A COLNE Valley village could be “isolated” if bus cuts go ahead.

Lib Dem councillors are campaigning against plans to end evening services on the 303 and 304, which link Scapegoat Hill to Huddersfield. Currently, the last bus runs from the town centre at 10.50pm, arriving in the village at 11.15pm.

Clr Nicola Turner, who is organising a petition to save the evening buses, said: “Metro are planning to cut the service so the last bus is at 6.30pm. It’s isolating the village,” said the Colne Valley Lib Dem.

“It will have a dramatic effect. People will have to get a bus from town to either Golcar or Outlane – then it’s a steep hill up to Scape. It would isolate older people because the only way they will be able to get back from town will be by taxi, which is more expensive. It leaves people cut off unless they have a nice big car, which not everyone has.”

Clr Turner said problems with the Metro-funded service had led to a drop in passenger numbers: “They brought in a new system about 18 months ago where First Bus do the day service and K-Line take the time after 6.30pm. You can’t get a return ticket covering both operators, so people were having to pay £4 rather than £2.50. That almost doubled the cost, which was the first nail in the coffin.

“The bus is supposed to go along Slaithwaite Gate and through Bolster Moor but the drivers keep going down Pike Law Road instead. If you don’t have a regular bus doing the same thing every day then it’s not a reliable service. If it weren’t for those two issues, more people would use the bus.”

Clr Turner and her Lib Dem colleague Clr David Ridgway are collecting signatures to a petition against the proposed cut.

She said: “There will be a consultation throughout March with a decision some time after that. We’ve got a petition going and David and I will go to Leeds to fight the corner for our people. There are people who rely on this bus, this cut makes us really angry.”

A Metro spokesman said: “We are conducting a series of reviews of the bus services it supports financially, to ensure it gets the best value for council taxpayers’ money and make savings where possible. The review in Huddersfield and South Kirklees will start later this month.

“Members of the public will be invited to comment on the proposals which will involve changes to a number of services and take effect from October 2012. Service 303 is one of the bus services affected by the review. The consultation will run until April, and events will be held throughout the area at which Metro staff will be available to discuss the proposals.”

To find out more visit www.wymetro.com/busreview.

Metro will hold information stalls about the changes throughout March, including at Huddersfield Bus Station from 9.30am to 6.30pm on March 7 and from Slaithwaite Civic Hall from 10am to 5.30pm on March 16.