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East Leeds: OAPs make a stand over poor bus service
Greta Rayton (left) pictured with Margaret Mountain.
Pensioners in outlying Leeds villages claim they are being left “stranded” as bus drivers try to hit time targets.
Greta Rayton, 76, contacted the YEP in desperation saying the 64 and 64a First services serving Barwick-in-Elmet, Aberford and Scholes were running consistently late, or not turning up at all.
The OAP – who has two artificial knees and has to travel regularly to appointments in Seacroft from her home in Barwick-in-Elmet – said the final straw came last week when she missed a vital hospital appointment after waiting one and a quarter hours in freezing conditions for a twice-hourly bus that never came.
She had left home two hours before her appointment time.
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She said she and other passengers are “absolutely pig sick” and have now started a petition to demand action from bus bosses at First.
The company admitted today that “occasionally we have to readjust the timings of a bus due to punctuality issues outside of our control”.
“We are at our wits’ end,” Mrs Rayton said. “They get late and drivers get told not to bother coming for us, they cut us out.
“We are being stranded in favour of them getting back on time!
“I have no family in Leeds. My daughter is in Spain and my son is in the army. When you are 76 and have two artificial knees, it’s not nice.”
Mrs Rayton said issues had been brewing for more than a year since changes started to be brought in to some First services.
“I am not blaming the drivers, I am blaming the bus company,” she added.
A First spokesman said: “We are aware of Mrs Rayton’s concerns about services 64/64A and have been in touch with her. These services serve the outlying areas of Barwick-in-Elmet, Aberford and Scholes and occasionally suffer punctuality issues due to factors outside of our control such as roadworks, traffic congestion and weather-related issues.
“It is important to clarify that what has been said to Mrs Rayton is that occasionally we have to readjust the timings of a bus due to these punctuality issues outside of our control.
“We are working hard, along with our partners in local authorities, to ensure these services run as smoothly as possible and will take on board the comments made in the petition.”
The YEP reported recently that bosses at First had apologised to passengers in west Leeds and launched an “urgent action plan” to review an unpopular change to some of its services passing through Pudsey, Swinnow and Armley to the city centre. Metro, which funds and regulates West Yorkshire’s public transport network, is trying to cut £4.5 million from its subsidies across the county by 2013.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Rhinoette
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 01:52 PMTry travelling on this service at night! They run one an hour and that doesnt turn up - especially the one due at 20:00!. Thank heavens for Centrebus - they're reliable.
WorstBus
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 02:46 PMTrust me, First don't care. And it is set to get much worse believe me!
paul quigley
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 11:02 AMhello mrs rayton dont be surprised, first are just interested in money!! now if you lived in 'studentland' headingley burley etc you would be falling over buses! don't forget first are changing buses in march so you proberly wont even has a bus service to moan about!
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