Stagecoach West are leaving their customers without services and it is impacting everyone, from keyworkers to elderly to wheelchair users. 

Services that run from Swindon bus station are just one of the areas in the west that are affected. The aim of this petition is to get Stagecoach West to liaise with Swindon bus company, who also run services in and around Swindon, to see what plan can be put into place, whilst stagecoach west resolve their operational issues. 

Cancelling busses isn't nice for anyone but the worse hit are wheelchair users because it is only one wheelchair per bus, and if a bus is cancelled this means that not only is the person at risk of falling unwell, it also means their is a 50% chance they cannot board the next bus hence meaning they are left at the bus stop even longer in all weather, and this is off putting for wheelchair users using the bus service, which is their only form of accessible transport. 

Others affected are keyworkers - carers, medical staff, retail staff, who all rely on public transport to get to and from work, and some employers have to let their staff go if they are late too many times, and as a result people may loose their only source of income

I could list all the groups affected, the bus route I'm referring to the most is the 55 service, which runs from Swindon to Chippenham, this service is cancelled regularly and without much notice from the bus company.

Whenever a service with stagecoach west is cancelled, it is posted on the firm's Twitter feed, which is not practical as everyone does not have access to the Internet, and also not everyone uses the app. The majority of customers are not very happy with the service provided by stagecoach west.

Operational problems, is one of the reasons given for the patchy service, along with roadworks and the impact of Brexit on the labour market

Stagecoach West managing director Rachel Geliamass apologised and said: “We are currently running 96 per cent of our usual service levels in Wiltshire but appreciate how frustrating cancellations are. “We are experiencing a number of well documented challenges as we emerge from the pandemic and begin to see the effects of Brexit on the employment market.

"We currently have more drivers in our recruitment system than we have a shortage of. However, a mounting backlog in vocational licences being processed by the DVLA is delaying these drivers from getting on the road.  “Whilst it is likely that these challenges will continue for some time, we are working hard to alleviate the pressures on our network and are prioritising school and commuter services.

"Regrettably, we are still having to make some tough decisions over service cancellations due to short notice sickness, for which we can only apologise."