Key bus route from Maidenhead to Heathrow Airport axed

No direct bus will run from Maidenhead to Heathrow Airport after changes implemented by First Bus came into force at the weekend.

Residents have expressed their disappointment after the previous route 4 service from Maidenhead, which ran every half an hour on weekdays between 6am and 11pm, was withdrawn in the town.

It will now only operate between Heathrow and Cippenham.

First Bus has said there were ‘several factors’ which contributed to the decision, including low patronage and reliability issues.

But the route 4 service has also been hit by funding cuts by the cash-strapped Slough Borough Council, which decided to withdraw revenue funding from most bus services as of April 1.

The move has been met with despair by regular users of the service, including Jessica Lane, who started an online petition in March to urge First Bus to ‘reassess their plans’ and ‘offer those living in Maidenhead a direct service to Heathrow Airport.’

She said: “It will have huge impacts on commuters and holidaymakers from Maidenhead.”

Meanwhile, Maidenhead resident Paul Castle said: “It seems such a pity that at a time the Government is encouraging bus travel with a £2 maximum fare, that Maidenhead’s last remaining full evening bus service is being downgraded.

“Maidenhead seems to have drawn the short straw with regard to the changes.”

He added: “When I return [from Heathrow] late evening I would also get the Number 4 to Maidenhead Bridge but now I will have to get the train to either Maidenhead or Taplow.”

First Bus issued changes to the timetable for services 3, 4, 6, 7 and X74 on Sunday, 2 April.

The route 4 between Slough and Maidenhead has been replaced by the extension of route 6, which is an hourly service starting an hour later at 6.54am.

Day commuters from Maidenhead will need to take the Number 6 bus to Knolton Way in Slough and change to the Number 4 bus for Heathrow Airport.

The evening service has been terminated as the last bus from Slough to Maidenhead is at 6.06pm.

A spokesperson for First Bus in Berkshire said: “The decision to withdraw our service 4 between Maidenhead and Heathrow has been influenced by several factors including low patronage, congestion west of slough that has affected reliability and punctuality and the termination of financial support for evening services.

“Heathrow Airport has an ambition to see the frequency of route 4 increased, and the changes on April 2 are a step closer to delivering a ‘bus rapid transit’ style of operation.”

A Slough Borough Council spokesperson said: “For some years, no funding has been provided for this [route 4] service by other areas, so Taplow and Maidenhead were benefiting from a service subsidised solely by Slough Borough Council.

“First Bus has withdrawn route 4 from Maidenhead and diverted it to serve more of Cippenham instead, with funding support from Heathrow Airport.

“This is due to the withdrawal of Slough Borough Council funding for another route in Cippenham which has been cut back and route 4 is partially replacing this route as well as providing better buses between Cippenham and Heathrow.”

Visit www.change.org/MaidenheadBusService to view Jessica’s petition.