Dear Sir,

My recent reduction in income has meant using bus services more. You can argue about the cost of fares but if you do not have your own transport, being restricted to where you live day in day out, especially when mobility is a problem, can get you down.

It does me good to have social interaction and get out rather than be looking at four walls or going to the supermarket just for something to do.

There seems to be very little in the way of social things to do on our town so you do need to travel to the neighbouring towns.

There are many free or low cost events we could possibly travel to via a bus in neighbouring towns even Durham City has some, but even if you can travel it is impossible to connect with another bus route or catch a late bus home.

It is virtually impossible to travel to Spennymoor/Stockton after 6pm. I can by adding extra miles to the journey going to Teesside via Durham, but if I want to see an event in stockton and take a late bus home, I have to go to Durham and connect with the last available bus this way which terminates at Ferryhill. It is along walk from there home!

The last number 7 completes approx 75% of it’s route so if you need to reach Newton Aycliffe or Darlington you are stranded.

If you attempt to come home via Durham to Bishop Auckland via other services chances are you will be left in Bishop Auckland,

So if you cannot afford a taxi or have no one to share the cost, you are unable to have social contact in the evening.

We only have two routes remaining, Darlington to Bishop Auckland or Durham to Darlington. If you live in Durham City you still have many services and some late buses that take you further North or into Teesside but the southern part of the county is poorly served.

It would not be so bad if the final late night buses would at least connect with other routes and the 7 bus service would at least complete the route.

It’s a similar situation to the letter written by Samantha English in Newton News trying to come home to Aycliffe Village. It might be acceptable if buses were less frequent but that they at least can connect with another service or they don’t stop in the middle of a route.

We are being neglected in this part of the County and I overheard two bus drivers talking and it all comes down again to cutbacks in subsidies from the County Council. The other week a Government minister was on the radio saying that the bus services the public endure is very bad and needs improving. How many years has that been said?

Anthony Parkin