Mousehole bus stop move 'only option', boss says

A bus company boss said he was "regretful" about moving a bus stop out of the middle of a village, but has insisted it was the only option.

The Mousehole harbour bus stop has been relocated by bus operator Go Cornwall Bus after 90 years. It means residents now have to tackle a steep hill before catching the bus.

Villagers pleaded with Cornwall Council to step in to save the bus stop in March but officials said the service was reliant on "balancing revenue generation with ongoing operating costs".

The managing director of Go Cornwall Bus Richard Stevens said the company had no choice but to move the stop as it had to use bigger buses on the route.

He said: "I have small vehicles in my fleet, they don't have enough capacity to carry the current patronage on the route, so that it isn't a workable solution - that's the truth.

"For the people who who now can't catch the bus in Mousehole - I am regretful, but I am making the best provision of service that I can in the circumstances."

Stevens said the bus route now turned at The Old Coastguard, which meant it didn't have to "navigate into the town or into the village to get to the harbour".

He said: "From my point of view, the service is operating very well - from the people who live in Mousehole, it's less than satisfactory.

"It's fair to say I'm not a popular person in Mousehole, although I am a popular person in Newlyn, which is great."

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