Hastings business leader defends local bus service
Hastings business leader Brett McLean has spoken out in support of local bus company Stagecoach following criticism from MP Helena Dollimore over the reliability of the service.
The MP is campaigning for better and more reliable bus services in the town and invited local people to share their experiences of using buses.
She said: “Why is that buses in Hastings run every hour or don’t show up at all, whereas in London there is a bus every five minutes? Buses are under public control in London but are run for profit in other places.
"In Hastings we have buses that don’t show up, buses that are cancelled and its far too expensive.”
But Brett McLean, a long-standing supporter of Stagecoach, argued: “Only some bus services operated by Stagecoach South East come hourly, others are half hourly whilst 99's are every 20 minutes. It's extremely unfair to compare a city of 8,000,000 plus citizens to a Victorian seaside town with high deprivation and poverty levels containing just 94,500 citizens as the demographic is completely different. “Stagecoach do a fantastic job connecting communities together given the daily challenges they face including inconsiderate parking, passenger incidents, pot holes, that in one week completely took out 15% of the entire fleet, road works, unexpected road network incidents including flooding and road traffic collisions etc. “It is a challenge to operate a bus service which in theory has suffered greatly financially with the introduction of the concessionary bus permit which meant that half fares were dissolved and for years passengers with a concessionary bus pass were subsidising the company by 2 x 37p journeys rather than the £2.50 return half fares just as one example of the decease in revenue. “Another aspect to remember is that each bus costs just over £375 a day to operate and if each bus fails to take a minimum of 100 to 150 passengers per day then it runs at a deficit. “The other pivotal element to think about is the revenue generated - does it generate sufficient finance to purchase new buses, the answer to that is simply no. A brand new double decker bus costs just over £250,000 and if Hastings depot which has more than 60 vehicles is required to update and upgrade the entire local fleet then that is sadly around £20,000,000 of investment required. “The other point that is worth noting is that private companies like Stagecoach do what they can to support the community and attempt to do what they can to increase passenger capacity. The local bus company provides a 95% good service ensuring passengers get to the majority of their destinations in time because they want and need the buses to be full. “Stagecoach are not just a transport service, they are a social service as well, they sponsor various community initiatives such as local football clubs, for the past three years, two Christmas trees for Hastings and St Leonards. They provide a warm social environment for lonely isolated Senior citizens who may only have human contact with the driver and fellow passengers as a result of not having any local family or friends.”
But not everyone shares his views with one local bus user commenting: “Stagecoach could have 100 to 150 passengers a day if the busses did run properly and the equipment on the busses worked properly.
"Many a time I've been at a bus stop and the digital signs say ex amount of busses are cancelled and people have walked away from the bus stops. The poor drivers are dealing with ticket machines that constantly cause problems, doors that don't open or close properly and spending more time trying to fix them, which holds their journey up to the next bus stop.
"Often I haven't paid for my journey because the ticket machine is broken. People who live in Hollington are often stranded due to lack of buses. Stagecoach sponsors various clubs and things but at the end of the day they have to think about people that need to live their every day lives getting from A-B. School kids are getting detentions at school because they are late due to the bus late or not turning up.
“People trying to get to work on time, elderly people rely on buses to meet up with friends for a coffee have had to cancel because the bus has been cancelled. Things do have to be looked at to improve the service and improve the drivers working conditions.”
A spokesperson for Stagecoach, which runs buses in the Hastings and Rother area, said: “Congestion is one of the biggest challenges facing bus operators today. For every hour a bus is on the road, it now takes around ten minutes longer to cover the same distance than it did ten years ago.
"The best way to improve bus services is through physical bus priority measures such as bus lanes. We’re really pleased to see Hastings MP Helena Dollimore shining a light on local bus services, and we look forward to working with her and local partners to turn that focus into real action that helps improve journey times and reliability.
“We’re also working closely with East Sussex County Council and Hastings Borough Council to explore how the planned changes in the town centre, including Havelock Road, could help benefit the bus network.
“We recognise how important reliable bus services are for our customers and communities, and we’re continually working to improve punctuality and reliability across our network. We’re also excited to be introducing more newer buses to the Hastings network in the spring.”