As part of his long term plan to improve the infrastructure of our area, Will Goodhand met with the General Manager and Operations Manager of Arriva buses at the local depot. Will was delighted to hear the progress in improving our local bus services, with a 26% improvement in the reliability of services over the past year, due largely to the £4.5 million investment in new more reliable buses.
Mr Goodhand commented
“There has been heavy investment into new buses, not least the new Sapphire services which even have plug sockets for mobile phones! I was very eager to talk to Arriva’s management and I know many will be reassured to hear that services have been improving significantly. Of course, having made these contacts, I am also well placed to take up any problems with management, should they arise.”
Will presented the findings of the surveys he has conducted across East Cleveland, particularly stressing that 75% of those responding called for more public transport in East Cleveland.
Mr Goodhand continued
“Where people have mentioned the need for a particular bus route, I have briefed Arriva and they have promised to come back to me with details of why the service is run the way it is. For example, a number of Guisborough residents mentioned the service which used to run along Enfield Chase. Where there is demand for a particular route then I will raise this with the Council as the first step. I have received many survey responses already but please get in touch if there is a bus route you believe is needed.”
“It is great that the new high quality services include East Cleveland through to Loftus, but my survey indicates people feel there is still more work to be done. I continue pressing the Council to ensure East Cleveland is getting its fair share of investment in transport infrastructure. The need for people in East Cleveland to get around - be it for work, school, shopping or hospital appointments is too important to fall victim to ‘Redcar & Redcar Council’ syndrome.”