Stagecoach thanks passengers for patience

Stagecoach South West has thanked bus passengers for their patience after bus services were heavily delayed yesterday following a series of accidents around the city which brought traffic to a standstill.

Traffic from Pinhoe was diverted along Hill Barton Road towards Middlemoor Roundabout, which quickly became gridlocked. Queues then formed towards Sandygate which was already busy following the closure of the M5. This meant that traffic along key arteries such as Heavitree Road and Topsham Road was already at a standstill by rush hour.

Mike Watson, Stagecoach’s Managing Director, said: “First and foremost our thoughts are with those who lost their lives in yesterday’s accidents. As anyone who tried to use the roads in and around Exeter yesterday knows, they led to severe congestion across the city. I’m very sorry for the delays this caused our passengers and I would like to thank them for bearing with our team whilst they were doing their best to keep as many services running as possible.”

Simone Smith, Stagecoach’s Acting Operations Manager for Exeter, added: “We think yesterday was the worst day anyone can remember for congestion. We had every spare bus and driver on the road, but we just couldn’t escape the fact that journeys were taking 60 minutes instead of six.”

She continued: “Our buses use the same roads as everyone else which means we also have to work through the same delays. I want to thank our drivers and supervisors for going above and beyond the call of duty yesterday evening. Everyone put in so much effort to keep services running, with many staff working extra hours, and I hope all of our customers made it home safely.”

For travel information on the go customers can now follow Stagecoach on Twitter @StagecoachSW or visit www.stagecoachbus.com/southwest for more detail.