A new trial bus service linking Stone, Rugeley and several villages between them will begin in September.
The new 151 service will start on Tuesday 1 September 2026 and run for an initial 12-month period.
It will be funded by Staffordshire County Council, which will monitor passenger numbers before deciding whether the service should continue beyond the trial.
Villages included on the route
The service will travel between Stone and Rugeley, calling at Aston Lodge, Burston, Sandon, Weston, Hixon, Great Haywood, Little Haywood and Colwich.
At Aston Lodge, the new route will replace the existing A service.
The route will restore a regular connection along the A51 corridor, which the county council said has not had a frequent service for several years.
It will provide residents with new travel options for reaching work, education, healthcare, shops and leisure facilities in Stone, Rugeley and the villages along the route.
Nine journeys in each direction
The 151 will operate hourly from Monday to Saturday.
There will be nine journeys in each direction, running between shortly before 9am and around 5.30pm.
The full timetable was due to be published from Monday 3 August on Staffordshire County Council’s bus travel webpage.
Andrew Mynors, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Connectivity, said the service had been developed with residents and local town and parish councils.
He added that its future would depend on people using the route during the year-long trial.
Passenger numbers will be monitored
Stafford Borough Councillor Brendan McKeown, who represents Haywoods and Hixon, said there were growing communities and industrial developments along the Trent Valley.
He encouraged as many residents as possible to use the service during the trial period.
Staffordshire County Council’s transport team will monitor passenger numbers and the performance of the service throughout the 12 months.
The 151 will begin operating on Tuesday 1 September.
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