A well-used bus service, connecting Potters Bar and Barnet, is set to continue at least until April next year after Hertsmere Borough Council’s Cabinet approved further use of developer funding at its meeting on Wednesday (11 September).
Launched a year ago, the 84B bus route restored direct access between Potters Bar train station and Barnet Hospital, six days a week. It provides an invaluable link for hospital users and visitors, schoolchildren, local businesses and residents.
The new service has been funded largely through Hertsmere’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) scheme, with £183,600 covering more than 70 per cent of costs – but, as it stood, there was enough funding to only keep the service running for another six months.
With £148,000 expected to be needed to run the service for a full second year, the Cabinet’s approval means that a further £65,000 of CIL funds will be provided, with other sources including £60,000 which has already been secured for 2024-25 from Hertfordshire County Council as well as £23,000 in Section 106 money - funding which is made available as a result of development. Contributions to keep the service going are also being sought from the London Borough of Barnet and Transport for London.
The public need for the 84B route even further into the future will be continually reviewed and monitored by Hertsmere’s Cabinet. In the first year, its demand has remained strong, with an average of more than 4,300 customers a month.
Cllr Nik Oakley, the council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Transport, said: “It is fantastic that so many people have used this vital bus service since its launch, and it shows that our pioneering and innovative use of Community Infrastructure Levy funds to support local transport infrastructure was completely warranted.
“The decision, in 2022, to stop the section of the 84 bus’ route between Potters Bar and Barnet caused concern and problems for many people in our communities, with several instances of children having to move schools and NHS staff needing to pay for taxis.
“Over the last 12 months, it has brought families and communities back together who have been separated by the absence of this route. Reliable, affordable and sustainable public transport is incredibly important to the wellbeing of local people.”
Details of the route which is operated by Central Connect, including the timetable, can be found at: 84B - Potters Bar to Barnet Hospital via High Barnet | Intalink
Posted on Friday 13th September 2024