Wrong routes worry
RAIL replacement bus services are adding extra time to journeys by taking the wrong route, a transport campaigner claims.
Virginia Berridge, pictured, chairwoman of West Hampstead Amenity Transport (WHAT), said the buses, which have become a key way of getting around due to ongoing engineering works on the Tube and London Overground, were taking 'unsuitable' routes.
She said: "I recently heard of a case where the bus was apparently going a very unsuitable route down Kilburn High Road and nobody in their right mind would use that."
Adding that WHAT had consulted with London Underground about suitable routes to use the last time there had been engineering works on the Jubilee Line, Ms Berridge said: "One would hope that that knowledge had been carried over from last time."
A spokesman for London Travelwatch, which lobbies on behalf of passengers, said: "If this is happening then it is absolutely unacceptable. We expect drivers of rail replacement bus services to be trained properly.
"We expect Transport for London to have people on the ground advising passengers where to go and how to best reach their destination."
A TfL spokesman said: "Bus routes replicate the train service as far as possible and stop close to stations.
"These routes can occasionally be tweaked by the duty manager to avoid areas of severe congestion, for example due to unplanned road works."
"Up-to-date information on planned closures and rail replacement services is publicised at all affected stations.
"Maps to bus stops are displayed on posters and there is always at least one member of staff at all stations during weekend closures."
times.series@archant.co.uk
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