County council steps in to ensure 479 bus continues

Surrey County Council has stepped in to ensure the 479 service linking Guildford and Epsom via Leatherhead will continue in the short term while a permanent solution is found.

Starting on Saturday 16 March, Arriva Kent & Surrey will operate Monday to Saturday to the same timetable used before Buses Excetera suddenly stopped trading on Monday. The route covers schools including Rosebery in Epsom, St Andrew’s in Ashtead and Therfield in Leatherhead.

On Monday, the county council reached an agreement for the bus operator’s seven other commercial routes to be covered while other options are explored. Full details of all the routes can be found on the council’s website.

Mike Goodman, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “I’m really pleased that the hard work and effort of my team has led to short-term agreements with other bus firms to cover these commercial routes on the same timetable as before.

“Given the disruption to journeys caused by the bus company’s unforeseen demise, we have made short-term funding available to ensure residents can continue to use this route while a permanent solution is sought.”