Are the wheels coming off Surrey’s Stagecoach.

A Waverley resident believes an emergency timetable is required for Stagecoach Bus Routes right across Surrey. 

So what is Tim Oliver  Surrey County Council’s head honcho who wants to rule the county doing about the dire situation? The wheels aren’t going around and around on the county’s bus services, which are…

“falling off a cliff as its wheels drop off.”

 The company notched up revenues of £1.2 billion and the group saw underlying pre-tax profits more than double to £44.1 million for the year to April 30. But wannabe travellers are sick and tired of cancellations.

Bus giant Stagecoach said it has “firmly returned to growth” following recovering customer demand after the pandemic as revenues rose to £1.2 billion.

The group saw underlying pre-tax profits more than double to £44.1 million for the year to April 30, up from £17 million the previous financial year, with revenues up 27%.

The transport firm says passenger journeys and commercial sales were at roughly 81% and 91% of pre-Covid levels, respectively, for the week ended June 18.

Try ringing with a complaint to its call centre in Scotland – we hung on the phone for 59 minutes before it was answered.

Here’s the letter Elstead resident Archaeologist Clifford Jones FRS Sc

has written to Ms Sarah Bell Transport Commissioner Sarah Bell and Surrey County Council’s Head Honcho Tim Oliver. Letters to which he has received no replies.

Dear Sirs,
The service offered to the public by Stagecoach South has become so unreliable under the terms of the contract with Surrey County Council that I request a temporary emergency timetable be invoked on all Stagecoach South routes within Surrey.
I make this request because the company cannot fulfil its contract. The only way passengers have any way of knowing if buses are running is to use Twitter every day for the latest cancellation updates.
Many passengers have no means of knowing if these are cancellations. The services are broken. People are frankly being isolated and in some cases put at risk.
I attach the cancellation on some routes in Surrey today. By no means all. Plus in the case, of the 46 Stagecoach managed to run 53mins late on one service. This afternoon there is a two and three-quarter hour break in the service 
The stated reasoning is the lack of drivers. You will both be aware that Stagecoach South took over Arriva routes without enough drivers. They now have even less.
The passenger and taxpayer deserve a reliable service. Hence as there are no drivers my request for the imposition of an emergency service until such time that this can be resolved.
This situation cannot continue as it is causing serious harm to people.
The situation has deteriorated steadily and now has fallen off a cliff edge. I urge you to act.
I remain
Yours Faithfully
Clifford Jones FRS Sc, Archaeologist

 

It is as simple as this – No drivers, inexperienced Inspectors – the Chichester offices of Stagecoach closed downs and office staff made redundant. Some parents are being charged twice for school bus passes and Inspectors are revoking student passes!
Repeated messages from the company. Typical one here:

Stagecoach South (@StagecoachSouth) tweeted at 5:45 am on Thu, Jun 30, 2022:
#Guildford #Woking #Camberley #Cobham #Kingston #Cranleigh #Horsham #Godalming #Haslemere #Midhurst #Farnham #Alton

See attached image for cancelled journeys today due to staff shortages. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused. Liam https://t.co/dfI7EuLqnu
(https://twitter.com/StagecoachSouth/status/1542368738758082563?t=k89zbQf9G5ULPSN0s28Ruw&s=03)

4 thoughts on “Are the wheels coming off Surrey’s Stagecoach.”

  1. Oh WW
    We really shouldn’t worry – We in Alfold are going to get a DEMAND RESPONSIVE BUS service soon (With – I believe TWO BUSES…Yes TWO) so we will all be able to leave our cars at home and call (rather like Uber) and be collected at our Leisure……

    If I could insert an emoji – I think you can tell which one it would be!
    As Ever
    Denise

    Reply

    1. Of course, you shouldn’t worry! You undoubtedly listened to all the bullsh1t that Thakeham Homes provided in lorry-loads to the Government Inspector about who sustainable Alfold was. All those cycleways down the A281 to reach the five nearby railway stations. The demand response bus service was “a bit like Uber.” Pubs, restaurants, and loads of amenities. We understand that you no longer have a village shop and your one and only pub has closed. However, you will sleep soundly in your bed at night knowing that Waverley councillors – feel very sorry for “poor old Alfold” Perhaps if your parish council extracted a digit and completed its Neighbourhood Plan it might fend off yet more development? How many homes do you have in the pipeline now? Around 500?

      Reply

      1. To be quite honest – I have lost the will to keep counting but certainly close to 500 and no doubt more to come………

        I have no idea where we are with the Neighbourhood plan, The Last Minutes were in April.. Guessing there has been some progress – But who knows – Maybe we should ask the Developers who always seem to more than we do in the Village.

        But then having seen some of the comments made about Farnham’s NP – which I understand took a helluva lot of work, but is now 2 years old..so the weight it is given with new Planning Applications seems to be somewhat light

  2. Pingback: This is serious stuff on future bus services in 'Your Waverley.' - Waverley Web

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