- Stay Connected
Socialize
Abraham Lincoln
If given the truth, the people can be depended upon to meet any national crisis...
Guildford news...
for Guildford people, brought to you by Guildford reporters - Guildford's own news service
Bus Service From Guildford Town Centre To Bellfields Reverts To Using Larger Vehicles
Published on: 15 Nov, 2017
Updated on: 18 Nov, 2017
Arriva bus company has bowed to pressure from Bellfields residents and is withdrawing the minibuses it has been using and reverting to larger vehicles in its fleet.
One of Arriva’s larger buses on the number 3 route pictured in Bellfields.
Helping Bellfields residents with their concerns has been Surrey County Councillor for Guildford North, Angela Goodwin (Lib Dem). She is also a Guildford Borough Councillor for the Friary & St Nicolas ward.
She said: “It became quite apparent in the lead up to the Surrey County Council elections just how unhappy residents were about the Arriva minibuses on the number 3 route [Guildford to Bellfields].
“As residents’ concerns increased, I received more and more complaints as their newly elected Surrey County Councillor. I got in touch with Andy Isbell, Arriva’s Guildford general manager, to set up a residents meeting that was held on June 12, where everyone had an opportunity to have their say. It was at that meeting that residents handed in their petition. Since then, I have worked with the residents and Arriva to find a solution to this issue.
Cllr Angela Goodwin.
“There were various issues that needed to be resolved, some of which are still ongoing. These main ones included: the minibuses were uncomfortable to ride on (even for the short 20-minute journey), they were frequently not on time or simply didn’t turn up, the air conditioning was less than adequate which meant passengers were overheating (for some reason the bus windows couldn’t be opened to let in air), concerns were raised about the suitable access for passengers with disabilities or buggies / prams (the bus drivers were meant to get out the bus to put up a ramp when needed, but didn’t always do so), and general customer service by the drivers.
“On November 2, I received a phone call from Mr Isbell who explained that Arriva had taken the decision to revert back to the bigger buses on this route and residents were informed of this decision at a public meeting on Monday, November 6. This is a great success for the residents.
“Arriva has acknowledged that they have alienated many residents on Bellfields and genuinely want to make amends. They plan to engage with residents with future route developments and changes, which is a positive step in the right direction.
“As well as introducing new ticketing machines to improve efficiency and data collection, Arriva’s 126 drivers will continue to have ‘customer service’ training.
“Well done to everyone involved!”
Share This Post
Responses to Bus Service From Guildford Town Centre To Bellfields Reverts To Using Larger Vehicles
Leave a Comment Please see our comments policy. All comments are moderated and may take time to appear.
See Dragon story: GBC’s Explanation of Major Land Sale Notice Error ‘Borders on Arrogant’ Says Councillor
Jim Allen
November 15, 2017 at 8:55 am
This seems to be looking at the problem from the wrong angle. Surely running large buses with more pollution when the additional seats aren’t needed. There is no criticism regarding seating capacity.
The problem is not with the bus’s size but the way they are equipped and how the staff behaved. Having used the Caribbean mini-buses they range from the downright uncomfortable to extremely luxurious. Perhaps the rational answer is keep the same size bus, retrain the drivers and bring in a better level of comfort.
Angela Goodwin
November 16, 2017 at 7:38 am
Mr Allen is right. There is no doubt that many passengers who use Arriva’s number 3 bus route would also agree with you and understand that this is the way forward. Many local bus companies have already introduced smaller buses onto their routes for business viability and emission control reasons. But there are specific reasons why passengers wanted the bigger buses reinstated on this route.
Arriva introduced three minibuses into the Guildford fleet in April 2017. Two of them were identified for the #3 bus route which ran through Bellfields, Stoke Hill and the town centre as this route wasn’t financially viable using their larger vehicles. The minibuses were bought “off the shelf” and had a “van base suspension”. It became clear very early on to passengers that they were not appropriate for this route for the following reasons:
• whilst it is a relatively short route, passengers had very uncomfortable journeys;
• access was an issue particularly to anyone who needed additional help (for example, our elderly and people with visible or hidden disabilities) as the bus driver had to physically get out of the bus to manually place a ramp between the bus and the pavement;
• in hot weather, the air conditioning system struggled to work. The windows couldn’t be opened so passengers effectively ‘over-heated’ during their journey.
Unfortunately, Arriva Guildford doesn’t have a large range of buses within their fleet; they have their large buses and three minibuses. That’s it. This meant that the only option available to Arriva was to reinstate the larger buses.
Residents also complained about the timetabling of the bus service; some buses literally never turned up so passengers didn’t know when their next bus would turn up. The level of customer service across bus drivers varied from one driver to the next – there was no consistency with good customer service.
Fortunately, there is now an open ‘two-way dialogue’ between Arriva Guildford and its passengers. Arriva is listening and doing what it can to make improvements to its overall service.
Finally, Arriva is introducing the minibus model to other areas around the country so it will be interesting to see if their passengers have the same feedback as ours.
Angela Goodwin is the County Councillor for Guildford North