Shopping bus service saved by Derbyshire County Council

The future of a local bus service is secure again thanks to Derbyshire County Council, after the current operator said it was due to cease trading.

Derbyshire Community Transport (DCT) ran a number of services for the authority, including the shopper bus service in Erewash and Amber Valley.

Unfortunately, DCT signalled their intention to close down by the end of October 2024, leaving this service without an operator.

A new contract for the Derbyshire Connect shopper bus service is being awarded to Community Transport for Nottingham (CT4N) by the County Council. It is planned that the new service will start on Monday 4th November 2024, leaving a gap in service of just one day, as the DCT services will end on Thursday 31st October. 

The service will run exactly as it does now. CT4N, are taking on some of the vehicles used by DCT. The new phone number for enquiries is 0115 9691801, or hello @ ct4n.co.uk. 

The current booking app used on the Travel Derbyshire on Demand service will remain the same. 

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, Councillor Charlotte Cupit, said: “I am pleased that we have been able to find a new operator to take on services. We know these services are a lifeline for many communities in the county, so we’ve been working hard to secure their continuation."

“We were very sorry to hear the news that DCT were winding up but we have now found operators to take on all the services they ran on our behalf. Many thanks to our public transport team at the Council for their work on this and as they continue to make the transfer of these services as streamlined as possible.”

For more information on the Derbyshire Connect shopper service please go to this website.