A TEENAGER from Iron Acton is being forced to move out of home because the only bus through her village is being axed.

Sammy Gadbsy, 18, will be left stranded when the X27 First bus ceases to operate on May 10.

The student, who is in the sixth form at The Ridings High School in Winterbourne, has spoken of her fears about moving to a place of her own before she is ready.

Sammy, who has lived in Iron Acton since she was three, told the Gazette: "I am not looking forward to moving out on my own. It is going to be very difficult, especially with the credit crunch.

"I was planning to move out when I start university but that would not be for another year."

Sammy, who hopes to do a degree at university in Bath or Bristol, said she felt angry when First announced it was cutting the only bus which serves Iron Acton.

"I don’t go out very much at all anyway because of the buses," she said.

"It costs £9 for a day ticket and £4 a day to get to school. The times are not very good and the bus stop is not well lit and horrible in the winter.

"Sometimes the bus does not come at all and I have to wait another two hours to get anywhere."

A daily passenger on the X27, Sammy also uses the bus to go into Bristol for a night out or to go shopping in Yate.

"It is very hard for someone my age because I want to go out and about," she said.

"I literally never go out because I don’t want to rely on my friends all the time."

The student spoke at a meeting with First Bus commercial director Simon Cursio a fortnight ago and is hoping South Gloucestershire Council will agree to pay for a replacement service.

"This is a golden opportunity to get the bus going back through the village," she said. "There are lots of elderly people here who cannot walk to the bus stop.

"I hope the subsidised bus will do more routes and won’t be as expensive."

An online petition calling for improved bus services in South Gloucestershire has so far been signed by 400 people.

Dodington parish councillor and co-ordinator Paul Hulbert said: "The effects of this are profound. People have contacted me saying that because of the lack of buses some people will have to move house and move away from their communities.

"Some people will have to give up their jobs or will have much reduced employment opportunities"

The council said no decisions have yet been made but bids are being accepted to run a replacement X27 bus.

Simon Cursio, commercial director for First Bus, said: "We understand that our decisions affect the communities where we operate. "I met Sammy along with other passengers in Iron Acton and explained that South Gloucestershire Council is currently reviewing bids from all operators for the continued running of the service.