(09 May 2021, 2:43 pm)Ambassador wrote Let’s be honest here, nobody outside this group cares about the missed mileage, vehicle presentation or awful on board musical choices.

And why? Because these are barely used tendered routes used by low socio economic folk and of no economic value to anyone. They could complain but the routes are a nuisance, they don’t generate enough profit and in honesty the users are less likely to vocalise their complain.

It’s not right but it’s a sad truth.

I'd argue those routes are just as important, if not more so than just about any commercial route, and having access to a reliable bus service is probably even more important for those 'low socio economic folk'. If my bus doesn't turn up and I need to be somewhere, I can easily afford to just get a taxi, or call someone for a lift. If that happens to somebody who doesn't have a lot of money, and doesn't have someone who can give them a lift at the drop of a hat, then they're up a creek!

What if the place they needed to get to was a hospital appointment, or even a job interview which would potentially allow them to afford to live somewhere better. Their entire existence basically depends on a lazy GCT driver not thinking "fuck it, they're just poor people, I need to get back early for me tea so I'll just miss out that estate"

Having said that, I was in some iffy looking estate Darlington yesterday picking something up from Marketplace, and I'd happily let the people I saw be cut off from the rest of us!