What time DOES our bus arrive?

The Evening Press has been inundated with complaints from people who claim they do not know when they are meant to catch their bus.

Many are confused by a new timetable system which, at many route stops, does not spell out what time services are meant to arrive.

Instead passengers have to use vague route maps to calculate the approximate time their bus is due.

But First York claims the new timetable is what passengers asked for.

A spokesman added that it was only "a guide", meant to give the approximate times that services should arrive.

Joan Holmes, 75, of Clifton Moor, said: "The service wouldn't be too bad if you could understand the timetable.

"I haven't fathomed it out yet and a lot of people I know are complaining. I've got all the maps at home. Everyone was hoping the new system would help."

Jeanette Walker, of Poppleton, added: "This is fixing something that wasn't broken. The routes have been changed and the timetable is not realistic."

Another passenger, who declined to be named, said: "I look at the timetable and wonder when the bus is coming. I might as well go and hope for the best when I turn up at the bus stop."

A First York spokesman said: "The timetable is a guide and research has shown that, for many people, it's an easier way of working out when their bus is coming.

"From our consultation, we were advised that people find looking at long lists of figures to be off-putting.

"The timetable also gives approximate times, which may be different because of traffic problems.

"This is still a new system, but if people feel they can't easily understand it, they need to contact us and let us know.

"It appears there has been a difficulty in the clarity of some of the bus stop information.

"We want to make sure that everyone who wants to travel with us can do so and this could mean altering the timetable to make it even clearer."

Updated: 09:32 Saturday, October 06, 2001