The results of our summer survey on the Moorlands Connect bus service are now in. Although we weren’t in a position to run a proper passenger survey, we thought it would be useful to ask people away from the bus service if they knew about it, had they used it and what did they think about it.

With that mind, we set up a paper survey at all our stalls, and at other events we attended throughout the summer in a range of different locations. We also set up an electronic version with a click-through from our newsletter and website, although the response to this was very limited.

The results were interesting, although not entirely unexpected. Of the 40 responses, although most had heard of the service, very few (five) had actually used it. However, one of our primary aims was to find out why people were not using it, and the answers were revealing.

Those who had used the service had found it great, others had friends or relatives who benefitted substantially from it and a fair few, who said they had their own transport now, expected that they would probably use it in the future – the terms ‘brilliant’ and ‘excellent’ figured prominently, along with ‘lifesaver’ and ‘vital service’.

Of the barriers to use, primary reasons seem to be: lack of information, difficulty with the booking app, poor internet connectivity (a particular problem in the Moorlands) and a restricted phone service from the bus company.

We appreciate that many of these issues are outside the control of the bus company but we will share the results with Moorlands Connect and particularly with the County Council, who are responsible for county-wide transport.

Click Here for the Full Results

So, the Stoke to Leek Line is no more, axed by the new Labour government as part of a cull of infrastructure projects, which included a road tunnel under Stonehenge and a destructive by-pass around Arundel in Sussex.  No-one would like to see a shift from road to rail more than Moorlands Climate Action, but in truth, few people ever believed reviving this line for passengers was likely, or the best use of scarce public funds.

We have not personally seen the feasibility study prepared by consultants, but this is what we reliably understand it came up with when the numbers were crunched: of the eight options examined, seven delivered poor value for money and just one scraped past muster, being appraised as ‘low’ value. That option was to combine one train per hour between Leek and Stoke with a freight service from the Aggregate Industries cement plant and quarry at Cauldon Low. Even on that basis, the line could not be self-financing, once capital costs were taken into account, but would depend on public money (the cost of which has risen since the study was completed).

Read more: Waiting For A Train That Was Never Going To Come

We've been thrilled to see that the area covered by Moorlands Connect has been extended and there's a new scheduled Sunday service from Leek to Buxton, taking in the tourist hotspots along the way. However, we understand that there are still some problems with the app, which is outside of the bus company's direct control. So, do ring them if the app doesn't work for you.

We're still running our public survey to try to augment our understanding of the barriers to usage and have been taking it to all our public events. If you haven't yet had a chance to complete it, you can do it online, so do please take part if you haven't already done so or even if you haven't used the service. Your reasons for not doing so will still be informative. Even better, share it with your friends. Thanks!

Click Here for the Survey

The County Council came to the Moorlands in April to explain the Ten-Year Transport Review to councillors, specifically to talk about buses. Four officers made the trek from Stafford to the land that public transport (almost) forgot and we have to admit that they came impressively prepared with facts and figures. At times it felt like being a housewife (it was always a housewife) in 1970’s Leningrad – scanning the shelves for that elusive bunch of bananas or, if they were lucky, grapes. If the County cupboard wasn’t completely bare, it has to be said the pickings were scarce. Most County bus money is spent on propping up existing services on which, as across most of the country, passenger numbers have not fully recovered from the Covid epidemic. But like that Leningrad housewife, we do not give up – and know that in times of scarcity, information is the most precious commodity.

The April meeting was arranged by Cllrs Charlotte Atkins and Mark Johnson as an introduction but the County officers and have said they will be returning to the Moorlands in June or July. At that point we might be able to put more detailed proposals forward to the County. While we can’t expect a major shift towards buses, we definitely can achieve some improvements at the edges. A new service now connects Biddulph and Kidsgrove, allowing people (including students) to link with rail services into Stoke and elsewhere. The officers said that numbers using this service were encouraging – and still rising.

Read more: On the Buses

This is a crucial year for buses in the Moorlands. The County’s 10-year Transport Plan Review started publicly in January and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The County had previously failed to attract additional funding for buses from central government because its previous Bus Improvement Strategy was deemed inadequate. Alongside this, the County is waiting for confirmation (expected in April) of extra new money from Network North from the cancellation of HS2.

Many people complain about the poor level of bus services, but without a proper case being put to the County it is unlikely that we will see substantial extra investment in our district. SMDC Councillor Charlotte Atkins has now written to the County asking that officers come to the Moorlands to hear our case. She has since received agreement that there will be a meeting in the district for just that purpose. The date, precise location and nature of that meeting has yet to be set, but this is a step forward from previous years when, despite promises of a ‘rural bus revolution’ there was little tangible evidence of any detailed engagement except on the subject of Moorlands Connect.

Buses are crucial in the push for decarbonisation of the district. With the growth in car use, and the rapid growth in renewables in the UK’s energy generation system, transport is now the stand-out component of the country’s emissions profile. The decline in bus services has been more severe in Staffordshire Moorlands than almost anywhere else in England, as the accompanying map from the University of Leeds/Transport Action Network dramatically illustrates.

The central role of buses in decarbonisation was underlined by County officers when they introduced the 10-year Transport Review. This is a summary of what they said:

Read more: Driving Buses Forward in the Moorlands?

Recently, MCA members caught a bus to take themselves and all their stall kit to the Sustainability Summit at Stoke-on-Trent. The ride only took a little longer than a car journey and was less stressful: we had no parking problem at the other end, enjoyed talking to passengers along the way and got a bit of healthy exercise walking to and from the bus station in Leek. The downside, of course, was that we had to get back before the buses stopped running and couldn’t stay for a celebratory pizza. Also, in the absence of an integrated bus system, we had to pay twice for the two bus legs in each direction, even though the connection was pretty seamless. In this respect, we envy the citizens of Greater Manchester with their Bee Network, where the buses are under local control.

Clearly, the Moorlands isn’t Manchester but there’s a lot of traffic running between Leek and Hanley, even at night. The loss of late services makes teenagers who live along the route dependent on their parents for travel to social engagements. Do parents wait at their destinations or do they do the journey twice, with all that that entails? Similarly, many older people don’t enjoy driving at night but would happily take the bus. It’s an unfortunate fact that the scarcity of buses restricts educational and employment opportunities, particularly for the young. Perhaps there’s scope for putting pressure on the bus companies? Do let us know if you agree, via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Read more: Bus (or Bike) Back Better?