Arriva says it has experienced an ongoing decline in passenger number
The bus depot, situated in Mary Road, has been an integral part of the community for years. Numerous bus routes connect the town with surrounding areas such as Cranleigh, the eastern villages of Waverley and Horsham.
Arriva has announced that it is planning to close its bus depot in Guildford as its operation there is
” no longer sustainable”.
The proposed closure could see local jobs lost, but Arriva said in a statement that it would be working with employees on options available as it looks “to safeguard jobs and redeploy as many people as possible”.
A spokesperson for Arriva UK Bus said: “We can confirm Arriva is proposing the closure of our depot in Guildford. We are now working with our trade unions partners and our Guildford employees on options available as we look to safeguard jobs and redeploy as many people as possible.
“Decisions like this are extremely difficult and are not taken lightly, however Arriva Guildford has unfortunately experienced an ongoing decline in passenger numbers over recent years, even prior to COVID19, and despite every effort to achieve efficiencies, our Guildford operation is no longer sustainable.”
The WW has heard from villagers in Alfold who believe this will affect the No 63 from Cranleigh to Guildford/Horsham. A service that many in the rural villages rely upon to reach major shopping areas. They also wonder what impact this will have on any proposed Demand Responsive Bus Service that developers in Alfold and the eastern villages are supposed to be contributing towards???
Some of the Waverley routes affected – between Guildford and Horsham.
