The service, run by First Northampton, was put in jeopardy following budget cuts at Northamptonshire County Council which removed its subsidy.
The cutbacks, which come into effect on April 1, seemed to spell the end for the number 28 service, which runs three buses per hour between Greyfriars Bus Station in the town centre and Shelfleys, taking in Delapre and East and West Hunsbury. First Northampton say the service is not commercially viable and that it was entirely dependent on the county council subsidy, but it is bound to give three months notice before winding it up.
That has given campaigners in Hunsbury a chance to make representations to save the number 28, including both candidates for the upcoming Northampton Borough Council elections.
The West Hunsbury ward will see Liberal Democrat Jill Hope take on Conservative Brian Oldham, and both have been fighting to save the bus service.
Shortly after the cuts were proposed Mrs Hope launched a petition to lobby the county council asking it to maintain the service. This was presented to county councillors at the February 24 budget meeting.
She has also encouraged residents to write to county council transport portfolio holder Cllr Heather Smith and leader Cllr Jim Harker.
Mrs Hope now believes the best way forward for the number 28 would be to find a new bus operator which would be willing to run the route, even if it were with a reduced service.
If this fails she has pledged to continue to lobby the county council for money to subsidise the service.
But her political opponent Mr Oldham believes there is a third route available. He is working with county councillors to persuade development bosses at the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) to use money from section 106 agreements to subsidise the service - possibly up to 2014.
Both candidates, though, are united in their desire to see a bus service remain in Hunsbury.
Mrs Hope said: "The bus is the only one that serves West Hunsbury. It is clearly not very acceptable to have an area of the town that has no service at all.
"The new Westlake estate and other areas are run by housing associations. There are a lot of single parents who don't have cars and rely on the bus to get around.
"Although West Hunsbury is fairly affluent we have had quite an influx of people without transport at all. The last time the buses were surveyed was 2005 and many more people have moved into the area since then.
"There are a number of disabled people, often young people living with their parents. The bus gives them independence. Without it their parents need to take them to work.
"With four children myself I know you are not chained to the kitchen seat any more but to the steering wheel.
"There are also quite a few older people in West Hunsbury. A number of them have a car but just don't drive any more. They have come to rely on the bus.
"It is three buses an hour and quite often they are empty, but the service is vital. Why not cut the frequency?"
And Mr Oldham said the case for the service speaks for itself.
"It would be fairly catastrophic if we lost it. People living in the sheltered housing at Parsons Meade use the 28 to get to the doctors."
Under pressure from opponents of the cut, bosses at County Hall have been working to find a way of continuing to run the service commercially.
Mrs Hope said: "I am hopeful it will run commercially.
"Otherwise it will be a case of appealing to the good will of the county council to use the small amount of money it still does have in Hunsbury.
"I am tyring to make the point that it is needed by a lot of people. To build an estate of social housing and then take the bus away is wrong.
"It was quite interesting that most of the bus cuts were in Hunsbury. I got a petition together and presented it at the budget meeting. A lot of people have written to the county council, the portfolio holder for transport and the council leader.
"I am urging people to continue to make a fuss about this."
Mr Oldham is convinced there is a third way, using development money from WNDC to subsidise the route.
"I have been dealing with the county council and they have agreed to subsidise the route until September," he said.
"In the meantime while this is going on there will be negotiations with the WNDC who are holding section 106 funds from the development in Shelfleys.
"That money has been used to start the 88 service that runs on Sunday, once every hour and a half and in the evening.
"If that fund is kept for that and the daily service comes to an end it beggars belief that that enhances the bus service, which is WNDC's brief. The county council have written to WNDC to say that they would like to transfer this money from the 88 to the 28 to keep the service going if push comes to shove.
"If WNDC agree to this then the service would be kept going after September, albeit a reduced one.
"If First decided to pull the plug and say we are not doing it then the county council will go to another bus operator to say will you take this on until September."
And far from being pessimistic, Mr Oldham even believes Hunsbury could be approaching a period of increasing bus services due to possible 'bus wars' caused by the arrival of a Meridian's number 42 service.
The number 42 starts on April 18 and will follow the route of First's number 12, from the town centre to Camp Hill.
He said: "Are First going to say to them, 'here you have the sacred cow that is prepared to subsidise you until September, three buses an hour and the possibility to run them after September.' I doubt it.
"What could happen is a mini bus war. People may be facing the fact they could have buses taken away at the moment, but they could end up with more.
"We are not saying it is saved yet, we are saying the subsidy is there to keep it going until September.
"The thing that you have to look at is if this WNDC money is released it could run on for years after September. There is money there that could keep it going at a reduced frequency until 2014.
"I am forever the optimist."
And he also took the opportunity to criticise his political opponent.
"I have two different things from my opponent, I use the bus and need the bus and the matters of the public come before the matters of the party for me," he said.
"If you see me standing at the bus stop it is because I am waiting for the bus. If you see my opponent at a bus stop it will be posing for a political picture.
"The Conservative run county council is withdrawing the subsidy. I am having a go at them - my own - because it is not right."
But Mrs Hope said the whole situation has been caused by the poor financial management of the Conservative led county council.
"They haven't managed their finances properly," she said.
"The (Lib Dem-led) borough council hasn't cut frontline services. The county council has slashed services and 900 people are at risk of losing their jobs. They didn't prepare properly.
"Brian is representing the very party that is making all these cuts.
"The issue of the cuts to the buses and the issue of the way the Conservatives have managed the finances of the county council are linked.
"Because of this I am hoping for a commercial solution. If we had to rely on a subsidy from somewhere it will be forever subject to cuts and we may have to have this battle all over again."
To make representations to the county council regarding the number 28 bus services, people should contact:
Transport portfolio holder; Heather Smith:
Address:
Leadership Support
Northamptonshire County Council
PO Box 136
County Hall
Northampton
NN1 1AT
Email: HSmith@northamptonshire.gov.uk
Phone: 01604 237817
Council leader Jim Harker
Address:
Leader's Office
Northamptonshire County Council
P O Box 136
County Hall
Northampton
Northamptonshire
NN1 1AT
Email: jharker@northamptonshire.gov.uk
Phone: 01604 236982
Mrs Jill Hope has written the following articles on the plight of the number 28 bus on her website:
Lib Dems call to action on Hunsbury buses
Sign our Bus Petition
Save the no. 28 bus - you need to keep the pressure up and write to the council
How I would solve the problem with buses
Which statement about the number 28 bus is true?
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