LETTER: Overpricing, unorganisation and many awfully rude staff at Stagecoach in Peterborough

I am writing to discuss some of the main concerns I have come across over my years of travelling on buses in Peterborough.

These queries include: the overpricing, the unorganisation of the company and many awfully rude staff.

With the high and ever-increasing prices, it almost discourages citizens and may persuade them to use other methods of transport that may not be as healthy for the atmosphere.

When Stagecoach offered the £2 dayrider to under 19s it ensured that bus would be my main travel preference. However, with the regular £4.10, this is not affordable for me and many other students.

Alternatively, I may choose to buy a £14.50 megarider for seven days which stacks up to £58 per month (28 days), which again, is too expensive for students and surely does not encourage people over the age of 17 to choose public transport, over their quick and easier personal vehicle.

Stagecoach buses are appalling when it comes to arriving on time. For example, the number 2 bus from Paston is supposed to reach a bus stop every 10 minutes.

I have previously been waiting over 30 minutes for a bus, in the day time on a weekday where it should come every 10 minutes as advertised. After these 30 minutes had passed, five buses in a row turned up.

It has made me late for things in the past, including making me a few minutes late for a GCSE exam!

Finally, there are many rude members of staff that work for Stagecoach. At a minimum I would expect a driver to say hello, thank you and potentially even a smile, but many of them do not. One driver left a bus stop before my partly handicapped Grandad had sat down. This caused him to fall. To my knowledge, every bus driver is meant to wait until passengers are seated before the bus departs.

Matthew Johnson

Peterborough

via email

STAGECOACH response:

Stagecoach would like to invite Matthew Johnson to discuss his concerns with us directly, by contacting Martin Stanford at our Peterborough depot. As a company, we’re pleased to have been three times independently assessed as offering the lowest fares of any major bus operator in the UK - and bus travel remains a significantly cheaper and greener option for 2017 than commuting by car. Where exams and other important appointments are concerned, we would always advise passengers to build in plenty of time for congestion and unforeseen delays.

Andy Campbell, Managing Director, Stagecoach East