Passengers demand reliable bus services for south Warwickshire
EXASPERATED bus passengers have welcomed news that the X20 service is safe, but still face an anxious wait to hear the fate of other bus routes.
And many say they are sick of bus services that are constantly late, or don’t turn up and want to see drastic improvements across the whole network.
Warwickshire County Council has confirmed that a number of Stratford services, previously operated by Johnson’s, will be transferred from Diamond to Stagecoach from Monday, 25th July. These do not include the X20 service, which runs between Stratford to Coventry via Alcester, Studley and Henley.
In a statement, the county council told the Herald: “The X20 service, however, is still out for tender to seek a replacement operator from Monday 15th August.
“At this stage, while the tender process is ongoing, we cannot confirm who that will be.”
The council stressed that “no bus services are being withdrawn”.
It added that the contract has expired after seven years and that “all the services have been retendered to resume like for like or with only minor adjustments”.
But as the council and bus companies focus on the official tender process, residents on the ground have expressed their frustration at being at the mercy of unreliable bus services.
Stratford-based musician Paul Boness relies on buses to travel to venues where he’s performing. Two weeks ago, he planned to travel to an event in Bicester by rail but after his train was cancelled at the last minute, he went to catch the 75 bus service.
He recalled: “At the bus stop in town near NatWest, I found about half-a-dozen Diamond buses and a Diamond bus inspector but no 75. The inspector was looking at his clipboard every time a Diamond bus came in, but his details didn’t tally with the drivers’. It was chaotic.”
He added: “I waited as long as I dared but there was no number 75 and nobody could tell me anything.”
Unable to hang around any longer or risk missing his booking, Paul hired a taxi to Warwick Parkway railway station, costing him £29.
Another delay caused problems on Saturday, when Paul tried to board the X20 to reach Hockley Heath for a gig.
“I’d been on the bus stop for nearly an hour, but it just didn’t turn up,” he said. “And it wasn’t just me, there were quite a few others who were stranded there, too.”
Paul, 70, again hired a taxi, which cost £30. He pointed out: “If I’m contracted to be somewhere at a certain time to play, I need to be there. It’s usually a wedding or a funeral, so it’s not something you can delay.”
Julie Sprake, 52, from Henley, uses the X20 to travel to and from the Stratford shop where she works.
She said: “When Diamond announced they were taking over the service, I thought: ‘I’ll give them a go,’ but there are lots of times it’s either not turned up, or been late and I’ve had to get a lift into work.”
Julie, who doesn’t drive, said because the buses are so unreliable, she needs to allow an hour-and-a-half to travel the eight miles from Henley to Stratford.
Coming home from work can also be an anxious time.
She explained: “It’s normally the last bus of the day at about 6pm, and I’m waiting there thinking: ‘Is it going to turn up at all?’.”
She added: “I don’t mind who runs it, I just want a regular bus service that’s reliable and I know is going to turn up.”
Marian Perkins, 71, a retired medical receptionist who lives in a village near Stratford, told the Herald: “I don’t drive, so I rely on the X20, as do a lot of elderly people who need the service to go to the doctor’s, hospital appointments and shopping.
“When Johnson’s sold their bus operations to Diamond, we were reassured that Diamond would carry on the hourly service but many of us have found ourselves standing on the bus stop waiting for hours because it hasn’t turned up.”
She added: “Diamond says the problem is that not enough people are using the services but the reason people aren’t using buses is because they can’t rely on them.”
Several people who contacted the Herald complained that many bus stops have no timetables and those which do, often show out-of-date information.
There was also a call for better communication from bus operators, including real-time digital displays.
In a written statement, Sue Willdigg, communications manager at Diamond’s parent company Rotala, said: “When Diamond Bus took over the Johnsons Excelbus operations in May a great deal of the Stratford services we undertook were tendered services on behalf of Warwickshire County Council.
“All of those contract agreements were scheduled to expire from 24th July (regardless of whether operated by Johnsons or Diamond Bus).
“Diamond Bus submitted our tender application to WCC along with other operators. Unfortunately, Diamond Bus were only successful in winning the tender to operate one service, which we have declined. Warwickshire County Council has awarded contracts to another operator, who will taking on these services from 24th July.”
She added: “All of the other services listed as under review on the Diamond Bus website are operated on a commercial basis and as per our previous statement to Stratford Herald, commercial pressures mean these services are unsustainable at their current level.
“Discussions are ongoing with all the Local Authorities involved to reach the most suitable outcome and we will keep passengers updated with any changes as soon as possible.”
