COMMUNITY meetings are to be held in the Ribble Valley to discuss changes to the timetable for the Bowland Transit Bus.

The bus ferried Prince Charles around Ribble Valley during his Royal visit in January. It was officially launched at Chipping Memorial Hall earlier this year by Nora Ward, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation.

More than £634,000 has been ploughed into the three-year bus scheme from the Government's Rural Challenge Fund, Lancashire County Council, the East Lancashire Partnership and the Countryside Agency.

The bus aims to provide residents of and visitors to the Bowland Forest area with a bus service that integrates with rail networks.

The service runs at regular times with some flexibility to travel off route and can be booked at the Clitheroe Interchange.

Meetings are being held to ask bus-users for their suggestions for running times during the autumn and winter, as well as next summer.

The meetings will be held at 7.30pm on Monday, July 14, at the Chapel Hall, Slaidburn, when timetables for Bashall Eaves, Whitewell, Dunsop Bridge, Newton and Slaidburn will be discussed and at 7.30pm on Wednesday, July 16, at Tosside Institute for timetables for Tosside, Rathmell, Wigglesworth and Settle.

The four Bowland Transit buses, named Sky Dancer, Lapwing, Curlew and Merlin by local school children, have low floors, easy access for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and can carry bicycles.

Requests in writing can be sent to Sue Buckley, Bowland Transit Project Manager, Chipping Memorial Hall, Garstang Road, Chipping, Preston, PR3 2QH.