I did feel the need to try and get some response from Stagecoach as to why they has changed ALL the 220 buses to go via the airport as they go into and out of town. I did also copy my email to local MPs and the P&J. The P&J seem keen to print something about this, but we will just wait and see. This is a copy of what I sent to Satgecoach on Thursday 28th Sepetember, and have so far had no response to:
Dear Sir / Madam
I am sure that will already have had numerous comments about your changes to the 220 bus timetable. I am sure that those people leaving Aberdeen after a days work or school (i.e. the majority of people on the already full bus) will be looking forward to a longer bus ride home which will take them via Aberdeen Airport. This will mean that people coming to Kemnay will take approximately one and a half hours to get home. Do you consider this is acceptable for a school child? Do to you think that it will encourage people to use the bus or, more probably, people will be turning to a shorter travel time alternative of getting a car, if they are able to.
I am in the fortunate position of being able to choose which type of transport I use. I use the bus in order to avoid more traffic on the road. I have appreciated the extra bus that you have put on in the morning so that I ma able to leave Kemnay at around 6am and be in the office at BP Dyce (i.e. involving a change to Aberdeen local buses) by approximately 7. This journey time will of course now be increased by an extra 30 minutes, unless you have changed you route to go via the whole of Dyce, rather than continuing on the existing route into town which is already serviced by many other buses, yours and others?
Now in the evening, however I will have to catch the 17:01 at Bucksburn and be in Kemnay for 18:00 as we will go via both the airport and Kintore! That is an hour just to do a journey of approximately 15 to 20 minutes direct. This for me will mean a total journey time of one and three quarter hours! I am very sorry to say that I expect there will be an extra car on the Aberdeenshire roads every day. Your buses can't even offer me the option of using the train via Inverurie at 06:50, as the first bus gets there at 07:20, i.e. half an hour before the next train.
Please explain to me why you have made your journey times so much longer and more inconvenient?
I have just been studying my timetable for the 220 bus more closely and I see that between 11:30 and 14:00 there is now a bus every half an hour, this is excellent. Between 15:30 and 17:30 there is a bus every hour. Does this change in the timetable mean that workers and school children are now more likely to work half days and to return home at the beginning of the afternoon?
Frustration with the buses :(
Frustration with the Buses!
Further to Peter's post the P&J posted the above which now has some interesting comments
I would just like to add, I found this comment particularly interesting:
I admire you Peter for even trying to make it fit, and be green etc.. but I really don't think this fits for any of us, whether working a 9-5 job or trying to fit in city visits between our school childrens in/out times - then we can't afford to be late for other reasons as our children are told they cannot go home with anyone else!
Having been stuck in the traffic once I don't intend to even try it again despite what they would like and although the money argument would be pretty compelling, even it's not everything, children come first!