NOTTINGHAM City Transport has invested £170,000 in three newly purchased buses for its Sky Blue Line 46 and 47 services.
The new buses started running today monon routes the operator introduced just under two months ago after Premiere Buses ceased trading.
The 46 and 47 run between Nottingham and Mapperley Plains every 30 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes, continuing to Arnold (hourly) or Lambley, Woodborough, Calverton, Epperstone, Lowdham and now Gunthorpe – also hourly.
The villages were previously served by Premiere Buses' route 6, which stopped running when the company ceased trading.
NCT Marketing Manager Anthony Carver-Smith said: "This was a popular route for Premiere, so many customers would have been severely affected without us stepping in.
"Working closely with Nottinghamshire County Council, we managed to extend the route through to Epperstone, Lowdham and Gunthorpe last month to try and cover other links lost and ensure passengers' needs are met."
NCT's 46 and 47 services are carrying an average of 25,000 customers a month and it's hoping to increase this number with the help of the newly-refurbished additional buses, complete with Sky Blue Line Network livery and real-time tracking technology for customers.
Councillor Richard Jackson, Chairman of the County Council's Transport and Highways Committee, said: "We are very grateful to Nottingham City Transport for responding so swiftly to ensure that residents in the Gunthorpe, Lowdham and Epperstone areas are catered for with the extended 47 service.
"This is an excellent example of how the county council and other organisations work closely together to meet the needs of local people."
