East Sussex buses are "incredibly uncomfortable and hardly ever running"

The Compass buses, which operate throughout the county, are said to shake and rattle when going over potholes, as services continue to decline in frequency.

The district has continually faced problems with bus services ever since the Generator Group told East Sussex County Council that its license to use Lewes Bus Station would come to an end last year.

One resident said: “The frequency [of buses] has reduced over recent years, there is no integrated plan to meet trains stopping at Cooks bridge and of course the dreadful outcome of the closure of the bus station is evident. It has left villagers huddling in the rain under minimal cover, being knocked by people trying to access the businesses adjacent to the stops.

"This is a very long way from any public convenience. It is tough on the elderly to, who unable to drive are forced to face these difficulties.”

Compass told SussexWorld that it has planned a fleet replacement program that will see brand new buses introduced in and around Lewes towards the end of this year.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Our buses are kept to a high standard and on bus seating is selected for the upmost of comfort as part of our specification.

"However, potholes continue to be a problem all around the South East and are sometimes unavoidable, we do our best to report road defects as this does not do the buses any good either. "

East Sussex County Council are responsible for setting the bus timetables and days of operation. It subsidies some bus services, where there is a strong community need for the transportation.

The council says that due to funding restrictions, it is limited in how many routes it can subsidise.

An ESCC spokesperson said: “Work continues to deliver the East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). Our BSIP offers, amongst many other things, our residents and visitors cheaper fares and more bus services, including new on demand services, which will benefit residents across East Sussex.”

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In response to the closure of the town’s bus station, the council set up temporary bus stops in Lewes, located at the bottom of School Hill.

This has lead to to a number of issues in the town. Elderly residents in Lewes are being blocked access to one of the local churches, while shop owners are claiming the introduction of the temporary stops has lead to a drop in business.

ESCC said it was Generator Group’s decision to stop buses using the town’s original station and claim its attempts to find ways for buses to continue using the site have failed.

ESCC explained: “It is for the Generator Group to now identify an alternative site and, until that happens, we have no option but to provide this temporary solution to enable people to continue to access the town centre using public transport.

“The layout of the town centre means we are limited in where we can place these bus stops. We have reacted to feedback from traders and bus users and have widened the pavement and added shelters and real time information provision at the stops in School Hill.”