SEVERAL bus routes are being changed in a move which could cause disruption to commuters.

Services operated by Transdev, The Blackburn Bus Company and Rosso will be subject to changes, including the popular X41 route which runs from Blackburn-Manchester.

Route number 24, operated by Transdev subsidiary, The Blackburn Bus Company, will be merged with the number four route, creating one route that runs every 20 minutes between Blackburn and Green Lane through Mill Hill.

Two buses an hour will then run on to Leyburn Road and one bus an hour will continue to Feniscowles and Chorley. Other routes run by the company including the number one from Darwen to Bolton will also see alterations to timetables.

Rosso, another company owned by Transdev, will also see changes with the 244 Blackburn-Haslingden-Rawtenstall route being renumbered as the 481.

The route, between Blackburn and Rawtenstall via Royal Blackburn Hospital, will be extended to Bury.

A spokesman for Transdev said: “Travelling patterns are changing all the time.

Traffic conditions on our roads never stay the same for long, either.

“It is important that we carry on understanding how and why people are travelling to ensure our time tables remain robust and trustworthy.”

The changes which will come in to operation on April 8.

Tony Corless, who lives in Feniscowles, said: “They’re really leaving us out in the cold.

“My partner is going to have to totally alter the way she gets to work every day as the route she normally takes now won’t stop at Bolton Road.

“This will mean she has a longer commute in to work, having to walk up to 30 minutes to get the bus she needs, twice a day.

“We’re also concerned about the pensioners that rely on the bus to get to the shops, what are they going to do?”

Allison McDermott-Majid, from Blackburn, is another commuter who will be hit by the alterations.

The 52-year-old relies on the X41 to get to Manchester every morning and she says she now faces losing her job as the bus will soon start from Accrington, not Blackburn.

Despite commuter concerns, the company has assured commuters it is doing all it can to keep people on the move.

Shaun Walmlsey, general manager of the Blackburn Bus Company said: “We’re focusing our efforts instead on improving the service between Accrington and Manchester, including the creation of a brand new link from Ramsbottom into the heart of the city.

“There’ll still be handy connections on to Red Express from Blackburn, with through ticketing available on our frequent, high quality 6&7 link.”

To find out more about the changes, visit www.lancashirebus.co.uk/news