DETERMINED bus campaigners blocked a road in Baildon today as part of their fight for a better service.

Chants of ‘bring back our bus’ rang out as the First 626 bus approached and residents waved banners and placards urging the bus company to listen to their pleas.

It came after residents of Coach Road and Higher Coach Road shared their frustration at an event with Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald and Jo Pike, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Shipley.

Residents of the estate, who would like First to run a regular service down to them, shared their own personal experiences of the bus service in their area. Pam Ruppe, of the Higher Coach Road Residents Group, spoke of how the service had changed over the years and the problems people had faced.

She said: “People depend on a decent bus service. We’ve been asking for the 626 route to be diverted right from the beginning.”

Addressing the room, she said: “I’m asking you to join the campaign now to ask them to bring back our bus.”

Residents raised their concerns with the Telegraph & Argus last year, when Yorkshire Tiger took on the 675 route in Shipley from First.

Users said they had faced a number of issues and while the firm said it was “concerned” over comments about reliability it did not have any data to suggest that was the case, but would investigate the matter further.

Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus, Mrs Ruppe, 80, said: “It’s so obvious something needs to be done.”

Doris Thompson, 85, said that she now gets taxis to her medical appointments rather than relying on the bus.

Speaking about the impact on residents, Ms Pike told the T&A: “Some people are spending £50 a month on taxis, some people are missing appointments at hospitals, doctors, and it’s really just interfering with people’s lives in a massive way.”

She added: “It’s right across the board, but it affects people in different ways. I think the affect on older people is particularly worrying - they get a free bus pass, but they can’t use it because they can’t get the buses to make the most of it.”

Mr McDonald, the Labour MP for Middlesbrough, said the community had been left “isolated”.

“It has been a great meeting,” he said. “There’s awful lots of stories coming forward, but the common theme is one of isolation.

“We know that where there is isolation, there are mental health issues, people feel alienated from their own communities and that is simply not acceptable.”

He praised the way residents have come together to fight for change as “first class”.

In a response to the campaign, First tweeted that the feedback had been sent to the relevant department for investigation.