Passengers angry at changes to bus timetable

Bus passengers have expressed frustration over a new bus timetable they say has led to delays.

Bosses said changes to Guernsey's bus schedule brought in on 7 September aimed to include more frequent services.

However, some passengers have complained the changes have led to people waiting a long time for buses to arrive - including pupils who were late to school as a result.

Stagecoach said it was continually monitoring passenger numbers and performance to understand where changes may be required.

Since it took over the operation of Guernsey's scheduled bus service, Stagecoach has had some issues with service cancelations, but nowhere near as many as previous operators Tower Transit.

Deputy Ross Le Brun has also raised concerns about the quality and reliability of the network and questioned whether it was providing value for money.

He asked the Committee for Environment and Infrastructure (E&I) to explain why buses had not been turning up, why there were frequent cancellations and delays, why entire services were reportedly not operating and he said passengers were already losing confidence in the new timetable.

E&I acknowledged there had been disruptions to the service and argued many of the reliability issues stem from recruitment and staffing challenges affecting the whole island.

Passenger Jodie Honey said she was left waiting for a service that was cancelled but Stagecoach's app had not been updated to reflect this.

She said of previous cancellations: "They put up a whole list of buses that were cancelled and I just thought that was a bit ridiculous because there's so many services cancelled it's going to cause a lot of disruption."

Cayleigh Bishop, another passenger, said a service she was on last week skipped the stop she was waiting to get off at.

Rachel, who lives in the southern parishes, said her son was late for his first day of Sixth Form because of the bus network, with his journey taking an hour and 40 minutes.

Layla, whose son is at primary school, said he was left standing in the rain after the bus did not collect him.

"It wasn't just children waiting, it was elderly and general commuters," she said.

"It was quite frightening really for them, given that they were then going to be late for school and left in the pouring rain."

Laura Oxburgh, head of on-island transport for the States, blamed part of the issues on roadworks which have seen Fort Road closed and the Charroterie operated by temporary traffic lights.

"We understand how stressful it is for parents and children when a bus is late or doesn't arrive as expected, and we're sorry for the disruption some families have experienced," she said.

"Most of the issues relate to the delivery of the scheduled public bus services.

"We are working with Stagecoach to ensure that the public routes children use for school are prioritised.

"We'd like to reassure parents that schools understand these early difficulties can happen and are sympathetic when a child arrives late through no fault of their own."

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