News story

11th October 2001

MP Tackles Bus Company Over Services From Yate

Northavon MP Steve Webb has written to bus company First Badgerline over the poor quality of service fromYate, following a series of complaints from local residents. Residents are particularly angry about a cut in frequency of the X40 service between Yate and Bristol which means that there is now a big gap between services in the morning rush hour. They are also frustrated that alternative services are routed via Downend and Fishponds which can add substantially to journey times. These complaints come on top of a widespread disatisfaction with the reliability and cleanliness of services and with the age of vehicles. One local resident reported to Steve Webb that on a rainy day a bus driver had told passengers to lift their feet off the floor when the bus went through puddles to avoid getting them wet, because the bus was leaking through the wheel arches! Now the MP, who is campaigning for improved public transport in the area, has challenged the bus company to justify the changes, and to improve its quality of service.

Steve Webb said:

“Local people are constantly being encouraged to get out of their cars and use public transport, but they will only be willing to do this if there are reliable and affordable alternatives. Recent changes to local bus services have made it even harder for people who want to use the bus to commute into Bristol, and are bound to lead to more cars on the roads. The Government talks about “quality partnerships” between local councils and bus companies, but the service that local people are getting is anything but quality, with delays and cancellations being all too frequent”.

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Note to editors: From 8th October the X40 service from Yate was halved in frequency, and the X29 service was rescheduled. Alternatives services such as the 342 go via Downend and Fishponds and add substantially to journey times.