Friday 5 September 2008

From The Herald Express

Lib Dems look at life on the buses
Thursday, September 04, 2008, 07:00

LIB DEM councillors in the Bay have joined forces with their MP to launch a survey of bus users.
Torbay councillors have teamed up with Bay MP Adrian Sanders to look at the reliability of local bus services, how often people use them, when they travel and problems users have while travelling to particular destinations or accessing buses.
The survey is being circulated throughout the borough.
Mr Sanders said: "My postbag always contains a number of letters from constituents highlighting issues which they have with local bus services.
"This survey will give my councillor colleagues and myself some very useful information we can use to try to improve the services."
The leader of the Lib Dem group on Torbay Council, Steve Darling, said: "My fellow councillors and myself have been made aware by local people of a number of particular issues they face which they would like to be tackled.
"These include a lack of capacity, with people being left stranded at the bus stop because the bus is full.
"Also, the standard of buses which are used on some of the inner residential areas is not as good as those on the main routes.
"The survey will also help highlight any other issues which bus users are facing, which we will take up with the council and the bus companies."
A Stagecoach spokeswoman said: "We have not been informed of this survey.
"However, we do welcome any feedback from our passengers and we look forward to the results."


The second I get to see the results I will post them here. Could be very interesting. At least from Monday 08 Sept the 32 will be restored to it's pre summer route up to Babbacombe and St Marychurch and passengers will no longer have to go through the chore of changing buses at the Strand in what was seen by many as a way of getting more money from the council via the concessionary bus pass scheme. Also the number 33 will raise it's head again, back from it's pre Hitditch days. It will travel in a big circle around Marychurch, Barton, the Willows, The Hospital, Shiphay, Chelston, Town, The Strand and back up to Marychurch, a 5 minute rest and then doing the same thing all over again. In both directions.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Come to Surrey, where the Lib Dems are trying too get back a withdrawn bus route!! Sadly all to commons over here.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that once an hour a 32/33 will be going to Teignmouth. Great to see the 32 and the 33 back in St Marychurch- no more death defying crossings of the Strand from the 12 ex Newton.

Anonymous said...

The split to 2 buses was a way of getting more money from poor fare-paying passengers too. Some commuters will have had to change jobs since they ditched through tickets.