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248 BUS ROUTE

For regular 248 bus users, the following observation from a regular reader may strike a chord:   ‘The 248 bus to Cranham in the late evenings (after 8pm or so) seem to be less punctual than hitherto. I am concerned about this not so much because of the longer wait (although that is hardly welcome) but because women and older persons might be worried waiting so long in the dark and fewer people are taking the bus as a result (either walking as I am or taking a taxi) which could lead to the argument being made that there is no demand for the service in the late evenings'.

We raised the matter with the Bus Operator (Go Ahead) and the following is their response:

‘ We realise that many of our services can be affected by various unforeseen occurrences, and timetables are planned to take instances of disruption into account. Each driver has a schedule for their journey, which we expect them to adhere to as closely as possible.  However, delays can, and do occur.

Upon investigation, the Road Manager responsible for the operation of route 248 can confirm that the frequency reduces from 8 minutes to 15 minutes between 19.00 and 20.00hrs. Although we have had not had any other complaints about the 248 evening reliablity, the Road Manager will get our mobile controller to make visits to Cranham during the evening'.

 27.11.07