Newton Abbot Town Council pledges to speak up for unhappy bus users as Stagecoach boss brands roadworks ‘a shambles’

NEWTON Abbot Town Council has pledged to speak up on behalf of bus users fed up with delays and cancelled services.

Also causing grumbles are the company’s charging zones, difficulty in contacting help lines and an app which fails to deliver real-time travel information.

Members held talks with the Managing Director of operator Stagecoach South West, Peter Knight, at Newton’s Place on Wednesday February 25.

They learned that despite the firm having very few driver vacancies, generous local authority subsidies and an upcoming £45 million investment in new vehicles, it wasn’t always possible to guarantee the timetable.

Mr Knight said the biggest problem facing his business was ‘uncoordinated roadworks’ and ‘performance of the highway network’.

Describing the situation in and around Newton Abbot he said: ‘It’s a very very difficult set of circumstances, the roadworks in Newton Abbot. It’s a shambles really.’

He added: ‘The road network around here hasn’t been normal since about October. I’m sorry about the issues your constituents face.’

Mr Knight was told by members that among the services the public felt most let down by were the 77, 77A and 12.

Cllr Mike Ryan said the 77 experienced delays of up to 90 minutes and, on occasions, never arrived at all.

Former councillor Mike Hocking, now a Freeman, said he and his partner had given up on the 77A on occasions and been forced to take taxis instead.

Mr Knight acknowledged the problems and said the best way to tackle them was to let his firm know ‘as close to real time as possible’.

He also encouraged the Town Council to appoint someone to sit on the DevonBus Enhanced Partnership (DBEP), a body that allows interested parties to meet regularly.

Explaining that his staff were also Devon residents he said: ‘We are very proud to serve our community.’

Pleading on customers not to vent their anger on drivers he added: ‘I beg you, not to take it out on them.’

Mayor Cllr Colin Parker thanked Mr Knight for the meeting and accepted his invitation to appoint someone to the DBEP.

‘We will speak up on behalf of Newton Abbot’s bus users and hope to work with you to improve services where needed,’ he said.

Cllr Richard Buscombe, who chaired the meeting, also thanked Mr Knight and said: ‘We want to have a long term relationship with you so would welcome you back here in future.’