Letter: Let’s Hear It for Our Bus Services

Published on: 3 Oct, 2024
Updated on: 3 Oct, 2024

Passengers boarding a No. 35 bus at Guildford Bus Station

From Mark Worley

I am the Chairman of the North West Surrey Bus Users Group, which covers Woking, Runnymede, Elmbridge and Spelthorne, not Guildford, but I am a Guildford resident and a frequent bus user.

I’ve become increasingly frustrated in reading, mostly on social media, how awful Guildford’s bus service is so I’m writing to try and refute that.

For a town of its size, and given relatively high car ownership, the town actually has a pretty good service. I would qualify that only by saying that it would be unreasonable to expect bus services to replicate every journey that can be made by car either at all or perhaps without a change of bus.

The bus station – tired but still functional. Photo Mandy Millyard

Generally speaking our main bus services have a 20 minute frequency, sometimes better, daytime with perhaps a half hourly or hourly service in the evening and on Sundays. Some other routes serving less populous areas are less frequent.

Take a look here to see your local bus timetable.

We have a number of bus operators all of a good or very good standard and all doing their best to provide a good service despite the challenges of traffic congestion in the town.

With the exception of Safeguard, whose fares are low anyway, all are participating in the government £2 single fare cap. In my opinion both this and other period ticket offers, also the Surrey Link Card (half fares for 20-year-olds and under), offer good value for money.

Yes, the bus station is tired but it is well situated and fulfils the purpose of interchange between routes. A new one is on its way soon as part of the North Street development!

Despite financial challenges Surrey County Council does a decent job, compared to many other shire counties, in providing socially necessary bus services which cannot be run at a profit and in maintaining bus stop information.

There’s never been a better time to give the bus a try!