BUS passengers have won a huge victory in their battle to save services along Felixstowe Road.

Hundreds of furious users turned out at a meeting last week to express their anger at the termination of First Eastern Counties’ route 62 in Ipswich on July 29.

The route begins at Penshurst Road shops in Bixley and travels through Ashdown Way, Bixley Road and Felixstowe Road into the centre of town.

Now the service will return on September 24 – as route four run by Ipswich Buses.

In the meantime, the council-run company will run an off-peak service on the route.

First’s scrapping of the service would have resulted in passengers being unable to access St Augustine’s Church hall, GP and pharmacy services in Felixstowe Road and amenities just before the Derby Road junction.

Under the new plans the replacement First 55/56 service will serve Bixley Farm and Broke Hall but via Foxhall Road.

Ipswich Buses will start running its 192 service on July 30. It will run from BT at Adastral Park, down Foxhall Road, Bixley Road and Felixstowe Road into town and will now be re-routed through Broke Hall.

Ipswich Buses managing director Malcolm Robson said the company had to give 56 days’ notice before it could run a full service.

He said: “First suggested there was not the demand for the service, but the response would seem to show otherwise. I would urge people to use this to show there is a need for it.”

The full service will run from 7am to 7pm six days a week.

County councillor Dr Alan Murray said he had been very impressed at the way Ipswich Buses had responded.

A spokeswoman for First Eastern Counties said: “We will take into consideration all the comments and suggestions we received at the meeting on July 12, and are likely to receive in the future, that might able us to continue providing great services to our customers.”

n Have the bus changes affected you? E-mail starnewss@archant.co.uk