Following years of campaigning, Rother Alliance Councillors recently celebrated the arrival of the new timetable for the 98 Bus between Eastbourne and Hastings. The new service sees evening buses connecting areas like Sidley and Pebsham to Hastings, Bexhill and Eastbourne town centres, enabling those who work in the towns to get the bus to and from work, and making It easier for those from areas like Sidley to access events at the De La Warr, go to pubs and restaurants with friends or get home after evening events.
As part of the celebrations, and to help promote the new evening services, several Rother Alliance Councillors took a return journey from Sidley to Pebsham and back. Amongst them were Sidley Councillors Fazlul Chowdhury and Sam Coleman who both commented that the new service would open up evening job opportunities for people in Sidley, and present those who already work in places like Bexhill and Hastings with a cheaper, green way to get home that is better than having to pay for a taxi or walk in the dark. Also on the bus was Pebsham Councillor, Gareth Delany. Similar opportunities for evening work would be available now to Pebsham residents as well as others living along the 98 route.
Councillor Hazel Timpe from Sackville Ward, Councillor Mark Legg from Old Town and Worsham Ward, Councillor Jimmy Stanger from St Marks Ward and Councillor Christine Bayliss from Bexhill Central were also on the bus. Councillor Bayliss, who organised the bus ride, said of the new timetable,
“As portfolio holder for economic regeneration, I think this is a fantastic step towards opening up Bexhill’s evening economy. Whether it is for work, socialising or events like the De La Warr sunset screenings, these later buses will enable people from Sidley, Pebsham and elsewhere to get home from town without needing a car or the money to pay for a taxi.”
Later bus services were a central part of the ‘Bexhill Better Buses’ report which Councillor Bayliss authored a number of years back. In the report was survey data showing the appetite for later buses from Sidley and Pebsham residents, data which was subsequently included in East Sussex County Council’s bus services transformation plans and formed a key part of the decision to launch the new evening services.
Also joining the bus ride was Chair of Council, Vikki Cook who boarded the 98 service at the Town Hall, following a meeting of the Audit and Standards Committee. Councillor Cook was particularly pleased with the green aspect of residents using buses rather than cars to get home from work of an evening, citing the potential carbon reduction as a real plus point for the new service.
THE NEW 98 TIMETABLES:
To access the full timetable click here
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