PEOPLE power has helped save the future of No.1 Kidderminster route, which was under threat of being cut by Diamond Buses due to plummeting passenger numbers.

Last month, the Shuttle reported how residents and bus users had hit out at Diamond Buses for its poor service after the company announced it was facing the difficult decision on whether to cut the service following following a drop in users in recent months.

The company called on residents to support the service - which offers vital access to shops, schools and businesses on route from Kidderminster bus station to Rifle Range, Teme Avenue.

Shuttle readers hit out at Diamond Buses for issuing a "use it, or lose it" threat, claiming the buses are never on time, break down or sometimes even set on fire.

Luke Haynes, who works at H&C Stores, in Severn Grove, on the Rifle Range estate, also launched a petition - which received more than 450 signatures - after speaking to elderly residents about the potential loss of the bus route.

But now, Diamond Buses has announced that the response was a small, but immediate rise in the number of people using the service and the company has pledged to run the route until early 2018, when a final decision will be made on its future.

Mr Haynes said: "This is great news. I am so glad that I have been able to help the local community.

"I am only 23 so wasn't heavily reliant on the bus as I could walk to town, but there are other people in the community that can't do this and I am glad I have been able to protect this small piece of their independence.

"A lot of people rely on this service, both young and old, and I am thrilled it has been saved for them."

The No.1 service runs every half hour from 7.32am to 6.02pm from Kidderminster bus station to Stourport Road the Watermill, Rifle Range Teme Avenue, and then back

Dawn Badminton-Capps, director of Bus Users England, said: "The No.1 service is a lifeline to its passengers and Diamond Buses has worked really hard to keep it on the road.

"Bus services benefit the whole community, though, not just the people who use it, so it is in everyone's interests to make sure the service continues."

Aaron Mcdonough, from the Kidderminster depot, added: "Local people and businesses rely on the No.1 service so we are determined to do everything we can to keep it running.

"And while it is great to see a rise in passenger numbers, we need more people across the UK to get on board and support their local bus services or they risk losing them altogether."