Thursday, 15 November 2012

Bus Service to East Midlands Airport Axed

The airport bus service connecting Nottingham with East Midlands Airport is to be axed, just months after it started.

Bus operator Premiere Travel is stopping its 24-hour Red Flyer service, which it has run since March.
A company spokesman said "despite our best efforts and support from regular customers we can no longer afford to continue the service".
He added without financial support "it was always going to be a challenge".
Managing director Steve Greaves said many people had fought to save the service and had gone out of their way to help.
But he said the company had been "unable to find a sustainable solution".
Chris Ward, of Notts County Council transport and travel services, said: "At the present time we are not looking to replace this as there is an alternative service to East Midlands Airport from Nottingham provided by the Trent Barton Skylink service."

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Shock-loss-making-Red-Flyer-airport-bus-faces-axe/story-17018907-detail/story.html

From the Premiere website

Sad end to Red FLYER..
It is with regret that we have to announce that the Red FLYER route from Nottingham to East Midlands Airport will no longer operate after service on Sunday 18th November. For a long period of time this route has been losing money, but since we said that it may end due to these losses many of our regular customers offered to pay higher fares in an attempt to keep the service running. We set up a scheme called Red Flyer Club and raised fares to try to make up this revenue shortfall. The target was to get 75 customers to join the scheme, however the number of applications has been less than half of this target.
We also went to employers along the route, the Airport and local councils to ask if they wanted to make any financial contribution, but all approaches were unsuccessful.
We now have to look at the reduced customer numbers during the quiet winter months and the A453 widening scheme that will see closures of this main route for long periods during the next two years. With the diversion route also affected by tram works we feel that possible delays, leading to unreliability, will also adversely affect customer numbers.
With the previous service along this route heavily subsidised, taking it on without financial support was always going to be a challenge. Despite our best efforts and support from our regular customers which we thank them for, we can no longer afford to continue losing money every day.
All paper tickets such as 10trips and unlimited travel purchased on the bus should be used up before the service ends. Any customers with travel cards purchased from our office should call 0115 985 1111 for further information.

A message from owner and founder of Premiere...

"Special thanks to those people who have fought to save the Red FLYER and gone out of their way to help us keep the service.  We are sorry that we have been unable to find a sustainable solution"
Steve Greaves - Managing Director