Pensioner compelled to CRAWL up hill with procuring after bus route axed
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A pensioner was forced to crawl on his hands and knees up a hill with his shopping after his bus route was axed.
82-year-old Royston Pressley was found crawling up the pavement in the village of Netley, Hants by fellow resident June Bangs, 81, who said the man told her ‘That hill is going to kill me’.
The OAP was trying to get up the hill which residents consider ‘steep, even for a younger person’ on his way home after a section of the bus route was axed by bus company Bluestar.
An urgent meeting was held in the village, which is home to 6,000 people according to the latest census, to discuss the future of the bus route.
Bluestar has told MailOnline the bus service was not axed but the route was changed.
The bus stop, on Ingleside in Netley, will no longer be used as part of route described as a ‘lifeline’ by residents
Rachel Foulkes (right) said she hopes Bluestar will listen to what residents say
Bluestar said the route was changed to speed up journeys but accepts some may find it inconvenient
It said the reason for the change was to improve the route and speed up journeys but it accepts the scrapping of the route will be inconvenient for some residents.
Its general manager said the changes now result in improved timetable, increased frequency on Saturdays, new connections to Southampton central station.
Some of the pensioners in attendance were in tears at the fact they may be left stranded without a bus service.
It was said in the meeting, which was attended by more than 50 people including the local MP and a council leader, that the stops axed by the company only carried around 20 people per day.
Mrs Bangs spoke of the moment she found the pensioner crawling up the hill.
She said: ‘I went out to my garden bin and found the poor gentleman on his hands and knees trying to get home.
‘I rushed as quick as I could towards him and when I got to him, he looked up at me and said ‘That hill is going to kill me’.
‘This bus service is a lifeline for us.’
His carer Rachel Foulkes, 59, said she was like a daughter to the 82-year-old, and he had asked her to represent him at the meeting.
She said: ‘He gave up his car two years ago and relies on the bus for everything. He goes on the bus to Co-op, Hamble Square and Woolston.
She added that he’s very upset, and says that Bluestar have tipped his world upside down.
‘He can get down to the bus stop on Hound Road but the hill back up on Woolston Road is steep, even for a younger person.
‘I hope that Bluestar listen to what we have to say.’
Some pensioners in attendance were in tears during the meeting with MP and council leader
Notice at bus stop in Netley, Hants after pensioner was forced to crawl on hands and knees up hill
Sign sharing the details of the meeting last week when residents expressed their concern
Pensioners met to discuss the changes to the bus route described as a ‘lifeline’ for residents
Another attendee, Doreen Salter, 88, said: ‘This has floored me.
‘This will mean we are completely cut off. It is just a tragedy for us older people.’
Seventy-year-old Angela Humphrey added: ‘I have thought to myself before, is this a viable service for a company to run? But it’s a vital service.’
Bluestar announced changes to its bus routes on September 1.
In a statement, Richard Tyldsley, Bluestar general manager told MailOnline: ‘We are continuing to operate Bluestar 15. It now features an improved timetable, increased frequency on Saturdays, new connections to central station, and faster journeys.
‘We do appreciate the inconvenience the change of route in Butlocks Heath may have on some customers. Bluestar 15 still operates locally though, with existing and new bus stops being located within a short distance.
‘For a small number of our customers there is a slightly longer walk, following the omission of Ingleside and Woolston Road, but we have looked very closely at this and made the decision in order to improve the overall route.
‘Bluestar 15 was introduced around 18-months ago, when the previous operator cancelled its routes because they were not sustainable. We immediately announced the launch of an extension of our network in Southampton, including Bluestar 15.
Some of the pensioners were in tears during the meeting with local MP and council leader
‘Since then, we have been closely reviewing customer demand, as well as overall performance of the route. At Bluestar, we have an excellent track record of developing our routes with a view to making them successful.
‘Our review of Bluestar 15 led us to conclude that journey times were too slow, and punctuality was not as good as we expect. Also, some key connections in the city were not available.
‘Bluestar 15 previously operated a spur up from Hound Way almost back to where the bus already passed Grange Road. Because it was so close, we decided to omit this spur and to introduce new bus stops nearby.
‘We strongly believe that these improvements will develop demand of the route – directly ensuring that we are able to continue operating it well into the future.’
