A NINE-YEAR campaign calling for a direct bus route from Brentwood to Queen's Hospital in Romford has ended in victory.
Members of the Brentwood Bus & Rail Users' Association are celebrating this week after their bid to get the 498 bus service to go into the grounds of the hospital was finally given the go-ahead.
The new service, which is operated by First buses, will start on Saturday, April 27.
The service currently terminates at Romford Bus Station, so passengers have to walk some distance or catch another bus to reach the hospital.
The pressure group has been campaigning for a direct service into the hospital grounds for years, writing letters, lobbying MPs and attending a number of meetings.
Campaigners say the changes will make a major difference, particularly for the elderly users who, up until now, have had to either wait for another bus or walk to the hospital from Romford Town Centre – sometimes in the cold and rain.
BBRUA secretary David Kendall said: "One of the reasons the association was first formed all those years ago was to fight for a direct 498 bus service into the grounds of Queen's Hospital because we knew how important it was to so many Brentwood bus users.
"Over the years we thought we were close to getting a breakthrough but our hopes were always dashed. This time we have been told it is definitely going to happen and we are all delighted.
"I would like to recognise the efforts made by our former chairman Wendy Way alongside others in pushing and campaigning for this service.
"Wendy and I attended many meetings and wrote a lot of letters asking for the change to happen and I know she will be over the moon to hear this news.
"I would also like to thank all the members of our association for their support and Brentwood Community Transport for proving to First and others that a direct service into the grounds of Queen's Hospital always was a commercially-viable proposition."
