The Random Thread

[JanB]

he gave me some petrol money yesterday! He can't be well.

[Kaz]

[JoM]

Blimey Crommers

[JoM]

So annoyed about the bus service around here! We're unfortunately in an area where only Arriva operate. The county council are going to stop subsidising the evening and Sunday services so Arriva have decided to cut all evening services and will close the Cannock depot on Sundays from April, meaning there won't be any buses running at all. It's not just affecting Cannock but Stafford too. People rely on the buses for work; hospital staff at Stafford, Walsall Manor and New Cross at Wolverhampton use them, as do retail workers, and among the services being cut are the ones to Walsall and Wolverhampton. People use them to visit family and friends in hospital. We're not an affluent area and there are a number of households which don't own a car.

I was talking to a driver this morning and he didn't know about it until he read it in the local free paper, which not everyone gets. He started work on Monday morning unaware that fares had increased from that morning. He sounded very pee'd off with the company, he said that they're making a large profit yet the service gets worse.

[Kaz]

That's awful Jo! The buses here on the whole are good, Stagecoach Gold on many routes, and very frequent, the route I use is every 10 minutes! I've noticed though that they've cut a few school services in the last year or so

[JanB]

Just taxed the car - 144€

[JanB]

That's the ironing done

Really must do some cleaning, but that can wait until tomorrow

[saundra]

I live quite away from a bus route we've never had buses from town after 5or a Sunday service seems like a ghost town here every one uses taxi we have no choice

[Kaz]

That's rotten Saundra!

[JoM]

Saundra, that's terrible.

For anyone here relying on buses to get to and from Stafford, the alternative of a return journey by taxi would cost around £40 and it'd be around the same to go from here to Wolverhampton. For a teenager doing a weekend job that'd wipe out their wages for a Sunday. Well, it'd be a lot for anyone to lose out of their wages.
Someone has started a petition and has over 800 signatures. Gavin Williamson is our MP, he's been contacted and has requested a meeting with the chief executive of the county council.