Scottish firms penalised for ‘poor’ operation

14 April 2008
 
Two bus firms in Scotland have been fined for providing a poor service, including leaving passengers waiting for buses which weren’t coming.

First East Scotland was fined £131,750 by Scottish traffic commissioner, Joan Aitken, for failing to provide timetabled services, after the commission received complaints from angry customers. The company had already been warned at two previous hearings.

But Paul Thomas, managing director for First in Scotland East, said: ‘We are disappointed with the level of fine imposed, especially as many of the factors affecting the reliability and punctuality of First bus services were not within the company’s control, and were all presented at the public inquiry.

‘In the last year, we have invested more than £7M in new vehicles, and we are continuously recruiting and training staff as part of our overall effort to improve our services.’

Arriva Scotland West was hit with a fine of £41,250 for providing what Aitken described as a ‘contemptuous’ service for passengers. Spot checks found that service on the worst route was unsatisfactory 14% of the time. And one service didn’t operate at lunchtime for two days when a driver attending a disciplinary hearing wasn’t replaced.

Arriva was also slammed over roadworthiness after a bus was stuck straddling a junction when an under-inflated tyre came off.

A spokesperson for Arriva Scotland West said: ‘We are concerned that a small number of our services did not operate quite as well as expected and will be doing our utmost to ensure safe and reliable services for our customers.

‘We have recently invested in latest technology to monitor all our services on a daily basis, allowing a much faster response to any problems which arise, and providing a more reliable service.’

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