Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
More misery on commute as services are axed
DUNDEE bus firms have told passengers “we’re doing our best” as they continue to cancel dozens of services a day due to driver shortages.
More than 60 Xplore Dundee buses failed to run yesterday while several Stagecoach services also did not operate.
That included seven of Xplore’s new open-top bus services, running for the first time this summer.
Issues with staff availability have been affecting Dundee passengers for nearly a year, with Xplore forced to curtail services as far back as September 2021.
The 1, 5, 5a, 10, 17, 18, 22 and 32 services are among those affected by cancellations so far this week.
One bus user said: “I have turned up to get my Xplore bus twice this week and twice the service has been cancelled, making me late for work.
“You then end up with far more people trying to squeeze on to the one service because the previous bus didn’t run.
“I understand that staff shortages have affected lots of industries but these problems have been running for months and nothing seems to be improving.
“I know the timetable is changing in August so we’ll wait and see what difference that makes, but if anything I fear we’ll end up with fewer buses running, not more.”
Another commuter who travels from Broughty Ferry into Dundee said: “Nowadays you just feel like a hostage to fortune as to whether your bus is going to turn up or not.
“The electronic timetables at the stops mean absolutely nothing. The other day I was waiting for my bus home and watched it count down for 18 minutes before it got to one minute and vanished from the screen.The next bus didn’t arrive for 45 minutes.
“I’m conscious of the environment and the bus would be my preffered method of travel every day, but the complete lack of reliability is making it almost impossible.”
Xplore Dundee – which later this month will make a raft of timetable changes – launched a recruitment campaign earlier this year, offering a wage of £13 per hour and a salary of up to £32,000 a year.
But the firm has not revealed how many new workers have been hired as part of that process.
A spokesperson said: “As witnessed with other bus and transport operators across Scotland, there continues to be acute staff shortages which is compounded by absences through holidays and illness, particularly during the recent wave of Covid.
“Team members are working tirelessly to provide the best service possible and we would ask for patience with our staff during these challenges.
“We are continuing to recruit new staff and undertaking training programmes to alleviate the pressures felt this year.”
Meanwhile Stagecoach is still cancelling dozens of bus services each day across Tayside and Fife.
The company insists it has a large number of drivers progressing through its training school.
A spokesperson told The Telegraph: “Where we are having to change or cancel services, we focus on making sure that we are continuing to run the best services we can throughout the day and evening.
“Many of our current timetables are based on pre-Covid demand, and as such we will be continually looking at how travel patterns change as we welcome customers back to the bus.
“This also includes the increased demand from under22s, who now have access to free bus travel as part of the national concessionary travel scheme.
“A recent Open University report shows that 70% of organisations in Scotland say they are facing staff shortages.
“We understand that there will be frustration when things don’t go to plan. However, we ask that passengers please treat our drivers and supervisors with respect.
“They’re doing their best to keep services running and should not be subjected to abuse or intimidation.”