People before profits. Stop Rearranging Stagecoach Devon Services

Despite pre-tax profits of £44.1 million, Stagecoach have decided to re-arrange Services from Barnstaple to Exeter via Tiverton by removing bus 155; and adding extra services to cover Barnstaple to Southmolton, and Southmolton to Tiverton.

They have also changed the bus between Southmolton and Tiverton to service 346 and reduced the number of services in a day, from 9 to 7 - removing these vital bus journeys needed for workers and College students living in the rural areas between these destinations.

This is against the transformation of bus services, simpler fares, thousands of new buses, improved routes and higher frequencies promised by the PM in 'Bus Back Better: national bus strategy for England'. We request that all cuts to this service are stopped and services returned. A Case Study - a student at Exeter College living between Barnstable and Tiverton will now have to leave home at 6.15 to get to College by 9 and will have to wait around for over 1 hour for College to start. A similar wait will happen on return which means they won't get home until 19.40pm.
This will further negatively impact on students with support needs whose safety has not been considered in this decision and whose safety will be compromised leaving home in darkness and returning home in darkness. There will be many such cases across the area the former 155 service covers. The worst but very real scenario is that passengers are being made vulnerable by this decision.

Our Campaign for Change will make sure Bus Services are returned to their previous times and routes so individuals can travel freely and safely. People before profits. Stop Rearranging Services. Keep and make users safe.