Dozens of pensioners will brave the cold today to protest about bus services being withdrawn from their town.

Members of Crawley Pensioners' Action Group will meet in Queens Square, Crawley, at 11am to march to the Arriva bus depot in Hazelwick Avenue.

They are furious the bus company, which operates 85 per cent of local services, is pulling out of Crawley at the end of March.

The group's secretary Muriel Hirsch said: "This is going to have a devastating effect on pensioners. It could mean they are totally stuck in their neighbourhood.

"It is important for pensioners to get on a bus and go to town for an outing. Even if they haven't much money they can enjoy looking at the shops and meeting people."

The protestors plan to stay in Queens Square for half an hour to gather more people for the protest, including non-pensioners. They say the will spend an hour at the bus depot and hope to talk to bus drivers in the tea room.

The bus company claimed it was withdrawing services because they were no longer viable. It blamed Crawley Borough Council plans to adjust the concessionary fares scheme for the elderly and disabled.

The council, which was considering asking pass-holders to pay a proportion of the fare, said it would fully reimburse the bus company for concessionary fares.

Emergency talks are under way with other bus companies to find another operator before April 1.

Today a bus driver, who declined to be named, said he and his colleagues had been given no information about what was happening.

He said: "I don't care either way now. I just want my pay package and I want out."

He said another bus company had interviewed some drivers, offering them £5.25 an hour instead of the present £7.40.

He said: "I can't afford to work for that sort of money."