What is happening to public transport?

I am a pupil at St Mary's College, Blackburn, and I have to catch a bus to and from there every day.

In the mornings, I catch a school bus which, according to the timetable, should be at Ewood at 8.14am.

This is obviously a joke on the part of Stagecoach Ribble.

The bus rarely appears before 8.30am, making me and many others late for classes which begin at 9am.

On November 12 the bus failed to arrive at all.

Trying to get home in the evenings is no easier.

The bus should arrive at 3.55pm. But it either arrives at 3.45pm and leaves before the end of the college day, or does not come at all.

Frequently, it zooms passed the outstretched arms of the waiting, would-be passengers.

On Tuesday, November 18, the bus arrived at 4pm, but the driver would not allow passengers to board, as he said he had been told to terminate the service at Preston New Road instead of at Ewood as usual. On November 10, no evening buses arrived until 4.45pm, making me an hour late home and making my parents worry as the night was cold and wet.

Complaints have got nowhere and I have now been informed that it is not possible to buy return tickets for the journey, thus causing further expense.

KATIE DONNELLON (age 17), Leyburn Road, Livesey, Blackburn.

A STAGECOACH spokesman said: "We have had complaints about the morning service and it has been delayed sometimes mainly because of the traffic in that area at that time of day and the high volume of passengers who use it.

"We asked people if they would like the service earlier and they have said no.

"The problem with the afternoon service has now been resolved.

"Unfortunately, the published county council times did not tie in with the information our scheduling department received, but that has now been sorted out."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.