John Baron MP congratulates First for pilot 551 service to Festival Leisure Park

MP says ‘use it or lose it’

At the end of August, First’s 551 Service was extended to the Festival Leisure Park, Basildon. The extension comes after discussions with John Baron MP, Basildon Council, Essex County Council and Festival Leisure Park. The Service now operates from Basildon bus station to the Festival Leisure Park every 30 minutes during the off-peak period Monday to Fridays.

John said:

“Congratulations to First for responding to our request for a pilot 551 bus service to the Festival Leisure Park, and to all those involved in the talks. The message now is ‘use it or lose it’, as this extended service is for a trial period only.”

Chris McCormick, General Manager for South Essex said:

“Whilst our current network provides a good coverage of the South East, we felt it was important to take on board the many requests we had received from members of the public and local MP John Baron to extend the 551 service.  Having a direct link to the Leisure Park will better enable our customers to travel around Basildon safely, comfortably and at a lower cost, as well as supporting local businesses.  The extended service has been introduced on a trial basis however we are confident that the demand from passengers is something that will enable us to provide the link permanently”.