https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/...ice-update

Quite a big two fingers to residents of Shilbottle from Arriva... the major roadworks have been advertised many months in advance but they've decided to only tell people two days in advance that there won't be a northbound service!

What Arriva have suggested for those travelling from the south is an almost 40 minute long diversion via Alnwick - by staying on the bus to there and then getting back on it towards Newcastle... or for those travelling from Shilbottle to Alnwick to cough up more money to use Travelsure's T01. 

Probably worth noting that passengers on the 1958 departure from Newcastle won't have the luxury of a bus heading back south from Alnwick...

Obviously there is a driver shortage at the moment, so a proper shuttle bus (as per previous years) may not be possible but that wouldn't stop Arriva from at least hiring in a minibus/taxi shuttle connecting Alnwick Leisure Centre with Shilbottle and organising ticket acceptance with Travelsure?

To be honest, why should Arriva pay for a shuttle bus that is outside of their control?

Making northbound X15 journeys double run the A1 will clearly not work, so not sure what else they can do?

Highways England should harbor the responsibility, given it is their road and they are closing the access.

(06 Oct 2021, 6:45 pm)RobinHood wrote To be honest, why should Arriva pay for a shuttle bus that is outside of their control?

Making northbound X15 journeys double run the A1 will clearly not work, so not sure what else they can do?

Highways England should harbor the responsibility, given it is their road and they are closing the access.

It may be their road, but Shilbottle residents aren't customers of the road. They're customers of the bus operator. I'd therefore suggest it is the operators responsibility to look after their customers, and perhaps they should be working with agencies such as Highways England and the local authorities, to ensure that there's an appropriate solution in place.

The name of the game at the minute seems to be to encourage people back to and build up numbers using public transport, but we really need to get out of this blame culture, if we've any chance to achieve that. As there's not an appropriate solution in place, maybe those customers from Shilbottle will switch to the car due to being unable to complete the return trip, then find that actually the car is a lot more convenient for that journey than the bus is.

Arriva have provided shuttle buses in the area on numerous occasions when junctions have been closed on the A1.

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