SOME WOKINGHAM students were reportedly left ‘waiting for buses that were never coming’ as new bus routes and timetables came into effect on Monday, September 5.
The first day of the new school year for many saw the Tiger 7, Leopard 8 and 9 services withdrawn and replaced by the new Mereoak Park and Ride 600 bus.
Residents have expressed their concernsregarding the adjusted provision and a lack of communication about the changes.
Shinfield Meadows resident Richard Davy-Smith said: “It’s disgraceful. My daughter goes to Kendrick, we drive her in, but she takes the bus home, and we were hoping she’d be able to start taking it in the mornings.
“There was no signage, no warning. There were students who were waiting for buses that were never coming.
“Coming home, my daughter got lucky and managed to get on the [Leopard 3] bus from the south side of town. She didn’t mind standing, but there were students who couldn’t get on at the next stop because the bus was full.”
In August, Wokingham Borough Council committed to subsidising the Tiger 7 and Leopard 3, 8 and 9 buses with service pattern changes until March 31, 2023, at a cost of £241,466.
Mr Davy-Smith had been in communication with his local councillors and had expected the Leopard 8 and 9 to continue through to March 2023, only being informed that would not be the case on Saturday evening.
Cllr Paul Fishwick, the council’s executive member for active travel, transport and highways, said: “We did all we could to make people aware of these changes although this is ultimately the responsibility of Reading Buses, which publicised them extensively through its own channels.
“Our efforts included a release to local media, items in our newsletters and social posts and sharing the news with our members and town and parish councils so they could spread it more widely.
Mark Drukker, who lives in South Reading, was not convinced by the new Mereoak 600 route, identifying the reduction of access to Basingstoke Road supermarkets and Royal Berkshire Hospital as key issues.
He said: “The replacement for both the 7 route and the 8 and 9 south of the Holiday Inn by extensions of the 600 is contrary to normal bus practice.
“Buses normally serve traffic objectives along their routes to gain passengers.
“A consequence of the withdrawal of the 8 and 9 routes is that the bus service from central Reading to the hospital loses half its normal size buses. I sometimes see buses on that route displaying ‘bus full.’”
The Leopard 9 was replaced by the new ‘route 9’, which will retain travel from Whitley Wood to Royal Berkshire Hospital and central Reading.
However, those wishing to travel onwards to Spencers Wood, Shinfield and Riseley will now be required to alight and change for the Mereoak 600.
Cllr Paul Fishwick said he was sorry to hear of some residents’ dissatisfaction for the revised bus services, but claimed they were ‘an improvement on the old provision in many respects’.
He explained: “The new 600 ensures continued access to buses for everyone who previously used the Leopard 8 and 9 or Tiger 7, and journeys to central Reading are quicker than on the 8/9 from Spencers Wood and Shinfield as they run directly along the A33.
“There are now two buses an hour serving Three Mile Cross and an improved, regular hourly service operating from Swallowfield and Riseley into Reading. Passengers will need to change buses when using the 600 service to travel to schools in central Reading or the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
“Those in east Shinfield can still use the Leopard from the bus stops on Hollow Lane, which runs into Reading every 20 minutes and has not changed. The 600 covers the same roads in Shinfield and Spencers Wood so all infrastructure serving the previous route is still being used.
The Winnersh councillor insisted the council is serious about tackling air pollution and the climate emergency, highlighting reducing the number of trips made by car as a key aspect.
He urged members of the public to travel by bus, wherever possible, saying bus services were more likely to survive if passenger numbers increase to a ‘healthier level’.
