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Mass rally over state of Bristol’s bus services
A Brislington mum is taking action over the city’s bus woes in a true Bristol fashion.
Sick of continual delays and cancellations making every journey a nightmare, Frankie Langeland decided to organise a mass protest against First Bus, and is fast gaining widespread public support.
Frankie says the service’s failings have got worse than ever in recent months and she has been forced to breastfeed her six-month-old daughter on the side of the road because of delays that have seen her wait 45 minutes for a bus from Brislington to Clifton.
is needed now More than ever
Frankie has been forced to feed her six-month-old daughter at the side of the road because buses have failed to turn up
She complained to First, but was angered by the limited feedback and lack of apology from the company, where noone seemed willing to take responsibility – so she resorted to direct action and set up a Facebook event page calling for people to gather in protest.
Frankie has since been inundated with message from other passengers affected by the problems.
“Lots of people were late every day for work and school, others were missing hospital appointments. These aren’t just inconveniences – they’re having a real negative impact on people’s lives,” she says.
“Personally, I’m travelling with a very young baby, if I take the pushchair I won’t get on the bus at all, so I have to carry her and her stuff for nursery. Rush hour is just awful.
“When I then get stuck outside for almost an hour having to feed her on the side of the road I feel awful. I don’t have any other choice though and neither do other passengers. First Bus can charge what they want for a substandard service because people have to keep using them.”
James Freeman has apologised to passengers
Responding to the criticism, James Freeman, the managing director of First Bus, said: “On behalf of First I’d like to apologise personally for the problems that our customers are experiencing while the company is recovering from a brief but severe driver shortage.”
He explained that recruitment was slow over the summer, while the need for bus drivers has increased with the launch of Metrobus and new routes – a situation he says is now improving.
But the First boss also blamed the city’s congestion problems.
“A lot of the disruption actually results from the very severe traffic congestion that is now an everyday occurrence across the West of England,” said Freeman.
“Our roads are so busy that the slightest thing can result in long delays. This has just as bad an effect on our services as the staff shortages – and to a large extent the solution is out of our hands.
“We are already seeing a marked improvement in performance this week and we anticipate that we will return to normal over the coming few weeks.
“The traffic – and congestion – is another matter, but in the meantime we ask customers please not to abuse our drivers; they’re doing a difficult job in very challenging times.”
Frankie has welcomed a response from First, but argues that any company running an important service in a major city needs to have planning skills and the ability to recruit and retain staff.
She would like to see Bristol buses nationalised and says Bristol City Council should be using its power to “hold First Bus accountable for this mess”. Frankie has also made it clear that the criticism isn’t of drivers – but those in power.
The protest will take place at College Green on Saturday, November 24 from 12pm. Frankie hopes the protest will bring people in from across the city to show the size of the problem.
“I know Bristol has lots of demonstrations, but I hope this one will attract people who don’t normally come to them,” she adds.
“Buses are used by vulnerable people as well as commuters. We all need to demand a decent service.”
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