There goes Woodborough, again, and again and again

12:17pm Thursday 27th September 2007

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DEVIZES bus passenger Elizabeth Mizen found a bus journey to Pewsey that used to take 35 minutes now takes more than three times longer under the county council's new bus arrangements.

New timetables came in on September 1 when the popular and innovative Wigglybus officially ceased to exist and was replaced by the new Connect2Wiltshire.

Mrs Mizen, from Nursteed Road, Devizes, has been a champion and regular user of the Wigglybus, which she used to visit her 91-year-old mother in Pewsey.

She said: "It has provided an excellent service for the community. It was a godsend to people like me who don't drive and would otherwise have to rely on other people to get about.

"What has happened is that the county council has removed the direct services between Devizes and Pewsey and I have to change between two round-robin services at Beechingstoke."

Mrs Mizen said her first experience of the new system was a chaotic shambles. To catch the bus she had to leave home half an hour earlier than before. The journey that had normally taken her 35 minutes from door to door on the first day of the new system took one and a quarter hours longer than normal.

She said: "The journey was horrendous. I normally look forward to these trips to see my mother, who lives independently, but just needs a little help with things.

"The day was spoilt as all I could think of was my journey home and whether or not I was going to miss my connections.

"Whilst on my journey I visited the village of Woodborough four times, twice in each direction. I have nothing against Woodborough, but I would rather be spending time with my dear mother."

Mrs Mizen is furious that a new service, which advertises itself as continuing the flexibility of the much-lauded Wigglybus, does no such thing.

Mrs Mizen said: "They have made my transport issues a nightmare. It is a backward step rather than an improved service for passengers. I despair."

A spokesman for Wiltshire County Council said the Wigglybus was an experimental service funded by the Government for a limited period only, which has now come to an end.

She added: "In order to keep the best features of the Wigglybus and extend it to other areas, we have invested in a fleet of easy-access buses and committed over £300,000 a year to support the Connect2Wiltshire services in rural areas.

"In planning the new services, we have tried to cater for as many journeys as possible. We still run a bus from Devizes to Pewsey, but cannot provide direct routes all day because of the cost."