Bus passengers unhappy over recent delays

The Peterborough Telegraph has received messages from several people highlighting lengthy delays on their routes recently, while Stagecoach has apologised on Twitter for “operational difficulties” which have led to delays on routes.

The bus company is also advertising for new drivers in Peterborough.

One unhappy commuter is Chris Atton from Westwood who commutes daily to and from his job at Pets at Home in Bourges Boulevard through the number 3 and 4 services.

Chris (35) said: “People are waiting for buses that are supposed to be every 10 minutes, but they can be waiting 40 to 60 minutes.

“The bus is overcrowded and you can hardly get on.”

Chris suggested re-routing the number 4 through Ravensthorpe which he said does not have a bus service. He said that would take the stress off the number 3 service.

Niki Nizynski gets on the number 1 from the Orton Centre. She said she had heard there was a shortage of drivers, adding: “People are waiting 20 minutes and then can’t get on because it’s so packed.

“I had one which was 15 minutes late, but the one before had never turned up. One woman had to catch a taxi to get to her connecting bus.

“Last Friday, coming to Orton people were waiting 35 minutes. In the last two weeks it’s got worse.

“I feel sorry for the drivers.”

Andy Campbell, managing director of Stagecoach East, said: “All companies experience staff turnover. When bus drivers move on, we’re fortunate in being able to minimise passenger disruption by ‘borrowing’ drivers temporarily from other Stagecoach regions; we currently have nine on-loan drivers in Cambridge and two in Peterborough.

“We recruit locally to fill vacancies - via TV, radio, newspaper and online adverts – and we have a driver apprenticeship programme that’s open to adults of all ages.”