Stagecoach bus are unaccountable

Vanillaman

I have exhausted all efforts to escalate a complaint against Stagecoach, but it seems they are unaccountable. The last straw was when I had to comfort a young lady who was in danger of losing her job because of her method of getting to work, Stagecoach was constantly late or didn't bother to show up. I have spoken to may people in similar positions while waiting for these lazy, incompetent drivers. There seems to be an antagonistic culture of contempt for passengers in Stagecoach. This is reflected in Trustpilot reviews on Stagecoach from frustrated passengers. Stagecoach have a script of excuses to quote to passengers when enquiring about late or failed arrivals. Their complaints procedure is set up to go nowhere, since their head office claims they will investigate, but they clearly have no intentions of investigating. All they do is quote their standard default standby script to fobb off passengers. There is no regulating body or method of independent investigation. Stagecoach bosses know they are unaccountable and can apparently get away with whatever they want.

If anyone knows a method of taking action against this company, I would be grateful if you could add it here as I have exhausted all research. 

Many thanks in advance.

la531983

Well the obviously place to start would be your local passenger transport executive body, or county council if you are in a non-metropolitan area.

Okell

You might be better advised to post here:  Public transport & cycling — MoneySavingExpert Forum

swingaloo

What makes you say lazy, incompetent drivers? That's a sweeping and probably unfair statement.

Could be many reasons at play, not enough drivers, badly organised schedules, traffic issues etc, etc.

pramsay13

They aren't unaccountable, but I'm not sure what you are expecting. 

Largs

I have used these in the past...

https://bususers.org/passengers/complaints/make-a-complaint/

lincroft1710

They are very accountable as their contract to provide bus services in North Norfolk was terminated a few years ago after many complaints. My local Stagecoach service used be every 10 minutes, it has gradually diminished to every 20 minutes

RefluentBeans

What are you seeking? 

I appreciate public transport isn’t thriving currently; but I’m afraid it’s just one of the pitfalls of using public transport. If you get a bus that just gets you to work on time, then I think you should look to catch an earlier bus. In the same way car users shouldn’t plan to get to work with 1 minute to spare, as if there’s diversions, slow moving traffic etc. they will be late. 

It’s not overly clear what you’re seeking. If you’re looking to just make a complaint, then the Stagecoach website has a complaints section. If you’re looking for compensation, then you have to show how their actions have damaged you, and how you’ve formed your contract. In this case, I don’t think you’ve formed a contract until you purchased a ticket. So unless you have a season ticket, I don’t think you can claim much back at all. 

Ultimately, this doesn’t seem to be a consumer rights issue, and rather a rant. I appreciate it is frustrating; but until there’s a scheme like Delay Repay (which is present on trains) then I’ll think you’ll struggle to get any financial compensation. 

Undervalued

Vanillaman said:

I have exhausted all efforts to escalate a complaint against Stagecoach, but it seems they are unaccountable. The last straw was when I had to comfort a young lady who was in danger of losing her job because of her method of getting to work, Stagecoach was constantly late or didn't bother to show up. I have spoken to may people in similar positions while waiting for these lazy, incompetent drivers. There seems to be an antagonistic culture of contempt for passengers in Stagecoach. This is reflected in Trustpilot reviews on Stagecoach from frustrated passengers. Stagecoach have a script of excuses to quote to passengers when enquiring about late or failed arrivals. Their complaints procedure is set up to go nowhere, since their head office claims they will investigate, but they clearly have no intentions of investigating. All they do is quote their standard default standby script to fobb off passengers. There is no regulating body or method of independent investigation. Stagecoach bosses know they are unaccountable and can apparently get away with whatever they want.

If anyone knows a method of taking action against this company, I would be grateful if you could add it here as I have exhausted all research. 

Many thanks in advance.

Ultimately it is an employee's responsibility to get themselves to work on time. Whilst most "good" employers show some flexibility for public transport delays, some jobs are far more time critical than others. Try commuting into London by train......

Pollycat

We are in a similar position, although the service has improved lately.

Have you tried your MP?
I know 2 MPs in my area are closely involved with Stagecoach issues and one runs a forum with members of the public and the 3 bus companies operating in the area.

I agree with this:

swingaloo said:
What makes you say lazy, incompetent drivers? That's a sweeping and probably unfair statement.

Could be many reasons at play, not enough drivers, badly organised schedules, traffic issues etc, etc.

Do you think drivers deliberately run services late?
Do you think drivers decide not to run a particular time of bus?

All these reasons - not enough drivers, badly organised schedules, traffic issues - are not the fault of 'lazy, incompetent drivers'.

Put the blame where it belongs.
Stagecoach management.

Mids_Costcutter

Largs suggested trying Bus Users UK. They are the approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Body for bus and coach passengers and nominated body for dealing with complaints under the Passenger Rights Regulation. It sounds like you've exhausted the complaints process with Stagecoach.