DEPUTY Mayor of Wrexham, Rob Walsh, has slammed the decision by Arriva to remove the 32 bus route from June 17.

The service currently operates between Llay and Wrexham town centre every 30 mins and along with the no.33 means commuters only have to wait up to 15 mins to travel to and from the village.

Cllr Walsh has written letters to both Nick Jones, the Traffic Commissioner for Wales and Michael Morton, Arriva Buses Wales Managing Director, saying the decision to scrap the route has been met with widespread dismay within Llay.

In his letter to Mr Jones, he said: "You may not think it is a major issue, especially as both routes cover the same highways.

"However, these services are not just about transporting passengers from Llay to Wrexham and vice versa.

"Many passengers particularly the elderly and the vulnerable, rely on these services to transport them from one part of Llay to another."

Although Arriva plan on increasing the frequency of buses on the no 33 route by having them run every 20 mins, as opposed to every half an hour, which Cllr Walsh concedes to not being unreasonable, he has asked the Commissioner to reject the Arriva plan.

Cllr Walsh added: "It might be acknowledged in corporate circles that bus services are now commercial operations.

"However, to some residents bus services are vital lifelines and it is the difference between having a fulfilled life or an isolated life for some elderly and vulnerable residents.

He said that many elderly residents who live at the bottom end of Llay rely on the no.32 service to use the villages amenities, which are all located at the top end by First Avenue, with those people now faced with a much longer walk and having to cross the very busy Llay New Road, which he says is unfair.

He said: "We would ask that the No.32 service remain in place to ensure fairness and balance.

"If Arriva Buses Wales wish to provide buses alternatively every 40 minutes, meaning there is only ever a 20 minute wait then that would be fairer than simply scrapping the No.32 route."

Arriva Buses Wales have so far made no comment on the matter and Cllr Walsh's concerns remain, as yet, unanswered.