From today (November 21), Newport Bus will be extending services into the Forest of Dean.

The Welsh bus company, which serves Newport and the surrounding areas, will run two new services from Chepstow to help fill the gap caused by Stagecoach West pulling services out of the area. 

Route C4 will be the new Chepstow town service serving Sedbury and Beachley, and route 72 will be the new rural service to Lydney, serving Tutshill and the villages to Lydney.

The two new routes will be operated by a dedicated team of drivers to improve efficiency and quickly create a sense of familiarity. At times, customers will also benefit from some of the newest zero-emission electric buses in the Newport Bus fleet.

Alex Clarke, commercial officer for Newport Bus, said: "We are pleased to be working in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council to provide these new services. These routes complement our existing network in and around Chepstow. We look forward to welcoming our new customers."

The new services will follow a similar route to the 761 and 24 with some small changes.

This follows news last week that Bennetts Coaches will be taking over the Arle Court Park and Ride in Cheltenham from Stagecoach.