Halstead: No tickets bought for the cinema bus (From Halstead Gazette)

Halstead: No tickets bought for the cinema bus

11:00am Saturday 19th January 2013 in News

Halstead's first cinema bus was cancelled after no-one bought a ticket.

The bus was set to leave Butler Road car park at 6.30pm on Tuesday and return from Braintree Freeport at 10.30pm.

It is part of a £200 town council scheme to try and boost public transport links in the area.

Despite the initial lack of take up three more trips are planned for the coming months.

Town clerk Mike Murkin said: “We are going to look at the times and may go around tea time at about 5pm so people can to early viewings.

“It is a fact finding project really.

“If at the end of the day we have four to five trips and if we don’t sell any tickets on any shows we know the demand.”

Hire of the minibus costs the same whether one person or twelve people use it.

But Martyn Prince, chairman of Halstead’s Empire Theatre Trust, believes projects should be encouraging people to stay in Halstead.

The trust has been quoted about £30,000 to install a projector and screen at the theatre and he hopes it could be used to show films up to two times per week.

He said: “I can’t say I’m impressed that it is taking business away from Halstead.”

Mr Murkin did not believe £200 would go very far towards the projector plans.

For more information about the cinema bus visit halsteadtowncouncil.co.uk