A LOCAL bus company which has cancelled a route from Bromsgrove to Halesowen via Romsley, has offered up one of its vehicles to Worcestershire County Council, so that it can continue to operate the service for a further six months.

The 147 service, which currently still runs from Catshill to Halesowen via Romsley, ceases to operate from Monday, April 11, and the county council has agreed to take on the running of the service itself for a further six months to assess its popularity.

The temporary solution was agreed at the end of last month by Councillor Jon Smith, the cabinet member for highways at Worcestershire County Council, who managed to identify one-off funding to keep the service running for six months, so that the popularity of the route can be properly evaluated. The funding also includes contributions from county councillor divisional funds.

Over the evaluation period, the council is hoping to talk to other partners and monitor the uptake of the service to decide if it might still be viable for anyone to run it in future.

Councillor Smith, said: "We're delighted to have found an interim solution, in conjunction with local members, to ensure that rural passengers have access to some public transport. We have to stress however, that the county council cannot take responsibility for these bus services on a permanent basis."