A UNIQUE rural bus service, depended on by dozens of residents as their only form of transport, is facing the axe.

Essex County Council is refusing to guarantee the future of the number 46 which runs from Writtle through to Chelmsford via Ongar beyond the end of this month.

It has organised a review to see if enough people are using it but bus users have organised a grass roots campaign, placing petitions in the area’s shops and firing off angry letters to the County Council.

The single decker bus, which stops outside the Queens Head, Fyfield, the Kings Head in Ongar, and opposite the Two Brewers Pub, carries passengers to Chelmsford town centre three times a day.

Regular user Chris Burn from Ongar described the service as “vital” to the community.

He added: “If it goes people will have to change school, colleges and jobs - this bus is really heavily depended on by local people, its used a lot on a daily basis, its a very valuable service.”

Mrs Pat Pugh, another regular added that she would not be able to leave her home if it wasn’t for the 46.

“I used to live in Willingale and this is the only bus that I can get to Chelmsford, if they did get rid of this bus I wouldn’t be able to get out at all, I don’t drive so what other choice do I have?” she said.

Doreen Maynard, also from Ongar said: “Its very important to me, I don’t drive, I use this service to get to the doctors surgery. My only other option is to get a taxi every week and I can’t afford that.”

Over in Fyfield Post Office a petition against the closure has collected almost 100 signatures in just a couple of days.

Linda Stokes, who works at the shop said: “People are devastated that they might lose the bus, there’s a lot of older people who rely on it.”

A spokesman for the county council said: “We are reviewing the service, we have to see if the service is cost-effective to the taxpayer, the 46 is above the acceptable subsidy level but no decision has been taken at this point.”