A TAVISTOCK woman has spoken out after she and a group of fellow passengers were left stranded in the cold for two hours when the bus Okehampton Railway Station to Tavistock failed to arrive.

Judith Davies wanted to catch the 1.30pm service No.118 bus back to Tavistock from the railway station on the very chilly Monday afternoon after Christmas (December 30) but the bus didn’t turn up.

She says those waiting to board the bus, who included a number of senior citizens, were left seriously cold waiting for the next bus two hours later.

Judith said: “Phone calls were made to Dartline, the bus company, and we were told the bus had broken down. We were told to take a taxi and claim the cost. But there were no taxis to be had. Five companies were tried and none could help us. People in their 80s cannot stand in the cold indefinitely, wondering if they can get home at all. One passenger had a two-year-old in a buggy who should also not have had to wait for hours in such low temperatures.

“We all had to wait until the 3.30pm bus reached us. Our return to Tavistock took place after dark and we were unable to carry out the tasks planned for that afternoon. Some of us were close to hypothermia by the time the bus came.

“We are constantly being exhorted to use public transport, but when we try to, it lets us down.

“I understand First Bus are taking over this company. Why hasn’t it put information inside buses so that passengers can work out whether the new service will be any better? Not everybody gets on at the bus station, where some information has been put.

She added: “Enormous sums of money have been allocated by the Government to the improvement of local bus services. When will we see a service which is both frequent and reliable?”

She said the bus was relied on by people who did not drive to reach the railway station in Okehampton, herself included.

“I haven’t got a car. I like others in this are reliant on the buses to get to the train station. When they don’t go as the timetables say they should then we can’t rely on it. From what I heard from the people at the bus stop, the same had happened the previous week.

“The Government has got huge sums of money to run a bus service. It is frustrating when this happens and it is also exhausting when you are older to stand around in the cold like that. There were eight of us at the bus stop, six of them were retirement age and there were a couple of young fellows, one with a toddler. One of them had had the same experience the previous week.

“Most of us are taxpayers and it is our money that is going to the bus company with nothing much in return.”

Bus company Dartline has been approached for comment.