The following facts and figures have been collected by a group of residents about the change in bus services to the whole of the town. We would encourage anyone who has been affected by these changes to contact Arriva, the council, their ward councillor and Alan Milburn MP.

The following letter has been sent to Ada Burns,Rt Hon Alan Milburn MP, All DBC Councillors, Transport Officers, Transport Forum, Gold Transport Group by residents.

To Darlington Borough Council.

Prior to your making decisions on subsidising bus routes, residents from Harrowgate Hill, Haughton North and North Road area ask you to gather town-wide knowledge of how Arrivas substantial alterations and reductions of bus routes in July 2008 have adversely changed and limited many residents lives. Their needs have still not been met.

The town has not previously seen bus route losses of this magnitude. More than 30% of residents do not have a car and therefore rely on buses We ask that you consider having had YOUR CAR taken away and think of all the ways it would affect YOU.

Whilst some timings and routes have improved in the main, others have diminished and have caused severe disadvantage. People are feeling aggrieved and unheard despite going to meetings, speaking with Council Officers, Councillors, Arriva, the MP etc, little has been done to restore their previously good bus services.

Council Transport and bus policies and strategies are being ignored e.g. 30 minute frequencies are replacing 10 minute frequencies in places, then Sundays and evening are decreasing to hourly.

Following recent complaints, services to Brinkburn, Baydale and Carmel Roads taken away in July have since been re-instated in October. Small changes were reinstated at Harrowgate Farm but for less than half the week which is unacceptable.

The previous 23, 24 and 26 routes were clearly well used and profitable. Yet Arriva, without our proper consultation chose to replace the three routes with the 6A/6B circular route. [The route is often spasmodic and certainly complex - often disorientating passengers who panic as they are being taken in the opposite direction from where they are needing to be.] This has resulted in:

? Reduction [for most of the route] from 10mins to 30 minute intervals
? North Road, from Thompson St to Harrowgate Hill having NO IN-TOWN BUS SERVICE.
? Residents in that part of North Road needing to get four buses to Doctors or Asda and back on what used to be a five minute journey
? The out of town services often run? four together? then none for 20 minutes
? Out of town services are often near capacity leaving standing room only for IN TOWN residents ? young or elderly
? Salters Lane North have no service at all on Mon Tues Wed or Thurs evenings but an hourly Friday and Saturday has been introduced in October
? Early morning buses have been taken off
? No useful evening service
? A journey which used to take 12 minutes [on the 23] can now take a minimum of 20.
? Mayfair, Laburnum and Glebe Roads lost their bus service completely in July which served many elderly people and young families
? Large parts of the 6A/6B route around Haughton are wasted by duplicating other routes eg Whinbush Way, Barmpton Lane, Stockton Road, Salters Lane South, Springwell Terrace, Hutton Avenue and Wylam Avenue
? Experience shows that the journey to town from H Hill on the 6B, apart from rush hour, has some 5 to 13 minutes spare which are now used by waiting in town but was taken up by the bus waiting at stops on route to keep to timetable. Many complaints have been made to Arriva on this subject.
Many more examples could be made of the need to REVIEW the provision of bus services in this area. Suffice to say that Councillors should be concerned.

The cause is Arriva being allowed by Darlington Borough Council Officers to make these initial adverse changes without truly consulting with the users.

The options now seem to be:

? Immediately commence strong post contractual negotiations with Arriva
? Look to other bus operators again rather than let Arriva cherry pick
? Tender for the old 23 route with the smaller buses which can cope with the ?Hail & Ride? system
? Tender for the 24 and 26 routes to be returned to us
? Ensure Council is adhering to its many policies and strategies for equal
accessibility for everybody and minimum service levels in the Network review criteria. and maximum walking distances to bus stops.

We ask that you also take time to note some other Darlington roads which lost daytime bus services in July ?08 (Monday to Saturday to 7pm) and look into how these losses are having to be adjusted to by residents for work, medical appointments, leisure etc.

? Stooperdale Avenue [Bates Ave sth to Prior St on Newton Lane]
? Bates Avenue [Nickstream Lane to Newton Lane]
? Brinkburn Road [West Auckland Road to Pierremont] Re-instated from Oct 08
? Hospital Outpatients Entrance
? Larchfield Street
? Baydale Road Re-instated from Oct 08
? Leith Road
? Carroll Road
? Carmel Road South Re-instated from Oct 08
? Larchfield Street
? North end Morpeth Ave to Salters Lane South
? Burnside Road across and into Fenby Avenue
? Firthmoor Crescent
? Lanethorpe Road
? North Geneva Road [Yarm Road to Lanethorpe Crescent]
? Mayfair Road
? Laburnum Road
? Glebe Road
? Part Longfield Road [North Road to Alwyn Road]
? Camborne Drive partially reinstated Oct ?08 temporary trial
? Trevone Way ? ? ? ?
? Burtree Lane ? ? ? ?
? North Road [Thompson Street to Harrowgate Hill]
? Carmel Road North Lost again between July and Oct 08
? Staindrop Rd to Mowden Hall Drive [small stretch]
? Clifton Road [small loop]

Extra to this list are the numerous other losses on evening and Sunday routes.


Please RETHINK and REVIEW and REINSTATE


Copies to: Ada Burns, Rt Hon Alan Milburn MP, All DBC Councillors, Transport Officers, Transport Forum, Gold Transport Gro