As a regular visitor over 55 years, I could run the buses better

I have been visiting Guernsey almost every year since 1958, at which time I worked in a photographic studio in Smith Street. My wife first visited the island in 1968. We've always relied on the buses for travelling around the island, so I think we can speak with some experience on usage over the years and able to compare the services offered then and currently, especially as experienced by holidaymakers.

As a matter of interest, the Guernsey Press devoted a whole-page article to us, dated 25 August 2009, congratulating us for visiting the island on a regular basis for so many years. 2013 was the 55th year, so we may well hold the record for doing so as visitors. We shall never know.

Except for spending a few years camping at La Bouvee Farm, Jerbourg, in the late '60s, we've always stayed in the Icart area, camping on private ground owned by the Sutherlands (the old Toby Jug Tearooms), and adjacent to the late Michael Duquemin and his wife Sally's property, whom we've known for more than 40 years. Nine years ago, we decided to hang up our tent and since then, we've been staying for four or five weeks each year with the Galliennes in Rue des Marettes, Icart, in their self-catering maisonette, Westward.

After studying last year's bus timetable, my wife and I were horrified and extremely annoyed to find that some of the best bus routes had been withdrawn or rerouted and replaced with inappropriate services. It appears these alterations were implemented by the new bus company without first seeking the views and requirements of residents and visitors. This resulted in totally unnecessary alterations to some routes, despite the fact that over past years, these routes have proved to be absolutely essential and used constantly by many residents and visitors, especially in the summer months.

The previous 7 and 7a was an excellent bus service. It allowed residents, visitors and seasonal workers residing on or near to the coast to travel to almost every bay or area situated around the island using only one bus, the exceptions being Moulin Huet, the Icart area, Saints Bay and the Jerbourg area. Even these places could be reached using the 7 or 7a bus but would require a 35- to 45-minute walk from the Old Mill, St Martin's, depending upon the final destination or changing onto another bus.

Regrettably the 7 and 7a bus route was replaced with the inadequate 111 bus and the Guernsey Vaeux. The Guernsey Vaeux can't be considered to be a general service bus, especially as it only makes four clockwise circuits around the island each day. The 111 bus service only runs between Pleinmont and the Bridge. This is a useless service, operating only one bus every two hours, therefore, miss a bus and one has a two-hour wait and, unbelievably, it doesn't operate on Sundays.

On Sundays, when many residents, visitors (many with children) as well as seasonal workers living on or near to the coast between Torteval and L'Ancresse areas want to visit a beach on the west coast, no bus is available to take them there directly. Trying to travel from L'Islet to say Vazon or from Pleinmont to say Cobo Bay by bus on a Sunday is almost impossible, unless one is prepared to change buses at least four times or more.

Studying the new map of bus routes in conjunction with the timetable will fully justify my criticisms. It beggars belief trying to understand why a previously excellent bus service was replaced by two useless bus routes. My views have been reiterated by many residents I know, as well as visitors I've had the opportunity to speak to.

The Guernsey Vaeux should be discontinued. This type of service should be left to the tour operators, who are able to offer a specialised service for visitors wishing to have a conducted tour of the island. The useless 111 bus service should also be discontinued. Returning the excellent 7 and 7a bus route would adequately cover both the above services and would leave a few buses and drivers free to operate other routes.

The previous 6 and 6a bus routes were replaced by the 81 bus. The 6 and 6a enabled people residing in the Icart area a choice of travelling from Icart through St Martin's via Old Post and Old Mill to Fort Road, Fermain, the bus terminus or from Icart through St Martin's (Old Post), PE Hospital, top of the Grange to the bus terminus; buses alternating between

St Martin's and Town every half hour. The Fort Road route was regrettably discontinued so no travel now from Icart to Fort Road or Iceland, the Co-op and Fermain. One has to change buses at the Old Post, with often a long wait for another bus or long walk. This was another unnecessary alteration, especially as there are many residents and hotels situated in the Icart area.

Other points I wish to raise are:

Travel passes

My wife and I will not use travel passes. They are for short-term periods only and to gain any benefit from reduced fares, they have to be used almost every day whether one wants to or not before they expire. They also introduce further complications, confusion and extra unnecessary time being wasted by drivers having to issue and later scrutinise lengths of paper tickets for dates and the number of passengers boarding a bus. Two drivers I've spoken to ignore them and there are probably others doing the same. I don't blame them. Ormer cards should be reintroduced for visitors.

