A councillor has slammed the “rotten” service of Arriva’s 320 buses, claiming drivers intentionally take the wrong route and miss a number of bus stops.
Councillor for Penn and Mill End, Sarah Nelmes, said Arriva’s 320 bus drivers regularly miss out roads Tudor Way and Church Lane in Rickmansworth, missing several bus stops listed on their timetable, instead opting to go through Field Way.
She said: “They know what they’re doing, and they’re avoiding the roads, probably in order to save time or make up for lost time if they’re running late.
“It’s not fair to those waiting at the bus stops. These aren’t necessarily residents able to find another way home. These are often elderly ladies waiting over 40 minutes in the cold to get the bus, and it’s unacceptable.
“A lot of these residents aren’t the kind of people that can just call a cab if the bus doesn’t turn up – they don’t have that kind of money.
“It’s rotten service and residents deserve better.”
Cllr Nelmes also said the issue has been going on for years, albeit infrequently, adding: “Every so often we have to address it, then Arriva fix the issue for a period before the drivers inevitably start missing the stops again.
“We’re trying to find the relevant person in charge and sit down in a meeting and explain the situation to them. We’re also trying to get an FOI (Freedom of Information) out on the route drivers take – they have trackers in their buses so they do know.”
An Arriva spokesperson said: “All complaints about our drivers or routes are taken very seriously and are dealt with in line with company policy, with the aim of stopping the reoccurrence of such incidents. We are more than happy to meet with Councillor Sarah Nelmes to discuss.”
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