News / Transport
Gathering evidence on Bristol’s ‘ghost buses’
A Bristol MP has launched a “citizen science project” and is calling on his constituents to help him gather the evidence he needs to hold bus companies to account.
Darren Jones has made a name for himself in recent years chairing committee sessions in the House of Commons where his forensic interrogations of business leaders have gone viral.
The MP is now asking bus passengers whose journeys start in Bristol North West are asked to visit darren-jones.co.uk/bus and share whether each of their journeys was on time, delayed or a ‘ghost bus’ that was shown on an app or digital screen but never arrived.
is needed now More than ever
That feeling when you have just missed the bus and don’t know for how long you will have to wait for the next one to arrive – photo: Martin Booth
Jones said: “For as long as I’ve been politically active in Bristol North West, which is more than a decade now, problems with bus services has been one of the biggest local concerns.
“My constituents don’t live in remote rural communities – they are residents of one of the UK’s biggest cities and deserve a well-oiled public transport system.”
Jones said that the main driver behind the project was to put a claim made by First Bus that reliability will improve from April to the test.
It follows a recent announcement by the West of England Combined Authority and First Bus to introduce ‘turn-up-and-go’ frequency at peak times on routes that serve Bristol North West including in Horfield and Lockleaze.
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Read more: London-style frequency to be introduced on key bus routes
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Jones added: “Constituents who have seen me scrutinise big businesses in my committee sessions in Parliament will know that I am always happy to stand up for the customers who rely on their services.
“I want to bring that scrutiny to my fight to improve bus services in Bristol North West, but I need the public’s help to gather the data that will show if the bus companies need to be held to account.
“Nothing would make me happier than to discover that the reliability of our buses is moving in the right direction. But let’s see what the data reveals.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- First Bus boss on the state of Bristol’s bus services
- Passengers share experiences after bus cuts
- South Bristol will become ‘bus desert’ after service cuts
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