Written evidence from J Heyburn (BUS 70)

I do not think Southend is being affected by changes in bus services, but I think some aspects could be improved?
 

· The buses are usually late, sometimes ten minutes or later. I have had to get a bus forty-five minutes earlier than I normally would to get to school on time. You may think this is strange, but there is a large gap when there are no buses: so it is either early or late.

· The bus drivers usually treat the young people that travel on the bus with what seems like disgust: some are kicked off (usually after school - there is only one bus that goes into Leigh-on-Sea that goes past our school (Southend High School for Boys), so there is usually a competition over seats, which is understandable, no-one would like to stand up for over half an hour on a stuffy, hot bus - when the bus driver doesn't seem to want to have around fifty customers each paying at least £1.20), they say it is because we are pushing, but if adults were pushing they would not think of telling them to get off.

Young people are often over charged, we do not bring it up to them otherwise we will not be allowed on.

March 2011

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