New buses hailed by council chiefs

New state-of-the-art "green" buses which serve the hospitals in Stafford and Cannock have proved a hit with passengers.

A fleet of five eco-friendly Chaselinx buses has recently been introduced to operate between Staffordshire General and Cannock Chase hospitals.

Latest figures show that 22 per cent more people are using the service than the previous one, which ran between Stafford and Cannock but did not serve the hospitals.

Staffordshire County Council spent £500,000 to buy the buses for the service, which are operated by Arriva, after council chiefs stated its commitment to having the cleanest possible vehicles. Councillor John Wakefield, the council's cabinet member for economic prosperity and sustainable communities, said he was "delighted" the community was choosing the environmentally-friendly choice.

He said: "Thanks to being 10 per cent lighter than standard buses, the EEV technology on the new fleet uses 10 per cent less fuel.

"This really is a huge step in the right direction of putting Staffordshire up there as a community and council that is tackling the climate change problem head on."

Introduction of the new buses is the result of a partnership between bus operator Arriva Midlands, Staffordshire County Council, Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust and the Public Patient Involvement in Health Forum.

The services operate twice hourly, providing direct links between Stafford and Cannock and the towns' hospitals. The 74 service goes via Huntington and Brocton crossroads, while the 75 goes via Penkridge and Dunston. The new fleet is the result of a partnership between Arriva Midlands, Staffordshire County Council, Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust and the Public Patient Involvement in Health Forum.

Arriva Midlands managing director Bob Hind, left, is pictured with Councillor David Leech, Doreen Brown from Patient Involvement, Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust chief executive Martin Yeates and Andy Congrave from bus maker Wright Bus.