Theresa Villers said the creation of the 84B route was “great news”

The 84 bus service (credit Wikicommons/Au Morandarte)

The MP for Chipping Barnet has welcomed the confirmation of new service to replace the 84 bus route between Potters Bar and Barnet.

Theresa Villiers has been campaigning for the restoration of the route since it was cut by previous operator Metroline in 2022.

Hertsmere Council’s cabinet voted on Wednesday evening to provide “seed funding” for the new 84B service that will run between Potter Bar Community Hospital and Barnet Hospital on Mondays to Saturdays from September.

The new route will be run by Galleon Travel, following a tendering process coordinated by Hertfordshire County Council.

Responding to the vote, Villiers said “It is great news that the 84 route between Potters Bar and Barnet will be restored. I know how important this is to my constituents which is why I have been doing all I can to bring back the service.

“I have been lobbying TfL and Hertsmere and Hertfordshire councils on this, as well as appealing to Transport Minister Richard Holden to help. I thank both Herts and Hertsmere for their efforts to find a solution. There has been a determined cross-party campaign to save the 84 service to Barnet. I am especially grateful to Hertsmere Council for providing funding to operate the new 84B bus through its first twelve months.

“Now we need to secure long term funding to ensure the service is maintained into the future. I will keep up the campaign to do that. It will also be vital to get passenger numbers up. It’s a case of ‘use-it-or-lose-it. So I encourage as many constituents as possible to use this new bus service.”

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