Buses leaving people stranded and late for school
BBCVillagers have said their bus services are leaving people stranded and making children late for school.
Those travelling to and from Pegswood in Northumberland have complained about the frequent lateness or unexpected cancellation of Arriva's number 35 service.
Zoe Hancock, from North Seaton, said her son uses the 35 to travel to school but, despite tracking the bus on Arriva's mobile app, the services are often cancelled at the last moment.
The bus company said it had brought in additional vehicles to improve the reliability of the service and it was working on a long-term solution.
Hancock said with enough notice her son could plan a different route to school but the information on Arriva's app often suggested the service was running on time, even when it had been cancelled.
"He watches the live tracking of the bus going from Newbiggin to Ashington, then when it's three to four minutes away it disappears from the app and shows as cancelled," she said.
"But because it shows as cancelled within minutes, he is late for school."
She said her son was given detention for being late which led to her speaking to his year manager at Ashington Academy to explain the problems with the bus.
A spokesperson for the school said as soon as it was made aware of issues with the buses it "worked with parents" to ensure no detentions were issued.
Samantha KingCare worker Samantha King lives in Ashington but travels to Pegswood to visit her patients.
She said she recently left work at 19:00 GMT but was left waiting for a bus home until 21:28 after two did not show up.
"Maybe they are short of drivers, but it shouldn't stop us getting home from work," she said.
"We shouldn't be stranded."
'Important' route
The number 35 runs between Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Morpeth, via Ashington, and is the main service for those living in Pegswood.
Northumberland County Council Labour councillor Vicky Oakley said Pegswood residents "deserve better", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"They deserve a bus service that turns up when it should, that gets children to school on time and that ensures people can reach medical appointments without stress or hardship," she said.
"Arriva must recognise the importance of this route and deliver the improvements they promised."
Arriva said its long-term solution to improve the service included "revised timetables and wider network changes", but these could not be brought in immediately due to "statutory notice periods".
It is also working to unlink the number 35 service from the X21, as the current "interworking arrangement" had lead to knock-on delays.
The Ashington depot is expected to receive 25 new double-decker buses later this year which will allow less reliable vehicles to be withdrawn.
"The actions currently in progress are significant and focused on delivering long-term, sustainable improvements rather than short-term overnight fixes, which have never been promised," an Arriva spokesperson said.
