Stagecoach/Provincial > Reviews > A second rate service

Author's product rating:   

Quality of Rooms	Poor
Customer service	very bad
Frequency of bus / buses	Poor
Value for money	Very poor
Reliability	Poor

Advantages:	Buses have seats
Disadvantages:	Poor service, old buses, grumpy drivers, unreliable, costly, poor complaints procedures

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

We live about ten miles outside Aberdeen & although I drive my wife doesn't, so her only means of public transport is Stagecoach buses.
We are all encouraged to leave the car at home & use public transport, I only wish one of those worthless politicians who keeps reminding us about it came & witnessed Stagecoach bus services in our area. My wife has used it regularly for the past three years & these are some of her experiences.

There was a shortage of drivers around two years ago so the company drafted in some drivers from the North of England. In theory it was a good idea except Stagecoach didn't inform them where to go, more often than not, the drivers had to ask the passengers for directions & when the bus was empty it was left to the drivers to guess the routes.
Then Stagecoach recruited a number of drivers from Malta who were probably keen to make the generous salaries (compared to Malta) Stagecoach offered.
After some training they were let loose on the roads but their safety standards left a lot to be desired & many passengers complained of dangerous driving & they eventually were withdrawn.
Many buses don't turn up on time, this happens on a regular basis followed by two to three buses altogether.
One bus recently had the incorrect destination on display on the front, when he drove off the expected route all the passengers complained only to be told he was right & they were all wrong, despite selecting the wrong destination himself.
The buses are usually in poor condition, many are old & past their best compared to other companies & when ever you see a bus broken down, you can best your last pound coin it will be a Stagecoach bus.
They work from different timetables, often new ones are issued to drivers but not to passengers. Prices are very high for short distances & don't reflect the sub standard of service.
Don't even think about complaining to a driver about being late, if you don't get a mouthful back they will tell you that the bus broke down or that the traffic was heavy. That is if they can speak English, many don't.
Don't think about complaining to the bus station office either, they often don't answer the phone or leave it off the hook so that it's permanently engaged. If you are lucky to get through & complain they never get back to you.
You can always complain to head office who do follow up their complaints, albeit weeks after the event & usually take the drivers side of the story. You never get compensated for poor service.
As there is no competition in our town we are lumbered with this second rate outfit who continue to charge a fortune for a second class service & constantly get away with it.