Concern over what bus changes mean for the west

It is with some concern that I have seen the proposed changes to the bus timetable and routes in the Guernsey Press.

In particular the removal of route 60 and the re-routing of route 61 to go inland from L’Eree, via Les Adams and no longer to serve Pleinmont or Le Coudre, combined with the ceasing of route 94 will mean that there will be no direct bus access to the village of St Peter’s and its neighbouring services for anyone living on or near the west coast, south of L’Eree or on the south coast, west of Les Landes.

I sincerely hope that the Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure will review this and reconsider their plans before making these changes.

Simon Wood

Deputy Adrian Gabriel, President of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, responds:

We’ve proposed a series of changes to improve the punctuality, reliability and accuracy of the bus timetable as well as to better serve key locations of community interest. These changes have been designed to be delivered at no net additional cost, which means that increasing and improving services in one area results in having to make adjustments elsewhere. However, these proposals are about improving Guernsey’s bus offering as a whole based on detailed passenger and timing data from Stagecoach.

This is a consultation, which means that nothing yet is agreed or is set in stone. This change was proposed due to very low usage on the 60 route which suggests that our limited resources could be put to better use, while still ensuring areas have sufficient bus coverage.

Under these proposals, the committee recognise that there wouldn’t be a direct bus from Pleinmont back up to St Peter’s Village, but there would be two alternative options involving a change by either catching the 91 to Route des Sablons/L’Eree Bunker and then transferring to the 61 to get to the Longfrie/St Peter’s Village area. Or catching the 92 to Rue des Landes/Airport, and then the 94 back towards St Peter’s Village.

However, feedback from bus users is vital, and this is exactly why the consultation is taking place. We very much welcome feedback by email to passengertransport@gov.gg, or in writing to the Senior Passenger Transport Officer, Driver & Vehicle Licensing, Edward T Wheadon House, Le Truchot, St Peter Port, GY1 3WH, before Sunday 8 February.

All feedback received will be read and taken into consideration before any final decisions are made. We’re grateful to bus users for their valuable feedback.