Anger at 'unreliable' buses after depot closure

The closure of a bus depot has caused a "tenfold increase" in complaints about bus routes and reliability, a council leader said.

Redcar and Cleveland Council Labour leader Alec Brown said the closure of Arriva's depot in Dormanstown has seen staff move to a different base in Stockton.

He said in the last two weeks "cancellations have gone through the roof" and he has been told the bus company is having to bring get emergency staff in.

A spokesperson for Arriva apologised for the disruption but said driver availability "was already a problem in the area before recent operational changes".

Brown said passengers need answers about what is happening.

"People have been stranded, old people are missing medical appointments, some people are choosing to stay in because they are not convinced they are going to get home," he said.

The council leader said he and local Labour MPs Anna Turley and Luke Myers had sent a joint letter to the regional Traffic Commissioner expressing their concerns.

Independent councillor Barry Hunt told the Local Democracy Reporting Service Arriva were a "law unto themselves.

He said: "There are people wanting to get to work from our way and they are just left waiting for a bus."

Arriva said a small number of drivers had chosen to leave the business but this was not the main cause of the problem.

"There is no vehicle or wider operational issue behind this and there's been no decision to reduce or change the services we operate," Arriva said.

"Our commitment to the service we provide in the area is unchanged."

Drivers from other regions are joining the North East team and the company has moved a small number of services to nearby depots to ease the short-term pressure.

Arriva said it has invested in 34 new vehicles, specifically to operate in Redcar and East Cleveland, which will enter service between now and Christmas.

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