Written evidence submitted by Mr Neil Cairns (BCC0016)

Local Bus Passenger in Leighton Linslade.

I retired from Bedfordshire Police in 2003, my wife retired from work in 2007. We both obtained our Bus Passes in 2007. Since then we have been regular users on the local buses into town from our home in Highfield Road, Leighton Buzzard. The last ten years we have used them nearly every day except Sundays; currently we use the L2 and L4, occasionally the L3. To go to Luton, Dunstable or Milton Keynes we use the Arriva 70 or 77 services. Alas to go to our county town Bedford, or to relatives in Newport Pagnell we have to use our car as no decent services run to these towns.

The bus pass is probably the most useful thing I’ve ever had from the authorities, but I’m sad to say I’m glad I do not have to rely on our local buses to go to work on time, obviously being retired. The L2 from the Brooklands Drive on Hockliffe Road bus stop into town is often up to 15 minutes late, though we could use the L4 from the CooP ‘stop in Brooklands Drive, but it goes all round the houses ( new estates) and takes ages. Over the years we have got to know many of the bus drivers by name, and also many of others who use the same buses. Lots of local news is discussed on route. It was from one such conversation I found out that in May 2025 the town’s bus service may be cut drastically due to the Section 106 money (from local developers) running out. I wrote to my MP, Alex Mayer, over this. I also informed our local news paper the Leighton Buzzer Observer, who ran a front page article on the subject.

Also of interest is the habits of local car drivers who constantly block our nearest bus stop. I’ve complained to LLTC and Central Beds Council over this, but got nowhere. Whilst the new estates get nice new covered bus stops, we pensioners on the 1950s Brooklands Estate have to stand out in the open all weathers, often with a car up on the pavement obstructing the bus stop ( the CooP one above) surrounded by full rubbish bins from the adjacent shops.

When the service first began back in the 1980s, we had a mini-bus come around our estate past our house on a ‘hail and stop’ system. There were no huge outer new estates then; today we have to walk half a mile to the bus stop, either on Hockliffe Road or Stanbridge Road. The five brand new buses the town was given are much better than the cramped mini-buses we first had (I once counted 22 passengers on one, some with prams and walking frames, 50% overloaded), Currently in the much bigger buses there is plenty of room.

One complaint we hear often from other (elderly) bus users is that the 70 and 77 do not stop at Milton Keynes Hospital or the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, where once both did.

January 2025