The Last Bus: The Importance of Local Buses in the Community

7 Sep 2021

 

‘The Last Bus’, directed by Gillies MacKinnon, tells the heart-warming tale of an elderly man, Tom (Timothy Spall) whose wife has just passed away, who uses only local buses on a nostalgic trip to carry her ashes all the way across the UK. He travels from his home in John O’Groats all the way to Land's End, where they originally met, using his free bus pass. Unbeknownst to Tom, his journey begins to capture the imagination of the local people that he comes across and, ultimately, becomes a nationwide story.

 

 

This film really highlights the value of local buses and its impact on small town and village communities, especially in areas where the public have to travel to larger nearby towns to use amenities like banks and supermarkets. This could include the elderly community getting to doctor's appointments; new mothers that don’t drive using the bus as an easy way to get around town or to see relatives; or even teenagers finding their first taste of independence, using the bus to get to part time jobs; the local bus routes are a lifeline to so many people.

 

For many of these regular bus users, the sense of community and socialisation that they find with bus drivers and other commuters is just as important as their destination, if not more so. Many elderly people can often feel quite isolated, even more so since the pandemic, so the local bus can be a much welcomed opportunity to chat with friends and meet new people.

Here at Dews Coaches, we pride ourselves on our local bus routes that help connect all the beautiful small villages and towns in Cambridgeshire to the larger towns such as Huntingdon, St Ives, Ely and Peterborough. All our bus drivers are always friendly and happy to chat, and we love getting to know our regulars! 

 

To find out more about our local bus routes you can see all our timetables here: https://dews-coaches.com/local-bus-service.php 

‘The Last Bus’ is currently showing at most local cinemas, and you can watch the trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43037dKDMuQ