Victory for 466 bus campaigners
By Jolene Hill
jolene.hill@essnmedia.co.uk
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NOT HAPPY: Campaigners hand their petition to Cllr Steve O'Connell CCRKS021208D09
Months of campaigning for an improved 466 bus service have finally paid off with a promise of extra buses on the route.
Old Coulsdon and Caterham passengers have been complaining about service levels since Arriva took the 466 over from Metrobus, on August 30.
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Their particular gripes include how the bus terminates early at The Tudor Rose pub in Old Coulsdon, instead of continuing to Caterham-on-the-Hill.
They also complain about having to wait 20 or even 40 minutes on a bus which is supposed to arrive every 12 minutes.
And last week London Assembly member, Councillor Steve O'Connell, was presented with an 800-name petition calling for improvements.
He will give it to London mayor Boris Johnson, next month.
But this week, Transport for London revealed measures to improve the service were already being drawn-up following a barrage of complaints from unhappy customers.
The extra buses – TfL has not revealed how many there will be - will not increase the frequency on the route.
They will be used as reserves to boost late-running services to reduce waiting times and to stop the service terminating early.
A TfL spokesperson told The Advertiser: "From January 17, 2009 additional buses will serve the route to allow more time for buses to complete their journeys and improve reliability.
"We will continue to monitor the performance of route 466 and work with Arriva to ensure that the route provides a good service for passengers."
Comments
by Mrs Brooks, Old Coulsdon
Friday, December 12 2008, 6:24PM
“We are delighted with the results of the campaign. It goes to show that you can do something to help your local community if you want to.
We too are going to wait and see how the new timetable and extra buses run. Unfortunately no one has actually said they will stop turning the buses round earlier for definate. If this practice continues we will do what we can to put a stop to it. After all for many of us this is the only bus we have and its abysmal service at the moment is upsetting a lot of people. There is also one particular driver who was so rude to passengers the other day because they were complaining to me at having waited 40 minuites for the bus. He also kept shouting at passengers to 'get behind the yellow line' etc. It was not the passengers faults they had to wait so long for a bus that it was crammed full. I am not saying it was the drivers fault either, but he has to understand that whilst he was sitting on his bus warm passengers were kept in the freezing cold for those 40 minuites. So yes people will moan at the driver in these circumstances and talk about it between themselves.
BTW if the 'pot head' who was trying to light a joint whilst on the downstairs of the bus yesterday reads this, if I am not afraid of Arriva I am certainly not afraid of your silly threats when I told you off for lighting your joint. And why the hell didn't the driver of the bus call the police?!!!!! Too afraid maybe?”
by wardi, Caterham
Tuesday, December 09 2008, 1:08PM
“WELL DONE FOLKS!!!!
Let's all wait and see if the service ACTUALLY improve, eh?”
by Autochthony, Croydon
Tuesday, December 09 2008, 6:03AM
“Good news.
Inlarge part thanks to those who have not been content with a shoddy service - weel done those folk!
Now, let's hope the service does actually improve; too many 'announcements' over the last decade have been 'eye-catching' - but have had no effect at all.
Sometimes things have got worse; do you remember Mr Blair's 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime' mantra?
And the wave of violent crime we're engulfed with now?
Bring back hanging, I say!”