A CIRENCESTER man is fighting to stop Cirencester’s main bus services being cut back.

In an effort to save cash, Stagecoach says it is cutting back the number 58 and 59 buses on June 23, so that the last bus Monday to Saturday will be at 2.30pm.

David Prewett of Stratton has been out on the buses this week collecting signatures for his petition that demands that the last busses on the services stay at their current time of around 6pm.

He next plans to submit the petition to Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown in the hope that he can pressure the bus operator to stop making the changes.

He said: “Cutting back these services will cause hardship for people who commute from the neighbourhoods and also people who work in the town.

“I am the sort of person that is geared up. It is no good just sitting down and complaining about it, I want to do something about it.”

On June 23, the Cirencester number 51 bus to Cheltenham is being extended, so that bus users can travel between the two towns late in the evenings and on Sundays.

Mr Prewett added that he believes that the number 51 is being extended at the expense of the number 58 and 59 bus services.

The 59 bus runs through many of Cirencester’s main neighbourhoods such as Chesterton and Stratton and the town centre, and the 58 runs through Stratton and the town centre.

Jennifer Reed, a Chesterton resident who signed the petition, says if the cuts backs go ahead a lifeline for her and many other people will be destroyed.

She said: “At 4.30, 5.30 and 6.10 when the busses are running now, people are coming back from shops, coming back from school and then there are the workers. They are being too ruthless with the busses.

“I also help run Chesterton Senior Citizens group and several of our members rely on the busses.

“I can walk into town on a nice dry day but I cannot walk back. I am going to miss that buss.”