Bus user left stranded twice (From Watford Observer)
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Bus user left stranded twice
5:20pm Monday 6th February 2012 in News
A bus passenger has found himself stranded in Rickmansworth in the middle of the night twice after his regular lift home never arrived.
Gary Freeth catches the Arriva 320 bus from Rickmansworth to Watford, which is supposed to pick customers up at Rickmansworth Station at 11.17pm.
However, he said that on January 12, and February 2, the bus never arrived, leaving him stranded in the town with no way to get home to Watford.
Mr Freeth said: “Twice in the last three weeks this bus has not arrived and this is the last bus to go from Rickmansworth.
“After standing at the stop and waiting until quarter to midnight for the bus in the freezing cold it didn't turn up.
“My daughter gets the very same bus and on its outward journey from Watford she and one other passenger were told that they would have to get off before the end off the route.
“Because the driver was turning around and going back to Watford, my daughter had to walk from Rickmansworth town centre to Mill End at 10.50pm.”
Linsey Frostick, from Arriva, said the most recent incident was caused by a faulty engine.
She said: “On February 2, there was a problem with the bus. The driver switched off the engine at Berry Lane and unfortunately the vehicle wouldn’t start.
“The driver knew there would be someone waiting because he had given the last bus times to a passenger earlier in the evening.
“The vehicle was not able to be restarted for some time and the driver did not get back to the garage until 12.30am.
“However, according to the records from the ticket machines, the service operated on time and picked up three people in Rickmansworth on January 12, two people at 11.15pm and one person at 11.17pm.”
Comments(17)
G_Whiz
says...
10:20pm Mon 6 Feb 12
When companies have a monopoly service can sometimes slip!
Andrew1963
says...
10:33pm Mon 6 Feb 12
Vicar*o*rage
says...
11:13pm Mon 6 Feb 12
Reg Edit
says...
8:06am Tue 7 Feb 12
What I'm trying to say is, buses are no better or worse now than they were then. Buses are buses and they will always let you down sometimes.
As for Thatcher, she saved this country from the unions who were trying to destroy it. For that, we must be eternally grateful. What we need now is another Thatcher to save us from the EU.
smalon
says...
9:42am Tue 7 Feb 12
Falklands war on the horizon - check.
Trying to privatise anything they can - check.
Saving us from the EU - che oh wait.
Vicar*o*rage
says...
9:54am Tue 7 Feb 12
Screwing the sick, the poor, the elderly - check.
Can't destroy industry, because Thatcher already did it
Reg Edit
says...
9:54am Tue 7 Feb 12
Makes IDS seem like a good choice for leader after all, when you compare the two.
It's a shame our placeman, Harrington, is in much the same mould and would support Cameron in anything without recourse to principles. A true politician, a poor MP for Watford and the UK.
garston tony
says...
10:04am Tue 7 Feb 12
Not saying bus services are brilliant but no need to make something out of nothing.
And what does Thatcher have to do with this?! If you're a labour supporter what did they do with their 13 years in power? Create the conditions in this country to allow the biggest recession since the 20's. Check. Do nothing to support industry. Check. Pump billions into the NHS which mostly was wasted. Check. Not improve education standards. Check. Not improve public transport. Check. Allow immigration both legal and illegal to get out of hand. Check. Sign treaties tying us ever closer to the EU. Check. Allow the human rights act to become something for criminals to hide behind. Check. Since losing power continually being hypocritical by ignoring the mess they created .Check. And so on… Check
luther blissett
says...
11:33am Tue 7 Feb 12
I am not a political person as they are all as bad as each other, but I have noticed it is always the Labour supporters who are ready to criticise the other side, rather than the other way round.
Andrew1963
says...
1:23pm Tue 7 Feb 12
jennernick
says...
2:07pm Tue 7 Feb 12
arriva need to be investigated for the abismal service and teach their call centre staff in luton how to treat customers and not brand them all liars
G_Whiz
says...
2:36pm Tue 7 Feb 12
Don't mention Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Wars, Mass immigration and the lost Billions!
Vote UKIP! - are we allowed to say that, or is it classed as advertising?
Vicar*o*rage
says...
6:26pm Tue 7 Feb 12
gaza1962
says...
5:42pm Fri 10 Feb 12
So when people are told to get off the bus in Rickmansworth ( a few times now ) and the driver turns goes back to Watford does the bus have a fault?,
If it does the surely it can not be safe to be driven back to the garage.
and the bus was turned off and did not start, turned off in the freezing cold weather, ye right.
gaza1962
says...
5:48pm Fri 10 Feb 12
If my daughter is asked to leave the bus before the end off its journey, she will be calling me from the the bus and i will be straight down to the bus to see what the problem is!
gaza1962
says...
6:03pm Fri 10 Feb 12
Spott on
Its all Bull s** from Arriva.
Herts County are aware off this problem now and they are keeping track on how things go.
Harry Caine says...
6:40pm Mon 6 Feb 12