Anger over bus service

1:50pm Tuesday 8th January 2008

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ANGRY parent Kate Burger says Stagecoach is failing in its responsibility to provide a reliable service on its number 26 route into Stroud.

She says that the bus, which runs approximately every half hour, misses out a stretch that includes the stop in her village of Brownshill up to two mornings a week.

Mum-of-one Ms Burger is looking after a friend's son, Soloman Peel, and he relies on the bus to get to college. She say the problem means people are late for classes or for work.

"The 8.12 is the one most people rely on," said Ms Burger, who added that Soloman pays around £9 for a weekly pass.

"If that doesn't come they ring Stagecoach and are told the 8.42 will be along shortly but sometimes that doesn't come either.

"They are saying they can't even warn the kids on the telephone or with a notice on the bus stop but they are happy to take their money.

"These are kids who want to get to school or work.

"It's sending out the wrong message.

"We are telling the kids to be consistent and reliable but the bus company is failing to do that."

Soloman, 16, who is taking courses including conservation and woodland management at Waldorf College in Lansdown, Stroud, said: "I want to go to college and think this is unfair."

Sholto Thomas, Stagecoach operations director, said the road at Abnash Crossroads is too steep for the company's new fleet of six environmentally-friendly, low-floor buses, which replaced many of its outdated vehicles in July.

He said drivers have subsequently been forced to miss out the Brownshill loop of the route.

"The buses are lower at the back end which was hitting the road surface as it a sharp angle on the road surface," he said.

"Sometimes we have to schedule one of these buses on the route because there is no other bus available."

He added that the problem was discovered after the arrival of the buses, which cost around £75,000 each, but said the council had agreed to look at levelling the road.

"Obviously the council wants to see new buses with wheelchair access," he said.

"The council said it would be looked at."

And he said because the buses are re-scheduled at the last minute, it is impossible to alert passengers to the change or make refunds.

"We cannot guarantee that a bus will never break down," he said, adding that compensation cannot be made for missed journeys."

* Do you or your children use the number 26 service? Comment here.