Bus route 85 is a vital link between the regional hub of Bangor with its university, colleges, rail link and employment opportunities and Llanberis, one of the larger settlements in northwest Gwynedd, a tourist gateway to Snowdonia National Park and the home of the Siemens plant, a major employer. The route also serves the large villages of Deiniolen and Rhiwlas as well as Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Following the collapse of Padarn Bus, Express Motors reduced the number of services from 16 each way to 9 and eliminated all evening buses. The last bus from Bangor is now 17:45 where it used to be 22:30, rendering the route useless for anyone who finishes work in Bangor after 17:30 and making evening social journeys impossible.

Services have also been cut on the former Padarn services from Llanberis to Caernarfon and on the Snowdon Sherpa which was instrumental in encouraging visitors not to drive to Pen y Pass and hunt for a parking space.

This petition is directed at our Welsh Assembly member because I have had no response from Express Motors. It is a request to instigate a review into the current service provision for the routes formerly served by Padarn.

A summary of evening services for the five settlements in northwest Gwynedd with a population of over 2000 served from Bangor:

Destination   Service          Last bus    No of buses after 18:00

Caernarfon    Arriva 5            22:45            8

Bethesda      Arriva 67A        22:45            7

Gerlan           Arriva 67A        22:45            6

Y Felinheli     Arriva 5             22:45           8

Llanberis       Express 85      17:45            Zero

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