The transport committee was formed in 2007 to look at community transport within Heathfield. An accessibility audit was undertaken in 2007 and is available to the public via the Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council office, the library and on this website (please see below).
A ‘getting out and about in heathfield ' transport leaflet was published in 2007, see below, by the Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council and was an objective that came from the questionnaire that was organised by the Partnership. This was distributed to every household in the parish and is also available on this website.
The Heathfield Partnership, working together with Heathfield Youth Centre and Heathfield Community College are pleased to announce the success of the originally six month pilot transport project "the Youth Express", which is still continuing to run. The project, by providing transport, has enabled young people in rural areas around Heathfield to access some of the youth centre and colleges' afterschool provisions.
Funding for this transport project was provided by East Sussex County Council and was used to run a minibus to provide transport for students from rural areas. The service was free and available to all students. East Sussex County Council awarded this project a second grant in October 2009 which has enabled us to keep providing this vital transport.
A few clubs/projects are chosen for young people to access at the youth centre and the youth express was also used to provide transport for one-off trips and outings to Eastbourne skate park and leisure centre, Knockhatch, Hailsham bowling alley and Tunbridge Wells cinema, to name but a few.
Please click on the Heathfield Youth Centre button for more information.
The transport scheme is also open to all local groups/organisations based in Heathfield who wish to hire minibuses for one-off outings. For more information please see the ratecard below or phone: 01892 610314 or email heathfieldpartnership@fsmail.net.
We are currently looking for volunteer drivers to help with the Youth Express transport project, so if you have experience of driving a minibus and preferably have a CRB please make contact us by one of the means shown above.
Last updated: May 2011
Age Concern for Heathfield and District are in desperate need of new volunteer drivers to help to continue to run its minibus service. If you are able to help with providing crucial transport for the elderly residents in the area please contact John Banks on 01825 733799.
As at: August 2011
From Passenger Transport Bus Consultations
We are reviewing a number of supported local bus services which are funded by East Sussex County Council. These are called Rider services and are operated under contracts which are subject to regular review and renewal. This review covers public and school and college services. It includes “closed door” school and college bus services which are not open to the public.
Current contracts for the operation of Rider bus services and closed door school and college contracts in the Hastings and Rother areas, including some services in Wealden and Lewes are due to expire at the end of July 2011. The contracts will be re-tendered and new outline tenders will be issued in February 2011 for the continuation of appropriate levels of service on these routes.
In light of the central government cuts, we are making savings of £250,000 on the amount spent on providing supported bus services in East Sussex. A proportion of these savings will be made as part of the review of bus services in the Hastings and Rother areas, including some services in Wealden and Lewes.
The scale of the savings we are having to make means we have no choice but to reduce the scope of certain services. We know this will impact on our residents. While we would not choose to do this we have to be realistic about what we can now afford. We fund more than a hundred bus services in the county, three quarters of which are in rural areas. Some of these bus services are not well-used and we will need to review which bus routes we continue to support.
This will include fare reviews and potential increases, re-tendering and re-negotiation, and possibly some reduction in services where buses are poorly used or are poor value for money. We know buses in the county are important in allowing people to get to key services. To reduce the impact of any reduction in services, we will continue to promote and support community transport schemes.
At the end of 2010 (between 7 October and 3 December 2010) we asked people to let us know their views about their local bus services and we have used their feedback to develop more detailed proposals. Now we would like to know what people think of our detailed proposals. You were amongst the respondents to the first consultation and I have written to you because you indicated a willingness to be contacted again.
Any individual, organisation or group who has an interest in this review can take part. Where appropriate, we ask that you make your fellow colleagues or members aware of this consultation proposal. The feedback will be used to help finalise the detailed bus service proposals and refine the tenders for the bus services.
The proposed changes to bus services are set out in the attached ‘Detailed Proposals’ document and the new suggested timetables. Hard copies are also available at local libraries in East Sussex.
We hope you will take the time to complete the attached survey form as your views are important to us. The feedback from this survey will be used to inform our decision making process. Please make sure that we receive your comments and views about our detailed bus service proposals as soon as possible and in any case no later than 11 March 2011.
A report summarising the results of the second consultation and making recommendations for the bus services will be considered by the East Sussex County Council Lead Member for Transport and Environment at a meeting expected to be considered on 18 April 2011.
Please email your completed response to: busconsultations@eastsussex.gov.uk. When responding by email please can you confirm your full name, the organisation you represent (if applicable).
If you require any further information please contact the Public Transport Services team on 01273 335080 or email busconsultations@eastsussex.gov.uk.
