Margaret, 91, feels isolated and stranded after axing of shop buses
SERVICES HAD BECOME UNVIABLE, SAY SUPERMARKETS
DERBY woman feels that she is isolated and confined to her home after two supermarket bus services stopped operating during the pandemic.
Margaret Hudson, who is 91 and lives off of Harvey Road in Allenton, says that she was reliant on buses provided by Asda in Spondon and Tesco in Mickleover to get her shopping and to socialise with friends.
However, Asda terminated their bus service in January and Tesco followed suit, cancelling their bus service in August.
Margaret’s son, Ian who lives with her, told the Derby Telegraph: “The buses have been running for 40 years and now they are stopping it with the bug.
“When they restarted it again in July, a week later they decided to cancel them.”
Ian, 56, says that if he or his mother wanted to get to Mickleover on the alternative bus route, they would have to take six buses.
He said: “You would have to take one to Blue Peter, one to the bus station, and then out to Mickleover.
“The buses used to stop at the end of our street and go straight to Tesco’s front door.
“I’ve got a bad shoulder and so I can’t drive because my hand gives way and so we have to rely on those buses and I can’t afford £6 every time I go out.
“Now we have got nowhere other than Aldi. The Co-op in Allenton has just closed and Heron haven’t got anything, by the time you go there is no bread or milk.
There’s no butcher’s, no fresh meat or anything.
“It’s one of the reasons we came here to live was because of the shops.
The Aldi, in Harvey Road, is a short walk from the house that Margaret and Ian live in. However, he said that this was not an ideal alternative.
He said: “Well, mum has got the [Tesco] Clubcard and gets the disA counts, plus Aldi don’t have the bakery. I don’t really like Aldi’s bread.” Ian said that he wrote to both stores to appeal against the decision but said he did not get a response.
The Derby Telegraph reached out to the supermarkets, which both issued comments.
An Asda spokesperson said: “We made the decision to cancel this bus service following a thorough assessment which found that unfortunately, it was no longer viable.
“The service was cancelled in January this year and we appreciate that this was disappointing to the small number of users and we supported these customers with a free annual delivery pass for our online shopping service.”
Tesco commented: “We have made the difficult decision to stop the provision of the bus service to and from our Mickleover Superstore as it has been under-used for some years.
“We’re really sorry for any inconvenience this causes and we’re working to ensure that any passengers are aware of alternative routes and we’ll try to support those who are elderly and vulnerable in the community with online deliveries.” Ian Hudson told the Derby Telegraph that he neither used a phone nor did he own a computer and so online alternatives were not available to him and his mother.
The buses have been running for 40 years and now they are stopping it with the bug.
Ian Hudson