A “life-line” bus route threatened with closure will continue to operate as a reduced service, it has been announced.

The 505 route between Chingford and Harlow via Waltham Abbey had been due to stop running on May 9 after bus operator Arriva announced it was running at a loss.

Today (April 7) a notice on the Harlow Ride bus website announced that a replacement service will be started by operator Trustybus, running six times a day in both directions.

The route will not run on Sundays, and a full timetable is yet to be announced.

The Trustybus schedule of 12 services a day is a reduction on the Arriva schedule, which ran 22 times a day on schooldays.

Arriva’s closure of the route had been criticised, with claims that the 505 is vital for students, the elderly, and commuters, and a petition for the "life-line" bus route gained 450 signatures as of April 7.

The Trustybus service will take over the 505 route on May 11.