Ormer cards

Reinstate Ormer cards for visitors and for seasonal workers as before. They encourage short- and long-term visitors to use the bus services rather than using taxis, hiring cars, cycles or scrounging lifts from others. Ormer cards should be well-advertised and available for purchase from the bus terminus kiosk in St Peter Port or from bus drivers. They have many advantages, including no time limit for usage, are simple to use on the bus reader and are easy to top up when required, saving much time for passengers and drivers alike.

Because fare rates for residents are different to visitors' fares, Ormer cards should indicate the difference between the two types. Perhaps printed in different colours or with either an R or V printed on them.

Ormer cards only record the number of journeys entered or used up, so the internal electronics of the card remains the same. Reduced fares should be structured on the number of journeys initially purchased.

Connections and changing buses

This is shown on page 10 of the bus timetable and is an excellent and very necessary requirement, otherwise fares would become exorbitant when it is necessary to keep changing buses to complete a journey.

Some of the one-way bus routes are inconvenient to use, waste time and could be improved by using alternating clockwise and anti-clockwise routes. A prime example of this is the 31 route. If one wants to travel from Rue Sauvage to Les Vardes, then one has no alternative but to travel firstly to Beau Sejour, then change onto another 31 bus, which travels back through La Ramee to Les Vardes. Having to travel to Beau Sejour first, with probably a wait of up to 30 minutes for another 31 bus, the total journey time could reach one hour 20 minutes instead of five minutes.

This same ridiculous situation arises trying to travel from La Ramee to Town. This journey should take just nine minutes but, using the 31 bus, it will take approximately three-quarters of an hour. Certainly not ideal for residents who work in St Peter Port.

Perhaps a survey should be carried out to obtain residents' views to ascertain how many would use this service if buses were to run at half-hourly intervals instead of hourly, especially as it takes almost one hour to complete one circuit.

The same unacceptable situation reigns in the Pleinmont area with the No. 11 route. This route runs in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions from Les Landes to Pleinmont via the Longfrie or Torteval Church, Pleinmont Road. This arrangement is ideal but confusion arises because whichever direction the bus travels, the bus number remains the same. These buses should have different route numbers to denote which circular route applies, e.g. 11 or 11A, which in turn relates to two easily understood timetables for each route – which is not the case at the moment.

One Sunday afternoon in July last year, my wife and I were waiting to board a bus at Pleinmont to St Martin's. Among a group of bewildered people trying to understand their bus timetable was a young French couple. One, speaking fairly good English, asked us how they could get back to their holiday apartment, which appeared to be at the southern end of Vazon (Fort Richmond area).

With no 111 bus running, we had to explain to them that they would have to board a bus from Pleinmont to Fort Grey, then change onto the 61 bus to the Longfrie, changing again to another 61 bus back to L'Eree and when the bus turns en route back to St Peter Port, ask the driver to drop them off somewhere near to Le Mont Saint, where they would have a longish walk to their apartment. Needless to say, they were not very happy. Perhaps they're still wandering around Pleinmont.

During the 55 years I've been visiting Guernsey, I've never experienced having to make so many bus changes to complete a simple journey. It is a bewildering situation for visitors and gives no incentive for residents to use the buses instead of their own vehicles.

To eliminate the current travel problems, I've attached my suggestions for greatly improving those bus services operating mainly in the south of the island. Using these suggested routes, the 11, 71 and 91 routes would no longer be required.

Unfortunately, I didn't get enough time last year to familiarise myself with the new bus routes in the north.

The alterations are based on minimising the number of times one has to change buses to reach a destination by linking up more destinations using more-efficient two-way bus routes, thereby substantially reducing travelling time. Also, they will reduce the present confusion suffered by passengers, especially visitors, when trying to plan a journey.

I know many complaints have been sent to the bus company, the Guernsey Press and to the Environment Department, so perhaps this letter will add some extra weight to any campaign to help make the bus services more user-friendly for all.

Initially I had no intention of writing such a long letter, but complaints are worthless unless they can be justified.

Perhaps with your help, combined with all the complaints received, very necessary improvements will be implemented for this year's summer season, starting mid-May for the new bus timetables.'

BRIAN SNELLING,

29, Home Farm Close,

Tadworth,

Surrey,

KT20 5PQ.

To see Mr Snelling's proposed bus routes, follow this link: http://www.guernsey-press.com/pdf/Busroutes.pdf