"Shambolic" bus service is slammed by drivers and passengers
By Jolene Hill
jolene.hill@essnmedia.co.uk
Passengers have been left high and dry by a "shambolic" bus service, passengers and drivers claim.
The 466 service, which runs through Old Coulsdon on its way from Addington Village to Caterham-on-the- Hill via East and South Croydon, has come under fire since Arriva took over the route from Metrobus two weeks ago.
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Passengers say problems have started since Arriva took over the running of the service from Metrobus, on Saturday August 30.
The company has held its hands up and said electrical defects on its brand new fleet of buses have caused the problems, which even led to four buses being taken off the route on Tuesday.
Elizebeth Brooks, from Old Coulsdon, said problems started last Friday when an elderly lady could not get on the bus because it was packed with school children.
And she added that a disabled woman had to wait 50 minutes for a bus that went to Addington Village, as it was supposed to, instead of terminating at East Croydon.
On Tuesday, the Middle Close resident said there were more problems for passengers when the Caterham bus terminated at Old Coulsdon.
As passengers trooped off in the village, near The Tudor Rose pub, to await the 466 that would take them to Caterham, rain began to pour down.
Ms Brooks said insult was added to injury because, as the 10 passengers huddled under the "inadequate bus shelter" getting soaked, an out-of-service 466 drove past.
And after a 15-minute wait until the next 466 finally turned up, the bus was followed immediately by a second and then, just a few stops later, by a third bus.
Ms Brooks said: "It is a shambles. We only have one bus route – the 466. It is as unreliable now as it was when Arriva ran it before [about five years ago].
"We are fed up already with the state of the service and the contempt Arriva and its bus drivers show the passengers.
"There is no politeness, no waiting for disabled or elderly people to get to the bus stop, and no lowering of the buses to help them get on or off."
Chris Wright, Coulsdon East councillor and Old Coulsdon resident, said he had received complaints about the bus turning round at the village instead of continuing on to Caterham-on-the-Hill.
He added: "This is causing some distress because people use the bus to go to Tesco and places like that."
But passengers have been making their feelings known, according to one Caterham-based driver, who has worked on the buses for the past eight years.
He said: "Drivers have been getting loads of verbal abuse from angry customers all the way along the route.
"It has never been as bad as this before. They are fed up with constant long waits and, of course, we get it in the neck.
"Passengers tell us we're useless and it's our fault, when all we are trying to do is provide a service in very difficult circumstances.
"But I can understand their frustration."
"Since it came in, the new service has been no more than a shambolic disaster."
Dave Jones, Arriva London's Commercial Support Manager, said: "The electrical faults meant the doors of some buses could not be opened or closed.
"This caused problems for the automatic gear change mechanism.
"We hoped to get the service off to a good start.
"This is disappointing and unacceptable, and we will go back to the bus manufacturers about this.
"We apologise to customers who have been caused any delays.
"Hopefully this is a short-term blip."
Comments
by Angry, Addington
Monday, October 06 2008, 10:05PM
“I often use Addington Interchange to catch the 466 bus. I think it is better now Arriva have taken over the only reason i sa this is that i have had a few problems with the Metrobus controller upon asking him what time the next 466 is due out he replied in a welsh accent " why dont you read the timetable or is it to hard for you" i couldnt believe his attitude but later that day i reflected on the incident and thought if i had bright blonde hair like him and had fallen from the ugly tree i would be angry. All is forgiven little blonde welsh man!!!”
by cheryl, old coulsdon
Wednesday, October 01 2008, 5:47PM
“one Monday morning i counted 5 buses going up to caterham.10Min's later 2 came down .they chase each other all the way to croydon. so i was late for work. because each bus was doing catch up. they need a inspector up west way terminal so they can keep a eye one the times of the buses . no one is up they so they can please there self's.when they wont to leave .they don't care.because no one at the garage cares if you phone in about the service”
by Sally Eason, Old Coulsdon
Monday, September 29 2008, 9:58AM
“Dear All,
I have been writing toTfL about Old Coulsdon being used as a giant roundabout and Bus Station for years. The 466's are being told to use Old Coulsdon as a turnaround point by the Controllers, egged on by TfL in proported claims they are allowed. We have had to get a special notice on the request bus-stop outside our house because of the many years of buses using it as a bus stand.
COULSDON needs a BUS Depot for crying out loud. Old Coulsdon is currently being used as one. The residents are this close to organising proper protests..
