PENSIONERS living in an area of Kidderminster will find their bus passes are no use following a transport company's decision to change a vital service, a leading councillor has claimed.

County and district councillor, Fran Oborski, has slammed bus company, First, following its decision to replace the number six service serving the area around the lower end of Hurcott Road.

She said this had left pensioners in the area waiting at stops for buses which were no longer running, as well as rendering their bus passes "useless".

Mrs Oborski said: "The altered service means there are now no buses covering the roads off the bottom of Hurcott Road between 8am and 3pm. These times are absolutely useless to pensioners."

She added many of the residents in the area were pensioners, several of whom had bought pensioners' concessionary bus passes from Wyre Forest District Council.

"The company receive a payment from the district council but it has now reduced the service so there is no service for most of the day.

"If you have a bus pass and there is no bus, the bus pass is useless.

"The elderly community in the area will now have no way of getting into town between 8am and 3pm, other than by taxi.

Another service being cut, as part of a package of changes being bought in by First, is the number eight town centre to Habberley and Franche service which is being cut from half-hourly to hourly.

St John's Avenue resident, Irene Bagnall, said this, too, left pensioners without an adequate service.

Mrs Bagnall was also annoyed because she said the fare had gone up from £1 to £1.20.

Along with Mrs Oborski, several pensioners have complained to the Shuttle/Times and News to say changes had not been adequately publicised and they had been left standing at bus stops.

A spokesperson for First said that only "a few people were affected" by the changes to the number six which had now been replaced by the 7a.

He added the number eight had been cut to hourly because of low usage.

A notice had gone up at bus stops at least a week before, saying there were changes and directing people to printed leaflets for details.

He confirmed that fares had been "restructured".

For information about other changes contact the Traveline on 0870 608 2608.