Yapton man furious at ‘unreliable’ Stagecoach bus service

A man from Yapton claims every bus he has tried to get within the past six months has not turned up.
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Doug Maw, 53, chooses not to drive due to the environmental impact, but has found his luck runs dry when he attempts to catch the 700 bus from Sparks Corner in Yapton.

Doug said: “If you spoke to anyone at the bus stop they’d laugh if you said you were waiting for a specific bus.

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“I’ve stood at Sparks Corner on freezing days among school kids and the elderly and no bus has come. Sometimes it’s two or three buses missed in a row. It’s a pretty awful service.”

Sparks Corner, Yapton, is where Doug waits...and waits for the Stagecoach 700 bus serviceSparks Corner, Yapton, is where Doug waits...and waits for the Stagecoach 700 bus service
Sparks Corner, Yapton, is where Doug waits...and waits for the Stagecoach 700 bus service

A spokesperson from Stagecoach said: “Like many sectors we have recently suffered staff shortages and sadly this has affected a small proportion of journeys on our Coastliner 700 service.

“Recent changes to the timetable in early January have further improved reliability for our customers.”

Doug, a nutritionist and personal trainer, uses the bus to get into Chichester or Bognor Regis to visit clients, but struggles to catch the right bus.

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He added: “It impacts my daily life terribly. To see a client I need to give myself an hour and a half each way as I know at least one of the buses won’t show.

“Since moving back to Yapton in August, not one bus that I’ve gone for that has arrived. I don’t know if I’m jinxed, but every time I go for one, it doesn’t come.

“Sometimes I walk to Barnham train station, which can be gruesome as I carry a lot of gym equipment. It’s not fun walking on the dangerous road from Yapton to Barnham, especially at night.”

A spokesperson from Stagecoach added: “We are sorry Mr Maw experienced difficulties during this challenging period.

“Our Chichester manager has made contact to ensure we address Mr Maws’ concerns directly.”

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