People living in Hollingdean have asked for action from Brighton and Hove City Council after changes made the service an unreliable “magical mystery tour”.
At a council housing management panel meeting, Hollingdean Residents’ Association chair Des Jones and secretary Ian Beck raised the issue of the number 20 bus being more unreliable than the old 50 route.
A lack of electronic bus stop signs also means that residents have no idea when buses will turn up.
Mr Beck told the panel of residents, council officials and councillors that the community was sold the service as providing a better timetable.
Among the many complaints to the residents’ association, one said that there had been a 40-minute gap in what should be a three-times-an hour service.
Mr Beck said thatthe company told him that there was no mechanic to deal with broken-down electric buses which had caused the long delay.
He said: “They’re not abiding by the timetable at any time. It’s very rare a bus comes at the time on the timetable.
“We haven’t got electronic signs that could give us more information on what’s going on.
“People in Hollingdean are totally fed up with the 20 at the moment because, when you get on the bus, you either have to go down to Lewes Road first or all around the world to where you need to go on a magical mystery tour of Brighton.”
Mr Jones said that the community had been promised the return of the 50U bus but this had not happened.
On the new 20 route, he said: “Going from Hollingdean into Brighton is impossible for anyone to get on a 20 to Old Steine.
“I’ve got a bus pass. I don’t mind changing buses but, for people without a bus pass, it costs them twice as much to get from Hollingdean, change bus and get to Old Steine.”
Transport officer Nicoletta Bertoldi said that she would take the comments back to the transport team and raise them with the bus company.
Hollingdean Community Centre volunteers have set up a 20 bus survey on their website to establish how people in the area feel about the new route.
Labour councillor Mohammed Asaduzzaman, who represents Hollingdean and Fiveways, asked the Hollingdean Community Centre manager to send the results to Brighton and Hove City Council so that the authority could work with the bus company.
Brighton and Hove Buses launched the new route this summer, merging the 50 which served Hollingdean and the 18 service to Queen’s Park.
The route is well-used enough not to attract a subsidy from the council.
Where does the is route actually start-and route does it take.
I got the 20 Bus other day from the Old Pizza Hut stop opp Imperial Arcade to St James St- up to Queens Park like where I wanted to go, seems once it’s in Hollingdean it goes elsewhere to get back down to where it needs to go.but
But coming back down seems hard work.
I’m finding now that the Marina has enough buses going down-1X,7,21,23,47,52-any more.
I also find from 7 Dials there is no bus that really goes past the Old Childrens Hospital like the Old route of the 7 used to do-that was a lifeline but suppose the numbers are low.
I’m definitely up on the little Buzzbus No47 From West Hove to Saltdean, good route that serves Kemp Town.