FRUSTRATED residents have demanded more buses to the seafront as they feel cut off from the rest of the town.

Residents of flats near Penarth Esplanade say that with the last bus leaving at 6.30pm on weekdays and none on a Sunday it means that many of them are unable to leave their homes in the evenings and on weekends.

They say “a huge majority” of residents that lived around the seafront are elderly and have disabilities and rely on the bus service to get around.

They have bemoaned the lack of a regular bus service, with only one every hour, meaning that they have to plan their lives around the bus timetable.

They say that with the hills either side of the seafront it’s ‘like living in a basin’ and many people are unable to get to the likes of the town centre.

Watts Coaches already serves the area with the 88 bus every hour and the 89B every two hours, thanks in part to a subsidy paid by the Vale Council, but there are still many residents that feel the area is under-served.

The residents have called on Cardiff Bus to divert the 92, 93 and 94 routes through the Esplanade to provide a more regular service. From June 1 until September 28 Cardiff Bus ran a 91 service from the City Centre to Penarth Pier on Sunday’s, but now that the summer bus has stopped local residents are once again stranded on weekends.

Cardiff Bus has said it would not rule out returning to the area if demand grew, but at the moment it would not be “commercially sustainable” to divert or extend services in the area at the moment. The Vale Council has said officers are in discussions with local businesses and other organisations about how access can be improved and welcomed operators to come forward to supply a service.

Trish Perry, who lives in the Seabank flats on Beach Road, asked if Cardiff Bus would consider increasing the number of buses to the seafront, but she was told that it was not feasible at present due to the time it would take and its impact on the bus timetable affecting current users of the service.

Trish, 73, has campaigned for more buses to the Esplanade for several years and once rode on an Esplanade bus for a whole day, gathering 200 signatures, to see how many people use the service.

Trish added that with the redeveloped pier, as well as the visits of the Waverley paddle steamer, the Esplanade was becoming hugely popular and there was a demand for an increased service.

Her neighbours and friends Anne Stealey, Dr Sandy Clyne, Joan Hopgood, Ruth Williams and Pauline Hanson have all joined the campaign for more buses in the area.

They said more buses would improve the “diabolical” parking situation as less people would use their cars.

Gareth Stevens, business development manager at Cardiff Bus, said: “Presently, the Esplanade is served by a bus service procured by the Vale of Glamorgan Council. The level of usage is such that it would not be commercially sustainable to divert or extend our existing services in the area. We regularly review bus usage and would not rule out returning to this area in the future if the demand grew. We operated our summer Sunday service again this year which proved popular when the weather was fine, but less so at other times.”

Rob Thomas, Director of Development Services, said: “Improving links between the town centre and the esplanade is something that the council continues to work hard to achieve. This is especially relevant in light of the hugely successful regeneration of the pier and the pavilion and the progress that is being made on other key sites such as the Beachcliff development.

“Council officers are in discussions with local businesses and other organisations about how access can be improved. If any operator is interested in discussing the role they can play, we would encourage them to get in touch.”

A spokeswoman from Watts Coaches said that they would be happy to increase the amount of buses going to the area if there was enough demand for it, they had support from the Vale Council who partly subsidise the service, and if it proved financially viable.