From D Gillard.
EARLIER in the year we had a route 8 bus arriving at Tesson at 8 am which between Tesson and Sandybrook Lane picked up 22 passengers, some of whom began work at 8.30 am. Ideal time.

This service does not operate any more. It is not printed on the timetable. After we are all crammed on the scheduled service at 8.17 am, standing all the way into town, the relief bus arrives, passing us at Sandybrook Lane on its way to Tesson. Complete waste of time, as there are no passengers to pick up.

Passengers are now having to walk to either Bel Royal or Beaumont to get an earlier bus, or use their cars.
So please let common sense prevail and reinstate the 8 am service before you print the new winter timetable.

One rainy morning, 21 passengers were standing on the bus all the way into town. Where do Health and Safety come in? I would really like to know.

If they want us to use the buses, they should get their act together with a proper bus on the Airport route, suitable for suitcases and pushchairs, not with suitcases stowed on seats or filling up the aisle of the bus so that we can’t sit down.
Les Tuiles Grises,
Les Grupieaux, St Peter.

John Moore, the general manager of Connex,
responds as follows:
THE service mentioned by your correspondent was a relief service, which Connex provided where resources allowed during the winter timetable.

As your correspondent may be aware, Connex operate the public bus network on behalf of the States of Jersey, and we have recently worked very closely with Transport and Technical Services to enhance the level of the services available at commuter times.

The provision of these additional services is based on considerable research, including comprehensive reviews of passenger figures across the network to assess demand on all services.

Accordingly, on 7 July 2008 Connex operated 11 additional services each morning and a further four extra services in the afternoons to increase capacity at peak times.

This included two additional services from Tesson at 8.21 am and 8.41 am which complement the first route 8 service, which is timetabled to leave Tesson at 8.17 am. These services will remain in place for the duration of the summer timetable, which runs until 27 September.

Together with Transport and Technical Services, we shall be reviewing the operation of these scheduled reliefs in preparation for the winter timetable.

The issue regarding luggage on the Airport route is difficult, as it remains a balancing act between passenger capacity and comfort and the storage of luggage.

Both Connex and Transport will look again at the feasibility of providing some luggage space to ease this problem.
We would like to thank your correspondent for her interest in the bus service and we apologise for any inconvenience she has experienced.