First Bus pulling out of Cornwall, 14.2.2026

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Concerns over 'life line' bus after firm leaves

Residents in a rural village say they are concerned about a "life line" bus service after its operator said it would withdraw its 14 services.

First Bus announced plans last month to withdraw from its five depots at Camborne, Falmouth, Penzance, Summercourt and Truro due to rising costs and falling passenger numbers.

Bus operator Go Cornwall said it would step in as a replacement by the middle of February 2026 when First Bus would stop operating. Managing director for Go Cornwall Richard Stevens said no community "will be left unserved".

Margaret Deans, who has lived at Praa Sands since 1993, said she used the First Bus service which runs from Falmouth to Penzance to visit her friend and attend hospital appointments. She said: "I'm very concerned [that Go Cornwall won't] cover the route to the standard that we have got at the moment, which is an hourly bus service coming right through the village." She added: "That's what we need...I don't want to lose it. I'm visually impaired. My mobility is restricted. I need to get to places and see people. I certainly need to get to the hospital and the bus is how I do it."

Heidi Mellor, owner of cafe SiSu, said it was a "great shame" First Bus had withdrawn. "I think it will impact a lot of, particularly in this village, our older customers who use the buses on a regular basis," she said.

Sue Holman has lived in Praa Sands for 49 years. If the bus services changed, Ms Holman said she would be concerned residents would be "unable to get into town".

The managing director for Go Cornwall added: "We want people to know that any area currently served by these routes will continue to have access to bus services. While the network will not be replicated like-for-like, we will ensure alternative or amended services are in place. Our priority is to keep Cornwall connected."

Dan Rogerson, the transport portfolio holder on Cornwall Council, said officers were looking through Go Cornwall's proposed routes and timetables. "Obviously, people will be feeling that people rely on these bus services to get around with young people, older people, people trying to get to employment opportunities," Mr Rogerson said. "Go Cornwall have said that they will serve all the communities currently served. The devil will be in the detail about frequency and times and those sorts of things, and that's the stuff that our officers will now be going through in terms of what Go Cornwall is submitting."

Go Cornwall said further information would be provided once planning was complete and discussions with Cornwall Council have concluded.

[GBM]

Aaah. Praa Sands.
Very few passengers on or off on those stops.
Yes, many school/college pupils, but apart from that............

[grahame]

A very interesting piece on Facebook by KernowSpace suggesting that all may not be quite as First have suggested.  There is an exceptionally strong copyright statement on the piece - strange when it says it's just presenting the real facts - but because of that strong statement I'm not going to antagonise by quoting even a short section for critical comment.  Of course, Coffee Shop members in the know are very welcome to follow up directly here should they wish.

[LiskeardRich]

A very interesting piece on Facebook by KernowSpace suggesting that all may not be quite as First have suggested.  There is an exceptionally strong copyright statement on the piece - strange when it says it's just presenting the real facts - but because of that strong statement I'm not going to antagonise by quoting even a short section for critical comment.  Of course, Coffee Shop members in the know are very welcome to follow up directly here should they wish.

Kernow space has had an agenda for quite a while against First bus. Some of his postings are valid, albeit perhaps not gone about in the best way. Some couldn’t be further from fact if he tried.

[grahame]

A very interesting piece on Facebook by KernowSpace suggesting that all may not be quite as First have suggested.  There is an exceptionally strong copyright statement on the piece - strange when it says it's just presenting the real facts - but because of that strong statement I'm not going to antagonise by quoting even a short section for critical comment.  Of course, Coffee Shop members in the know are very welcome to follow up directly here should they wish.

Kernow space has had an agenda for quite a while against First bus. Some of his postings are valid, albeit perhaps not gone about in the best way. Some couldn’t be further from fact if he tried.

Thank you for that much more measured view,  which aligns much more closely with what we saw at the time that First (Bus) pulled out of our area.   Just as the people of parts of Cornwall are concerned at the losses and disconnects that would come with the closure without alternative of certain services, so were we.  That's five years ago now, and hindsight and experience tells me that we're now more appropriately served by a single operator rather than two who were both trying to make a living/profit over routes and flows that could not support both.   Strong lobbying at the time and the services added to fill the gaps were appropriate - how much effect our lobbying had and how much that would have been done anyway, I don't know.

[GBM]

A very interesting piece on Facebook by KernowSpace suggesting that all may not be quite as First have suggested.  There is an exceptionally strong copyright statement on the piece - strange when it says it's just presenting the real facts - but because of that strong statement I'm not going to antagonise by quoting even a short section for critical comment.  Of course, Coffee Shop members in the know are very welcome to follow up directly here should they wish.

Kernow space has had an agenda for quite a while against First bus. Some of his postings are valid, albeit perhaps not gone about in the best way. Some couldn’t be further from fact if he tried.

I have my own views on several of the 'Managers', more so in the more recent times than past.
Each to their own!

[LiskeardRich]

A very interesting piece on Facebook by KernowSpace suggesting that all may not be quite as First have suggested.  There is an exceptionally strong copyright statement on the piece - strange when it says it's just presenting the real facts - but because of that strong statement I'm not going to antagonise by quoting even a short section for critical comment.  Of course, Coffee Shop members in the know are very welcome to follow up directly here should they wish.

Kernow space has had an agenda for quite a while against First bus. Some of his postings are valid, albeit perhaps not gone about in the best way. Some couldn’t be further from fact if he tried.

I have my own views on several of the 'Managers', more so in the more recent times than past.
Each to their own!

I do too. Particularly one kernow space recently referred to, although he kept the managers name secret, I know exactly who he was referring to.
My main reason for leaving was due to the actions of one manager, and I’m not the only one. On the other hand I miss working with LH. One of the best managers I’ve worked under.

[GBM]

A very interesting piece on Facebook by KernowSpace suggesting that all may not be quite as First have suggested.  There is an exceptionally strong copyright statement on the piece - strange when it says it's just presenting the real facts - but because of that strong statement I'm not going to antagonise by quoting even a short section for critical comment.  Of course, Coffee Shop members in the know are very welcome to follow up directly here should they wish.

Kernow space has had an agenda for quite a while against First bus. Some of his postings are valid, albeit perhaps not gone about in the best way. Some couldn’t be further from fact if he tried.

I have my own views on several of the 'Managers', more so in the more recent times than past.
Each to their own!

I do too. Particularly one kernow space recently referred to, although he kept the managers name secret, I know exactly who he was referring to.
My main reason for leaving was due to the actions of one manager, and I’m not the only one. On the other hand I miss working with LH. One of the best managers I’ve worked under.

To my mind, there were/are 32 managers who could run the Cornwall service with their eyes closed, but 'oddly' they've never been promoted.
Faces didn't fit (they knew what they were doing!).