Today in Parliament, Lucy asked the Leader of the House for an urgent debate on Arriva Bus Services in Telford. Following a request to constituents, Lucy has received hundreds of emails and messages raising serious complaints about the quality, reliability and punctuality of Arriva services in Telford. Experiences range from being left at bus stops for services that are cancelled without warning, to overcrowding, high prices and the pre-pay ticketing system.
Lucy will be meeting with executives from Arriva next week, and will raise the experiences of residents directly.
Lucy Allan MP said:
Ahead of a meeting with Arriva executives on Monday, 5th December, I raised the issue of poor performance of bus services in Telford in Parliament today.
Hundreds of constituents have contacted me to share their experiences. It is clear this is how a widespread issue across multiple routes serving my constituents. This is a systemic failure to provide the regular services that people reasonably expect.Bus providers are responsible for punctual and regular services that residents can rely on. I have heard many stories of overcrowding, particularly at peak times. Delayed or cancelled services exacerbate this overcrowding and I have been informed of wheelchair users being unable to get on buses that are already full. As the winter months roll in, many residents – particularly schoolchildren – have been left to wait at bus stops for services that are often over half an hour late, or do not arrive at all. This cannot continue.
I will continue to make representations to the Department for Transport and in my meeting with Arriva to get better performance on the basic day-to-day services constituents need.
