Published: Monday 20th June 2016 | 4.36pm
Cannock Chase Council have expressed disappointment at the downgrade of the Arriva Cannock-Pye Green circular 25/26 bus service.
In October 2014 Arriva launched a much needed fleet of seven new vehicles for the popular 25/26 Cannock-Hednesford-Pye Green circular service.
However, more recently it has become apparent that these vehicles are no longer operating services in the District.
Councillor Gordon Alcott Economic Development and Planning Portfolio Leader said: “Having tried to work with Arriva positively on the concerns raised by passengers and having been invited to the launch event in October 2014 for the new buses, it is of great disappointment that without any prior consultation with the Council, Arriva have reallocated these new buses to Leicester and replaced them with much older buses.
In addition, Arriva have recently reduced the frequency of the service from every 12 minutes to every 15 minutes. This is very disappointing and once again raises the commitment by Arriva to bus services in the District. This reflects a continuing pattern of new buses and services introduced in the District being relocated and withdrawn after short periods.
Arriva is virtually the monopoly provider of local bus services in the District and with that comes responsibility to passengers and local authorities.”
The new buses launched in 2014 represented a badly needed £1.1M investment in the Cannock fleet and were a big improvement on the older buses they replaced.
Prior to the introduction of the new fleet, District Councillors were receiving regular complaints about the increasing age of the Arriva buses in Cannock, breakdowns, reliability, lack of heating in the Winter and general lack of investment.
Meetings had been held with Arriva to express these concerns and assurances given by Arriva that they were committed to serving the District. The new fleet of buses was launched following these meetings and the Arriva Midlands West Director at the time said “We’re proud to deliver these high quality vehicles to our customers on route 25/26 who are now able to enjoy their journeys in even greater comfort, with the added benefit of travelling in a more environmentally friendly way.”