Stagecoach says Gloucestershire Council also to blame for bus cuts

Bus users have expressed frustration with Stagecoach West in recent weeks

A bus operator that is reducing its services has said the council shares the blame for the loss of routes.

Stagecoach West has said Gloucestershire County Council was partly to blame for the bus cuts which were likely to affect the "most vulnerable" people in society.

It said the council had dragged its feet organising replacement contracts.

The council has rejected the claim and said it was the operator's "commercial" decision that had led to the cuts.

Stagecoach West announced last week that some services delivering more than 300,000 journeys a year would be cancelled, preventing people from accessing work, school, hospital appointments and leisure activities The Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The first of these cuts are set to take place from 20 November with more cuts starting on November 27.

Stagecoach West managing director, Rachel Geliamassi, said: "We are very disappointed that Gloucestershire County Council has effectively tried to wash its hands of its share of responsibility for delivering public transport to local communities in the region.

"We have tried to engage with the local authority for months to work in partnership to make the best of a very difficult set of challenges largely outside our control."

She told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: "There have been some protracted conversations behind the scenes working with Gloucestershire County Council to work out what happens with that network.

"We didn't want to publicly make promises to the customers that wouldn't be delivered.

"We're confident by reducing our network we can bring certainty to 97% of customers across Gloucestershire who can expect a service that was like pre-pandemic."

She apologised for the frustration caused by the situation but added this "will be a turning point for Gloucestershire".

'Like a divorce'

Ms Geliamassi said the local authority could have put fresh contracts out to tender from mid-August, but instead she said they had "dragged" their feet.

A Gloucestershire County Council spokesperson said Ms Geliamassi's claim was "factually incorrect".

The spokesperson said: "Just as you cannot get remarried until your divorce paperwork is finalised, we cannot reprocure bus routes before the existing contract is terminated.

"Stagecoach formally handed back the contracts on Friday October 8 and we went straight out to reprocure on Monday October 10.

"The decision to cut these routes was Stagecoach's alone to make as a commercial business.

"Since we were first told about the Stagecoaches cuts, we have worked tirelessly to get this decision reversed.

"Unfortunately, our efforts to convince Stagecoach senior leaders to explore a different solution, one that did not leave communities isolated and cut off from vital services, education, and employment, were unsuccessful.

"We have acted without hesitation to try to get these routes picked up by other operators where possible.

"For Stagecoach to stoke further concern and worry amongst our communities is damaging, misleading and disappointing'."

Stagecoach leaders are due to meet councillor Philip Robinson and Colin Chick, executive director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, at the end of next week.

The operator said it hoped the meeting would be an opportunity to "reset" relationships with the council.

Stagecoach West hopes a meeting will reset its relationship with the council after it cut services.

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