The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Commuters claim bus service decline harming way of life
North-east commuters have hit out at Stagecoach Bluebird for failing to meet their needs as four in five people say services have hit rock bottom.
Peterhead residents claim bus services are “horrendously unreliable” leaving many searching for alternative transport.
Delays and cancellations have left people at risk of “losing their jobs or education placements”, or missing hospital appointments.
During a fortnight-long survey, held by MSP Karen Adam, 1,144 people spoke out about the harsh realities facing commuters across the north-east coast
Of those who took part, 88.46% of people felt the service had deteriorated over the last 12 months, compared to 9% who encountered no change.
And 79.55% of people said the firm had failed to meet their needs, with 42% of people relying on transport links to commute to work.
When asked about the reliability of bus services, 36.98% of respondents said they were very dissatisfied, with a further 36.63% dissatisfied.
One in five respondents claimed to use the service five days a week, with X68, 35/X35, and X63 routes being the most used.
Meanwhile, 67.22% of respondents felt transport services failed to meet the community’s needs, particularly in providing disabled access, compared to just 10.93%.
In February alone, residents reported at least 12 instances of buses being late or not turning up.
Cindy Summers, who has lived in Peterhead all her life, says she has “never seen such a decline” in her local bus service.
As the 57-year-old does not drive, public transport is her only means of travel, which is why she relies on her local bus service daily.
She told The Press & Journal that the service from Peterhead to Aberdeen has deteriorated so much that she and her friends are forced to book overnight stays in hotels so they do not miss vital hospital appointments.
“As some of my Facebook friends are doing, I book a hotel the night before vital appointments at ARI or Woodend Hospitals because of the worry and stress of buses not turning up,” she said.
Another resident, who wishes to stay unnamed said: “For those of us in the rural communities, there is no reliable service to Aberdeen. This means no reliable travel to hospital appointments, to school and university for younger people, or work for the rest of us.”
Mrs Adam is calling for an urgent meeting with Stagecoach bosses to address her constituents’ concerns.
She said: “Some of the stories, both gathered in the survey and at my public meeting, were truly heartbreaking. One constituent told me of having to carry their disabled child up the stairs of the bus because there was insufficient wheelchair space.
“Others have told me that they are at risk of losing their jobs or education placements as a result of unreliable bus services leading them to be late or to miss work or school. Many have missed NHS appointments as a result of irregular services.
“I have demanded an urgent meeting with Stagecoach to put the concerns of my constituents to them.”
A spokesperson for Stagecoach North Scotland said: “Since this research was conducted, we have already seen an improvement in reliability of our services which has mostly been impacted by adverse weather conditions, one of which was a red weather warning and caused extreme disruption.
“We’d like to reassure our customers that we are doing all we can to improve the service they receive and are taking these findings extremely seriously.”