On the Buses : Reroutemasters are go!

As mentioned on this site a short while ago, the FirstBus company has recently been lambasted for threatening to reroute the late-night services through Glastonbury as a result of anti-social behaviour in the centre of town.

FirstBus had written to the town council after experiencing trouble with rowdiness in the town and voiced concerns that either staff or customers could be injured, and as a result they suggested rerouting the 376 and 377 services across the top of the HIgh Street, along Lambrook Street and then down Bere Lane and thus totally bypassing the Town Centre and the Magdalene Street trouble spot.

This week I read in the Central Somerset Gazette that a gang of idiots shone a laser-pen into the eyes of a Bristol to Yeovil bus driver, and although as far as I can ascertain this occurred during the day it still highlights some of the issues that bus drivers face.

A few weeks ago I travelled back from Wells to Glastonbury on the late night bus that left Wells at around 11.15pm on a Thursday night and discovered that even on a weekday evening most of the passengers were rowdy, young and drunk.  Some of these were openly drinking from a cheap bottle of wine, and although they were not being overtly threatening, their behaviour which included plenty of swearing could have intimidated some people, and certainly made for a less than pleasant trip home.  If this is the sort of thing that drivers and passengers have to face (and put up with) on a regular basis, then I am not surprised that the company may be considering this action.

Do any of you use the late night bus services, and if so have you encountered any issues?  What can be done to improve the situation, or is the bus company just over-exaggerating the scale of the problem.  Let us know here.