'˜We're sorry': Bus company apologises to '˜stranded' Lincoln-to-Louth passengers

The No.10 service broke down near Burgh on Bain and passengers - including a wheelchair user - had to wait more than three hours for a replacement service.

Another passenger - 61-year-old Vivienne Rowett - decided to set off walking the eight miles from Burgh on Bain to her home in Louth but fortunately a passing motorist stopped and gave her a lift.

Mrs Rowett told The Leader that passengers first realised something was wrong when they heard ‘bleep’ just before the bus reached Burgh on Bain at 1.15pm.

Vivienne Rowett said: “After the bleep the driver had to stop.

“An engineer from Lincoln arrived but the problem was not fixed and we were told we would have to wait to be picked up by the next scheduled bus.

“The next bus wasn’t due to leave Lincoln until 4.15pm, so it meant we would have to wait for more than three hours on a stationary bus in an area with no nearby facilities.

“The passengers included a man in a wheelchair and his elderly wife.”

Mrs Rowett said she was worried about the state of bus services in the area.

She added: “Sometimes it feels like our bus services are moving backwards rather than forwards.

“I would love to see a bus run later at night from Lincoln to Louth as it could potentially be a very well-used service.

“It would make it possible for people in Louth to take a day trip to London, or other cities, and for car owners to have an evening in Lincoln with no worries about drinking or parking.”

A spokesman for Stagecoach East Midlands admitted their had been a ’major failing’ on the service last month and added: “Our service 10 between Louth and Lincoln is operated by our Lincoln depot and carries around 67,000 passengers each year.

“Like many of our interurban bus services in Lincolnshire, Service 10 runs over a long route through a rural area which means on the rare occasion buses develop a mechanical fault we try and ensure assistance is provided as quickly as possible.”

“Inevitably, there will be a delay in restoring a service on a route like Service 10 but we fully accept there was a major failure on our part in reaching the broken down bus at Burgh on Bain.

“It’s also fair to say traffic disruption resulting from a collision delayed our engineer attending the incident.

“We have responded to our customers affected and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Regarding the possibility of a later services, the spokesman said: “Providing bus services in rural areas continues to be challenging for bus operators.

“These difficulties are compounded by continued reductions in financial contributions towards bus services from local authorities which support journeys at quieter times including evenings and Sundays.”

• Would you like to see a later service run from Lincoln to Louth? Email your views to: [email protected].