Southampton Bluestar passengers 'frustrated' over delays

Bluestar became Southampton’s only bus operator in February after City Red, run by First Bus, pulled services across Sholing, Bitterne, and the city centre.

Ashley Statton told the Echo the number 19 service to Thornhill had ‘become a joke’ with his children often arriving at school late in the morning as a result of the bus not turning up on time.

He said: "It's not been the same since Bluestar took over this route. This service used to be good back when it was City Red, we never had any problems.”

He added: “Now, we're always waiting for the bus in the mornings.

“I've got three kids who need to catch the bus to school and they're often late because the bus isn't on time.

“I've called Bluestar before but it's pointless because they can't seem to do much about it.

“They said something like 'maybe one of the drivers was taking a break', well what break? They should be working.

“It's become a joke and it's every day, that's what's so frustrating."

On Wednesday morning I decided to expereince the morning rush for myself, catching a bus from the Itchen Bridge (twice) on route to Fairfax Court in Thornhill - firstly at 7.27am and then again at 8.37am - the latter of which I'd been waiting for since 8.12am.

John Paul, 37, catches the 17 bus from Aldermoor into Southampton city centre for work, but said consistent delays put him at risk of being late.

He said: “I pay £15 for a weekly ticket but it’s pointless if I’m going to have to pay £20 to get a taxi when the bus doesn’t turn up on time.

“I follow the bus service on the app, and it basically has to leave the depot along a straight route and pick me up at 6.15am when there’s hardly anyone on the roads.

“But sometimes you can see it’s five minutes late leaving the depot – which I don’t understand – and that has a knock-on effect.”

Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen told the Echo: "It's somewhat troubling to hear of passengers' poor experiences with Bluestar services.

"We had seen an improvement since Bluestar took over the operations of First Bus.

"I hope what some are experiencing currently is not a permanent feature of the city's bus service and Bluestar will take any action necessary to ensure services run on time and efficiently."

Barbara Hancock, 72, from Harefield Bus Campaigners said the bus service in Harefield has actually improved but "is not perfect".

She said: “In Harefield there’s now more options for passengers as you can catch a bus more regularly, as it seemed First Bus had forgotten about us.

“It’s not perfect but it must be a hard time for Bluestar with constant roadworks, diversions and new drivers.”

In a statement, Andy Shaw, Bluestar operations manager said: “We do sometimes experience delays to our services due to traffic congestion - particularly during peak times.

“We continuously update social media channels and our app - which provides live updates and allows people to track their bus in real time. 

“Our planners put considerable thought into our timetables - basing frequency on demand for each route, and the ability to maintain reliability. 

“I’d like to assure those travelling with us that our team works very hard to minimise the effects of congestion, and we thank our customers for their patience and understanding when this not possible.”