A popular coastal bus route is being split and diverted in a bid to make the service more reliable.
But people living in Worthing are worried that fewer buses along part of the existing route could make it more difficult to get around.
The 700 currently runs about 20 miles all the way along the coast from Brighton to Wick.
But operator Stagecoach wants to replace it with three new overlapping services to avoid delays on one part having a knock-on effect all along the route.
The new services will also be rerouted to avoid level crossings.
The new 700 service will run between Brighton and Durrington, and maintain its 12 minute daytime frequency.
But the new 11 service from Littlehampton to Worthing will only run every half hour – and the 701 from Wick to Lancing will only run every 15 minutes.
The number 5 between Worthing and Durrington will increase its frequency from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes.
Councillor Sophie Cox, the leader of Worthing Borough Council, said today she had written to Stagecoach urging it to reconsider the changes, in particular the impact on people travelling from Durrington to Worthing Hospital.
In a statement published on Facebook, the council said: “Cllr Cox also expressed her concern over the frequency of the proposed new services, with the 700 route, which currently runs every 12 minutes, due to be replaced for many by the new 11 route, which only runs every 30 minutes.
“The letter ends by asking for better engagement with residents, an extension to the consultation deadline and better publicity of the proposals to ensure Worthing’s essential and sustainable travel options are not impacted.”
It amazes me they still use the 700 number like it’s one route from Portsmouth to Brighton. It’s run in 3 separate sections for a number of years now and it makes no sense to say all 3 are the 700! And now the Brighton and Chichester sections no longer meet at all, so you cannot catch a 700 all the way. The numbers should be different to avoid confusion. By all means have a ‘coastliner’ network, but at least number the sections differently to help identify the separate legs of the journey.