I’VE spent some time researching and visiting the Country Bus Station for my report to the bus and rail users’ representative body, Rail and Bus for Herefordshire.

An 1843 map of the parish of St Peter in the city of Hereford reveals that the county prison occupied the site until the council acquired the disused gaol in the late 1920s and the buildings were demolished in 1932. The bus station was laid out with a bus garage, bus parking area, five platforms and shelters.

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The bus station was ready for major repairs by the late 1980s. In 2024 the council has, once again, carried out repairs and refurbishment at our bus station, which has been a great success. There are ten new bus stands, providing buses to and from towns and villages throughout the county, to Wales and National Express to London and elsewhere.

All new bus stands have comfortable seats, protection from weather and nature friendly sedum roofs. I have requested additional signs to direct travellers to toilets, refreshments, and the railway station.

What are your thoughts?

You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here.

Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence.

I prefer to travel by bus and train whenever possible because I don’t have to do the driving, park, fill up with petrol, or sit in traffic jams. Instead, I can relax, admire the view, talk to other passengers and stay as long as I wish without topping up a parking meter. Once people understand the social, environmental and economic good they can do every time they choose to use the bus, I’m sure, like me, they will fall in love with the bus again!

The new government has plans to improve public transport. In the meantime, the government provided funding of more than £2m to Herefordshire Council in the Bus Service Improvement Plan. If regular, reliable, convenient, affordable bus services, well connected to other transport routes became available throughout our county, would you choose to use the bus and leave the car at home for some of your journeys?

JANETTE WARD

Rail and Bus for Herefordshire