We have half hourly night buses with no-one on.. sent to us by TfL without consultation.. this means the people on Mead Way get night buses every 15 minutes as they turn back down. The 60's run largelyt empty off -peak and we certainly don't need 466's coming round the block just because they haven't got enough buses.
We've always had problems with the controller at Sth Croydon bus garage who delights in 'sending the boys' to turn round here probably for a bit of a laugh, certainly without care..
We get grief off the drivers when we tell them it's not a bus stand.. they pretend they've broken down then drive off 10 minutes later.. the whole place is a mess.. Coulsdon needs its own bus depot instead of 5,000 supermarkets.
They tried to get one in Ullswater Crescent a few years ago but Croydon Council refused it.. Well what a stupid thing to do.
Old Coulsdon won't be used as a massive roundabout/waiting park for double-decker buses any more.
I'm just about to organise a questionnaire/petition etc on the matter
please feel free to express your interest at info@western-pr-events.co.uk
Many Thanks”
by arriva/metrobus driver, croydon
Sunday, September 28 2008, 4:03PM
“Dear Hel Mil from south croydon.
I have drove the 466 route for both Arriva & Metrobus.
When Arriva ran the route before Metrobus they had problems to start with.This got sorted out then it got handed to Metrobus by TFL (who knows why ?) . Metrobus had problems to start with and then they started to sort things out and then it was taken away from them by TFL ( who knows why ?). It is now in the hands of Arriva again and as usual there are problems to start with. You say that they cant keep to the timetable posted?
1) timetables are only a guideline.
2) look at the buses that are being used now. Brand new buses with different rear doors than the ones on metrobus buses.Metrobus has some of these buses that are used on 127 & 405 .When they put one of these buses on the 466 the timetable went out of the window because as with the buses that Arriva use, the rear doors are extremely slow at shutting.
Oh and by the way, the comment you made about one of our drivers loosing his license because he overtook a funeral prossesion.
WRONG.
Metrobus drivers driving in excess of speed limits.
WRONG.
Please make sure brain is in gear before loosing ones mouth off.”
by Becky, Croydon
Wednesday, September 24 2008, 1:43PM
“Arriva is the best bus company in London, I dread to think of what you guys think of the others.
You can't expect everything to go smoothly when a bus operator takes over a new route - they have to hire hundreds of new staff, and get everything sorted in the garages etc. Of course there are going to be some hiccups.
I wish that the 468 (Elephant and Castle to South Croydon) was still being run by Arriva, we've had over 3 years of 'shambolic' service from the current company! Maybe you should go and do a more newsworthy report about them, i've been on 468s a couple of times when they've gotten lost and have gone down the wrong roads!
Also, TFL are responsible for the bus shelters not the bus companies. So that is irrelevant to this topic.
I travel daily on buses, with a variety of companies, and Arriva gives by far the best service. Give them a chance!”
by Kate, Caterham
Wednesday, September 24 2008, 11:53AM
“Thanks for the info Jenny, after another 25 minute wait this morning I've decided to report all problems with TFL. The more complaints they get the better!”
by jenny M, Old Coulsdon
Tuesday, September 23 2008, 9:34PM
“I have emailed London Transport with a complaint about this service which continues to date(23.09.08) to be a disservice and consistently bad. If you are a fellow passenger and are fed up with it, PLEASE contact LT and add your complaint. I have quoted exact times I've been waiting, how many buses went 'up' in this time, and how many people were waiting when it arrived. Phone: 0207 222 5600 or email enquire@tfl.gov.uk via the website. Good luck! Strength in numbers!”
by Hel Mil, South Croydon
Tuesday, September 23 2008, 8:16PM
“To Anon from Croydon Re speeding:
But how many people were killed in the 5 years that Metrobus was running the 466? None.
Yes there were 2 serious damage only accidents and one driver that lost his licence for overtaking and cutting infront of a funeral procession, but Metrobus drivers kept the passengers happy by driving at high speeds and most importantly they kept to the timetable providing a service the public could rely on.”
by anon, croydon
Tuesday, September 23 2008, 10:07AM
“if we broke the speed limit then accidents would happen. it could be a family member of yours hel mill thats gets killed by a bus or even you. limits are there for a reason”
by Hel Mill, South Croydon
Thursday, September 18 2008, 10:42PM
“I think the comments by "Negative" are spot on.
The Arriva drivers don't seem to like to drive faster than 30 mph.
Bring back the metrobus attitude of planting their foot to the floor and doing their best "Stig from Top Gear" impression!
These Arriva jobs-worths sticking to the speed limits are causing the chaos.”