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To save money, the Nordland County Municipality closed the bus offer between Oppeid in Hamarøy and Bodø from January 1 this year.
As a plaster on the wound, in April a bus route was installed from Innhavet to the speedboat dock in Skutvik, so that the inhabitants could take the speedboat to Bodø from there.
The new solution was rejected by residents and politicians of Hamarøy. They called it a joke of the innocents.
Figures released by NRK also showed that the replacement was not particularly popular: Only five passengers had used the new bus route in five months.
Now they turn. As of November 1, ten months after the closure of the route, the bus will operate again.
– It was a mistake to close the route. We must be very honest, says Bent-Joacim Bentzen (Sp), Nordland councilor for transport.
– this means a lot
The mayors of the provinces of the route; Hamarøy, then Tysfjord Municipality, Steigen and Sørfold Municipality worked to avoid closure.
They were clear in their speech: they wanted to get the so-called Oppeid bus back.
– This is simply not a usable offer. People want the Oppeid bus back, Mayor Britt Kristoffersen (Sp) in Hamarøy told NRK in September.
So it is a much happier Kristoffersen who speaks on Wednesday.
Hamarøy Mayor Britt Kristoffersen (Sp) thinks it’s great that the county listened to them.
– This means a lot. We have been working on this case for a long time. It’s taken time, but I’m glad we’re finally here. This is great, says the mayor of Hamarøy to NRK.
A step in the right direction, says the mayor, who feels that the Provincial Council has listened to the inhabitants.
– Now I encourage everyone to use the bus well, so that we can make it clear that there is a basis for a bus five times a week, he says.
Oppeid route Hamarøy-Bodø.
In the morning, the route will be as before, while the return from Bodø will be earlier than the passengers are used to.
Before, the bus operated five days a week, while now there are three: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
– It will be exciting to try it. It is still a wish of the mayors that the bus runs every day of the week.
According to the county municipality, it would cost them 6 million kronor a year to put the Oppeid bus back on the road.
Encourage taking the bus
Bent-Joacim Bentzen is the Nordland County Councilor for Infrastructure and Transport.
Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / NRK
– It was about finances, but we have solved it by reducing the number of departures, says Bentzen.
He says the county municipality has submitted several proposals, and that a proposal with a bus for a speedboat was certainly not well received.
– There have been clear comments that this was wrong. It has been a long process, a bit too long, many will say, but I am glad that we have finally reached an agreement.
The county councilor also encourages the people of Hamarøy to use the bus as much as possible.
– This is how we can see that the decision we made was correct.
