Surprise visit for village with bus stop but no buses

Residents of a village that saw a new bus stop installed - despite having no bus service - have been paid a surprise visit by enthusiasts.

People in Egginton, Derbyshire, said they felt cut off after the last hourly V2 Villager served the village in 2017, forcing people to travel in cars or taxis to access services in nearby towns and villages.

For the first time in almost a decade, the village saw a bus visit on Sunday after vintage transport enthusiasts brought their 1964 Daimler bus and parked it at the new, yet unused, stop.

Parish councillor Tanina Rushton said villagers were amazed and surprised, and hoped it would help their campaign to get a bus service reinstated.

Rushton said she and her husband had been walking their dogs when they spotted the restored vehicle at the infamous bus stop on Main Street.

"As we went out to our courtyard, my husband said: 'Oh my God, there's a bus at the bus stop'.

"So we hurried over and these two lovely chaps were there and they told us all about how they'd found the bus in Scotland and had restored it."

Since the BBC featured the story about Egginton having a new bus stop, but no bus service, the story has been featured by a number of news outlets.

"Apparently, it's reached Australia, so I've been told," said Rushton.

"It's been quite good fun really, and if it helps us to get a bus, it'll be great - it's great community spirit for us in this little village."

Gerald Anthony, from Tutbury in Staffordshire, said he and friend Carl Varty, from Mickleover, Derbyshire, had been exhibiting the 1964 Daimler CCG5 double-decker at an event nearby. They decided to drive it to Derbyshire after reading about the village.

"On the way back, we thought we'd take it to Egginton for a bit of a smile," said Anthony.

"Before long, there was quite a stream of people coming out of various houses with their cameras, keen to take pictures of us," he added.

Derbyshire County Council said the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) was responsible for bus services as of February.

An EMCCA spokesperson said: "The decision to move the bus stop on Main Street, Egginton, was made by Derbyshire County Council in 2025, before East Midlands Combined County Authority took over responsibility for local bus services in 2026.

"The original bus stop pole had become badly corroded and posed a safety risk, so it was removed and replaced at the nearest suitable location in December 2025.

"Egginton was previously served by trentbarton's Villager V2 service, which was withdrawn in 2017 due to low passenger numbers. So, although Egginton doesn't currently have a regular bus service, the stop was kept in place in case services return in the future."

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