Wonderful magical mystery tour

The idiots running our buses told us they were listening and changes would be made if necessary.

So far we have got one extra bus in the early morning plus more double-deckers at peak times.

The whole population of Sicey Avenue and Bellhouse Road line the streets every morning to welcome the extra bus and we now have single-deckers at peak hours absolutely packed and double-deckers at off-peak running empty.

I thought I would share with your readers how idiotic the service now is with my experiences of a few days on our buses.

A couple of weeks ago I boarded the 76 on Bellhouse Road and as we reached Hatfield House Lane two female passengers rang the bell to alight when the driver, without prior notice, suddenly turned right on to Hatfield House Lane instead of Bellhouse Road.

The two ladies told the driver he was going the wrong way but he replied there’s a diversion in place.

Instead of finding a suitable place to let the ladies alight he continued on Hatfield House Lane, turned left down Sicey Avenue to the bus stop half way down leaving them with a good half mile walk back.

A couple of hours later I waited at Firth Park for the return trip and a lady in front asked the driver if the bus went to the top of Sicey Avenue and he said no.

I told her it did because it was number 76, but the driver said once again that there was a diversion.

The lady alighted and the bus set off up Bellhouse Road, (missing out the Quadrant), and then turned left at Hatfield House Lane only to arrive at the top of Sicey, exactly where he said he wasn’t going.

The following day, once again I caught the 76 on Bellhouse Road but this driver kindly notified the passengers he was diverting on to Hatfield House Lane and when we reached Firth Park I asked the driver what the diversion was for.

He replied that work was going to start on West Quadrant and they had been told to start the diversion in anticipation, even though they had no idea when the work would start.

The return journey was uneventful apart from the diversion.

The following day I was again on the 76 to Firth Park but miraculously we went the normal route, the same on the return trip,no roadworks yet.

The following day I was once again on the 76 but this time I was going to the city centre, a single-decker absolutely packed with three prams and two shopping trolleys and it took 45 minutes to reach town.

From there I was going on to Hillsborough and awaited for the number 7/8 to take me there.

Thirty two minutes passed before one arrived, I was freezing like everyone else waiting.

All I wanted was to get to Penistone Road, anything would do, a rickshaw, a tandem, anything to get me there, but we did have the pleasure of seeing First and Mainline smashing their own world record by running seven number 52s and six number 120s in a thirty-minutes period.

I’m sure they will go all out to beat this record in the near future.

Before the changes I could leave Firth Park to go to Hillsborough and return home in just over two hours but now I take sandwiches and a flask.

Two weeks later and the phantom roadworks still haven’t started, bus services are still terminating at Firth Park when they are running late leaving anyone on the Shiregreen loop waiting.

It happened yesterday, (Sunday), when I waited for the 11-37 number 76 and when it arrived it changed to, ‘sorry not in service’, turned round and returned to town.

The idiots running our bus services do not care one iota for the welfare of its passengers and it’s time some of them started leaving their flash cars at home and joined us to see for themselves what a shambles of a service we now have.

PS I have now bought a mobility scooter, so I will soon be able to come and go when I want, probably quicker than the buses.

Big Ian

Shiregreen