Stagecoach says changes are planned as bus passengers call for improvements
Councillor Alison Foden regularly uses the number 2 service and says she worries people will increasingly rely on cars without improvements
Stagecoach has told us it's planning 'changes' in the coming weeks, after complaints from passengers about having to stand on the Number 2 service, or not even being able to get on
Dawlish Councillor Alison Foden, who gave up her car for environmental reasons and uses the bus to head to work in Exeter, has written to MD Peter Knight calling for increased capacity on the route, which also stops in Newton Abbot.
She said: "Last week I spoke to a distressed resident who is frequently unable to travel on the Number 2, because when the bus reaches the bus-stop, all the seats are taken and with people already having to stand.
"She stated that she was unable to stand when travelling on a bus, so was forced to wait at least half an hour for the next bus.
"It is not fair for passengers who due to their age or health and unable to travel standing are left at bus-stops, unable to travel, because a single deck vehicle has been sent instead of a double-deck vehicle.
"Excluding these passengers from travelling will not help increase the number of people travelling on the Number 2 bus route.
"It is not fair on passengers who pay for a bus ticket to travel, only to then be forced to stand for the journey.
"The second letter that I wrote to Peter Knight, the managing director of Stagecoach Devon calls for double deck vehicles on the Number 2 bus route - 30 seats on the new electric single deck vehicles is not enough
"Last week I experienced a stressful journey home to Dawlish from work in Exeter. While the bus that arrived at my Exeter city centre bus-stop looked a smart new electric vehicle, the seats were virtually all taken when it arrived. This meant that 20 people had to stand for the next 20 minutes to Exminster, and there were still people standing because all of the seats were occupied when the bus arrived in the centre of Dawlish.
"It's great that electric vehicles are now being used on the number 2 bus route, but it's bad news and distressing for passengers when the seating capacity is further reduced because of the interior design of these new buses. Having standing swing rails is good for buses used in city centres, but not for vehicles driving long distance at speeds higher than 30 mph, especially on country roads.
"For the number 2 bus route that serves the towns of Newton Abbot, Teignmouth and Dawlish, plus the large village of Exminster and the villages of Kenton, Starcross and Kingsteignton, a single deck bus with only 30 seats at less than 30 minutes frequency is not good.
"We are not going to attract more people to using the bus if the likelihood of having to stand for the journey is very high. It is not good that the new electric single deck vehicles have only 30 seats; the other usual single deck vehicles have a much higher seating capacity."
What has the bus firm said in response?
A Stagecoach spokesperson said: “We’re aware of some fleet allocation issues affecting Service 2 and we are sorry to any customers who have been inconvenienced.
“Where a double-decker is not available, we’re currently using a full-size single-decker vehicle, while prioritising double-deckers for our busiest journeys, including commuter and school and college services.
“There are a few fleet changes planned over the coming weeks which will enable us to allocate more double-deckers to Service 2. We’re also reviewing current vehicle allocations to ensure the available capacity is being used as effectively as possible.
“We have no plans to increase the frequency of Service 2 at present, due to a six-month trial last year generating very little additional demand.
“We’ll continue to monitor demand and capacity closely and make changes where they are operationally and financially sustainable.”