General Chat

Our area has a rubbish bus service. Since I've lived here, they've gone from every 15 minute, up until 11:30pm, to one an hour, last bus 18:15 - oh and an hour and a half between 15:45 and 17:15'
The estate live on is part council/part private, and, along with the other 3 estates, is on the outskirts of the city.
There are over 56 buses a day (all ones that you can get pushchairs etc on) to the other estates , including 8 evening buses that are funded by Hampshire County Council.
We get 9 buses a day until 18:15 - most of which are double deckers, useless for pushchairs and the disabled. So why, when a bus isn't going to run, is it ours?

Got so peed off last Wednesday. At least 12 of us waiting for the 17:15 bus (that normally comes from behind the station). A bus came out - then sat at another stand for over 20 minutes. The office was closed, so various drivers were accosted and asked where our bus was.
By 17:35 most people had decided to walk - as I would normally have done. But there was a disabled lady (I'll call her May) who couldn't. I suggested we shared a taxi - my treat - but she just asked where the bus was. Another lady stayed, so there were 3 of us. May was getting very cold, and quite distressed.
Eventually a passing driver noticed. By now May was in tears. Five minutes later (at 6 o clock) he drove up in a - double decker!
The other lady and I managed to get May and her extremely heavy and bulky shopping trolley on to the bus. I wonder if the 18:15 bus ran......

I waited a day until I'd calmed down then sent an e-mail to Stagecoach complaints, 2 local councillors and Hampshire County Council.
So far, all but Hampshire County Council have replied.

They're on a bit of a sticky wicket, as I once asked why there were so few buses in our area and was told 'a lack of passengers'. In my e-mail on Thursday, I quoted this, then asked whether they can assure me the 56 buses to the other estates are always full to the gunnels, and the Park & Ride buses (that could come around our estate - it would take 3 minutes) that run every 10 minutes morning & evening and 15 minutes during work time are also full. If not (and they're invariably empty) does this mean the council deems empty buses cost effective for car drivers, but not non- drivers?

This could be a long battle......

Sorry for waffling - just had to get it off my chest :-D

That is disgusting Maggie. You must feel as if you are living in 'no man's land'.

Hope you get some satisfactory answers and action.

Could always try writing to Winchester Echo

I would do as Chris suggests, they might take more notice when they realise they have a bit of a battle on their hands. It's amazing what a bit of adverse publicity can do.

your lucky to have a buss service our nearest buss is nearly 2 miles away then it runs every hour

sally w <3

Maybe copy your letter to your local MP as well.

i dread not being able to drive any more cos our local bus service although hourly stops at 5pm .

I try to be active but sometimes have to do online shopping BUT we do like to get out as well and we wouldnt be able to do so if we relied on the bus service.

OH has had to give up driving due to health issues. Fortunately I drive so have taken up the slack but there will come a time when I have give up too

Sally, that's awful. I've lived in rural areas where we had 1 bus a week, another where it was a 3 mile walk to get the bus, and a village that had 1 bus an hour - but I expected that.
What has peed me off since moving here, is that they've moved the goalposts!! April 2012 we suddenly had less than half the bus service.

The irony is that in 2011 Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council created (probably at great expense) a 'Local Transport Plan', where the rattle on about creating a reliable and efficient public transport system - then cut our service!!!!
I have also found (online) a wonderful academic piece on social exclusion, have also saved a link to the Social Exclusion Unit - who also cite public transport as important.

I will be sending them links to these sites (including their own, in case they've forgotten), and, yes will be contacting the local press if they waffle on in a patronising manner and annoy me too much :-|

First, I want to lull them into a false sense of security, ie some complaining old biddy, then whack them with Government policy and their own words!!
:-D :-D :-D

I also want to challenge local councillors try to get to a meeting on public transport, and then try using our service anonymously - not just for one journey - for a whole week!

We have a bus that goes to a moorland village every Tuesday morning...unfortunately it doesn't return until Thursday

I think it all worked rather better when "King Alfred" ran the city services and H&D most of the out of town routes.

I dislike park n ride so what with the lousy parking and brain dead one way system rarely visit the city any more, easier to go to S'oton or Hedge End.
.

Read the local transport plan very carefully. This is not said with much expertise or any authority but I wonder, in the right hands, if there might be an order of mandamus hidden in there somewhere.

Shirley, that's part of my argument - the buses stop too early. It's like we non-drivers are under a curfew. Can't go to the pub, stay for late night shopping etc. The park & ride ends quite early, but before Christmas they run more buses to a later time!!

Col, where does the bus go between Tuesday and Thursday? The mind boggles :-S

Rollo, the park & ride closes too early - it's okay for workers, but no good for tourists. The Bardfield park & ride site is also on the 'meadow' donated to the people of Winchester when Twyford Down was sliced through to make the M3. The rare species removed from this part of the Down were put on the meadow, which was concreted over 3 years later to make the second P & R site.!!
Stagecoach is definitely rubbish. ' Brijan' and 'Velvet' do the rural routes they won't do, but as we haven't got an amalgamated bus timetable, it makes working out how to get anywhere very difficult.

Lol I have never caught it to find out :-)

Our main provider is Arriva nee Mercian nee Midland Red and in general outside of the immediate urban centre the service is fairly dire. EG one of our main hospitals is a hour away by bus - there's one a day leaving at 7.30am (I think it comes back at 5.00pm)

One of our local attraction's is Drayton Manor theme Park there is NO bus service that runs to the main gate instead you have to get off and yomp the last mile or so :-(

Some years ago, when Stagecoach were running all the buses on to the Manhood, they didn't provide particularly frequent on to Wittering so a local company started their own which was of a similar price and more frequent. They did well and were starting to run a Selsey service as well.

Stagecoach couldn't have that. They started running buses so frequently there was hardly ever a free bus stop. Of course the local firm could not compete.

I think Stagecoach are a horribly greedy firm. Ann Gloag has just bought Manston Airport. It won't be long before they find a way of making money out of people walking about!

There have been rumours that Stagecoach are trying to stop the service to our area, hence using very old double deckers - the area is hilly and has lots of corners so buses of this size are VERY difficult to manoeuvre - and of course the main users, elderly and disabled with shopping trolleys and mothers' with small children in pushchairs find them almost impossible to get on. They can then use the excuse 'no-one uses the buses'. :-|

“an hour and a half between 15:45 and 17:15” . They are probably using the buses for School runs.

When buses services are reduced, people will find alternative ways of travel – cars taxis etc. Then the travellers decide that they prefer that to an unreliable bus service, so don’t use the buses that do operate.
The bus companies say that that there is no demand, and cut the services further!

Does your Estate have a Community Association? Depending on the answers you get, would it be worth raising a petition?

Hi Det, yes it does. I know buses (their unreliability then) have been brought up before at it, but people just back out when confronted by flannel!!

Interestingly, at the bus stop tonight (bus12 minutes late - and a double decker) somebody told me, she was told, they use double deckers because they're EASIER to manoeuvre!!

I'll hold judgement on that. Any bus drivers out there?