers boarding at every stop on every route at all times of the day, we identified that only four people a day board a bus in Wilford Village, which is just not enough to be a viable or appropriate use of our resources.
“Wilford Village has the benefit of its own tram stop, with a frequent service seven days a week, as well as a regular daily bus service along Wilford Lane.”
The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), which distributes funds for bus services across the region, echoed NCT’s comments and added: “This decision has been made by NCT and is not related to the transfer of transport functions to EMCCA.
“However, communities in Wilford, Silverdale and Ruddington will still be well served by public transport. Much of the route of the current 3 service will be retained by changes to the route 9 service, which runs every 30 minutes. Several other public transport options are available, including the tram, the Easylink accessible minibus service and the route 55 bus.
“The bus shelter upgrade programme was led by Nottingham City Council before EMCCA became the transport authority, and any new shelters that have been installed can be relocated in the future.
“As the regional transport body, we are committed to creating the best possible transport network for people across the East Midlands, especially those living in villages and rural areas.”
