Rural bus services in Norfolk must be "urgently" improved, say councillors, amid rising concerns over the poor state of public transport links between market towns and villages.
The shortcomings have been identified as part of an analysis of Norfolk County Council's wide-ranging Rural Economic Strategy, which is designed to make sure countryside communities do not get left behind.
A County Hall debate on the policy led to lengthy testimony from representatives from rural areas about the problems locals are facing from poor public transport.
Councillors consider the issue one of the main obstacles to getting people to switch from cars to more sustainable forms of transport and one of the biggest blocks on the economic development of countryside communities.
It comes after a recent report revealed how two-thirds of those from the region's rural areas are living in 'transport deserts', with no alternative but to rely on cars.
Separate research found Norfolk had some of the most isolated communities in the country, with some of the worst transport links.
Mark Kiddle-Morris, Conservative councillor for Necton and Launditch, told the debate he had 22 villages and hamlets in his division, with three village shops and one farm shop - but no public transport between them.
"If I want to go to a village shop in the next village, I have to use my own car. There's no connectivity," he added.
Mr Kiddle-Morris said Dereham was one of three market towns within about 10 miles of where he lives.
But if he wanted to catch a bus to work there, it would not be possible in the summer, as services cease during the school holidays.
He said: "I'd have to catch a bus at 8am, which is reasonable, but I'd have to be home by 3pm or I wouldn't be able to catch the public transport.
"And when schools are out, that transport doesn't run, so in school holidays and summer I would have no way of getting to any of my three local market towns.
"Rural connectivity is something that needs looking at really urgently."
Graham Plant, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for growing the economy, told the debate over the rural strategy - which public bodies use to provide an evidence base to use when bidding for cash from the government and other groups - that a separate council strategy was looking at improving transport links.
He said the council had been given £50m by the Department for Transport for its Bus Service Improvement Plan - to be used to speed up services, bring in cheaper bus tickets for young people, create new or improved travel hubs and put in new bus lanes.
But Mr Plant added: "We know there are issues across the county about the number of bus drivers that are trained to take up the schemes that are coming forward.
"It's good that they are working on it and the bus companies are working with the county team."
One proposal discussed at the meeting was to extend an 'on-demand' bus scheme operating in villages and hamlets around Swaffham, which allows people to use a smartphone app to book, pay and get live travel information on the service.
The project, which launched in March, was made possible by a £700,000 grant from the government's Rural Mobility Fund, although it is hoped it will become a self-financing operation in the longer term.
REMOTE VILLAGE
Data from the Department for Transport has identified Saham Toney as the county's most remote village, and the 43rd most remote in the entire country.
Officials based their calculations on an analysis of the length of time it takes for locals to reach their nearest services - shops, schools, GP surgeries and employers - by public transport or by walking.
In the official rankings of Norfolk communities, the Tilney, Mershe Lande and Wiggenhall ward, in the west of the county, and Mattishall, in Breckland, were the second and third most remote locations.
In Saham Toney the average minimum journey time to the nearest key service by car was 19.2 minutes, and by public transport 75.7 minutes.
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