The consultation documents are available at local libraries in East Sussex and also on the County Council website at:
http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/yourcouncil/consultation/2011/busreview/default.htm
To see the Youth Express transport scheme in action please click on this link:
http://youth.heathfield.net/videos/view-video.php?id=15
Stagecoach is looking into providing a new twice hourly service to Tunbridge Wells. The town is served by the 52/252 service which currently runs via Rotherfield to Tunbridge Wells every hour from 10.00am. They are "assessing the possibility" of running two buses an hour by bypassing Rotherfield after passenger numbers rose by 5%. The introduction of the service was dependent on talks with East Sussex County Council which subsidises the operator.
As at: 24 September 2010
Service 51 currently operates on Sundays and bank holidays between Eastbourne town centre and North Hailsham on an hourly basis during the main part of the day. From 25 July 2010, the route is being extended to Heathfield to provide a new Sunday service for heathfield, Maynards Green, Horam and Hellingly. Heathfield is the largest settlement in East Sussex currently without public transport access on Sundays. The service has been developed by stagecoach in partnership with the county council, Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council and the Heathfield Partnership and is being funded by a 'kick-start' contribution from County Council. It is expected that patronage will be sufficient in the longer term to permit commercial operation on Sundays and bank holidays.
The first journey from Heathfield High Street to Hailsham and Eastbourne will be at 0930 with the last journey at 1750. The first journey to Heathfield will be the 0840 from Eastbourne, Terminus Road, and the last journey will be at 1740 from that point.
This extension means bus times between Hailsham and Eastbourne will vary by a few minutes from the current timetable.
Further timetable information is available from www.stagecoachbus.com/eastsussex
or phone 08456 00 22 99.
As at: 21 July 2010
If you are looking for information on local taxi firms or other commercial transport providers, please click on the Shops and Business Search button or see below.
For up-to-date local transport information, please visit:
Stage Coach, tel no: 01323 416416 or www.stagecoachbus.com/eastsussex
Arriva Buses, tel no: 0844 8004411 or http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/
Country Liner, tel no: 01444 246693 or http://www.countryliner-coaches.co.uk/
For timetable information call Travel Line on 0871 2002233
New Service - from February 2010:
The Countryliner 196/197 Eastbourne shopping service from Crowborough via Heathfield to Eastbourne. On Mondays only it runs as 196 from Crowborough Station, goes up to Crowborough High Street, then via High Hurstwood and Buxted to Heathfield; and then renumbered 197 goes down to the Arndale Centre via Eastbourne and District General Hospital. It leaves Heathfield High Street at 9.54 am and gets to the Arndale Centre at 10.40am. The return service leaves the Arndale Centre at 1.00pm and arrives at Heathfield Fire Station at 1.47pm. It then continues to Crowborough.
This means that we have 2 "Eastbourne shopping services" connecting Heathfield and Eastbourne. The routes are very different: the 195 goes via Rushlake Green and Herstmonceux and does not go to the Eastbourne and District General Hospital, whereas the 197 route duplicates the 52 to a considerable extent. It also means that we now have a bus link to Crowborough, but you will have to come back via Tunbridge Wells, since it is possible to get a bus (28) from Crowborough to Tunbridge Wells, and then the 252 from Tunbridge Wells to Heathfield (provided you don't leave it too late!).
News - 21 August 2009:
A bus is to serve Waldron for the first time in 10 years. Countryliner bus services has launched a 195 shopper bus which runs from the Star Inn, Waldron, to Eastbourne via Heathfield, Cade St, Three Cups, Punnetts Town and Rushlake Green weekly on a Wednesday. For more information on this and other local transport, you can collect a leaflet from the Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council office, telephone 0844 477 1623 or go onto
http://www.countryliner-coaches.co.uk/
Art Private Hire
Telephone no: 01435 865926
Aspect Taxis & Courier Services
Telephone number: 01435 868989/860000
Best Private Hire
Telephone number: 01435 863070
Corporate Carriages of Heathfield Telephone number: 01435 868244
Elegance Cars (UK) Ltd
Telephone number: 07999 257012
French and Son Ltd
Telephone number: 01435 863587
Heathfield Cars
Telephone number: 01435 867222
Heathfield Taxi Services
Telephone number: 01435 862263
Heffle Cars
Telephone number: 01435 867287
High Weald Travel
Telephone number: 01435 868111
Holi-Drive Carriage Company
Telephone number: 01435 883626
Maurice Pope
Telephone number: 01435 812738
Simpsons Private Hire
Telephone number: 01435 866021
To & Fro Taxis
Telephone number: 01435 866668
Top Hat Cars
Telephone number: 01435 862352
XL Cars
Telephone number: 01435 866333
