The campaign to develop a bus route from Ross-on-Wye to Ledbury, via Newent is on the road to success.

A timed trial was carried out by bus driver Ian Phillips from I and S Coaches, from Ross-on-Wye to Newent to Ledbury.

A new prospect of the new route, which was revealed by the trial, is that the bus can make it all the way to Ledbury train station, whereas the previous double-decker coach could not. The large coach was unable to turn around and had to drop passengers off at Tesco, a 7-10 minute walk away from the station, however with this new bus route, passengers can be dropped off right at the station.

The plan is to use a small, 35 seater bus, which is much more manoeuvrable and can comfortably get into Ledbury station. This fact has drawn the attention of West Midlands Trains to the campaign, who are “very excited” about it.

The direct run to Ledbury station from Ross-on-Wye takes just under an hour, according to the initial trial.

People travelling to the Midlands and the north will enjoy a cheaper and speedier journey as a result of this new bus route. Trains from Ledbury are often cheaper in that direction and Ross residents might save money as a result.

The campaign is now working with a group called Rail and Bus for Hereford who have a steering group of experienced travel experts providing support and advice. They have experience with bus replacement services and were able to advice on finding a suitably sized bus to access Ledbury station.

Ross-on-Wye Town Council are due to vote on their support for the project on October 10.

Clare Stone told the Gazette: “When you actually get a bit of local knowledge behind what needs to be done and what’s possible you can end up with something better than what can be done by people from corporate backgrounds who aren’t local.”Clare added: “If Ross comes through with their pledge, then we’re within touching distance of being able to go to operators and get an actual definite cost on the routes. After that it goes to the traffic commissioner.”

The amount of cash the campaign aims to pull in is £250,000 to keep the bus on the road for its first year.