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Local Maryport · West Cumbria

Good news for Dearham: the MD1 bus is staying on till the end of December MD1 bus between Maryport and Dearham will keep running until the end of December

By Kris WM, editor 3 min read From Cumberland Council
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MD1 bus between Maryport and Dearham will keep running until the end of December
Photo: Graham Robson, Geograph / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The MD1 that was meant to be going has been given a stay of execution. The council's found the cash to keep it running between Maryport and Dearham right through Christmas.

If you live in Dearham or Maryport and you use the MD1, this one's for you.

Cumberland Council said on Monday 9 November that the MD1 between Maryport and Dearham is staying on until the end of December 2026. It had been on the list of buses the council said it couldn't afford to keep, because there's less government money to go round this year. The council picked which routes to keep by how many people use them, whether they're value for money and how much subsidy they need, and the MD1 didn't make the cut first time round.

Now, after another look, the council says it's found the money to keep it running through November and December. We told you before that the route had lost its contract and nobody could say if it would be back in December. Well, it is, at least until the end of the year. There's no word yet on January onwards.

Councillor Denise Rollo, who looks after transport at the council, said: "We know how important the MD1 is to people in Maryport and Dearham, so I'm really pleased that we have been able to secure support to keep the service running until the end of December."

She also said: "We will continue to explore the options available, but in the meantime I would encourage residents to make the most of the service and help us support both local transport and local businesses."

So what can you do? Get on it. How many people use a bus was one of the big things the council looked at when it chose what to cut, so every trip counts when they look at it again. You'll find the announcement on the Cumberland Council news page, called "Council secures MD1 bus service through Christmas period". And if the MD1 matters to you, tell your councillor now, before the January decision.

Cumberland Council has found the money to keep the MD1 bus between Maryport and Dearham running through November and December 2026, after it had been earmarked for cuts.

This is for anyone in Maryport and Dearham who relies on the MD1 bus, and for families who use it to get into town for shopping and appointments.

Cumberland Council confirmed on Monday 9 November that the MD1 service between Maryport and Dearham will carry on until the end of December 2026. The route had been named as one of the services the council could no longer support, because less government funding was available to share out this year. The council said it had to make difficult decisions, ranking services by passenger demand, value for money and how much subsidy each one needed.

After what it called further work to explore the options, the council says it has now secured funding to keep the MD1 going through November and December. Marra News reported earlier that the route had lost its council contract and that a return in December was not confirmed. That question is now answered for this year, although nothing has been said yet about what happens from January.

Councillor Denise Rollo, the council's Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said: "We know how important the MD1 is to people in Maryport and Dearham, so I'm really pleased that we have been able to secure support to keep the service running until the end of December."

She added: "We will continue to explore the options available, but in the meantime I would encourage residents to make the most of the service and help us support both local transport and local businesses."

What you can do: keep using the bus. Passenger numbers were one of the measures the council used when deciding which routes to cut, so regular journeys help the case for keeping it in the new year. The council's announcement is on the Cumberland Council news page, titled "Council secures MD1 bus service through Christmas period". If the MD1 matters to you, you can also tell your local councillor before the council looks at the route again.