SIR,

The 9.40am Stagecoach Bus from Monmouth to Hereford Railway Station did not appear by 10 am on Monday 15th Sept at the Hereford Road bus stop.

There is serious lack of accurate information available by Stagecoach. The bus timetable in the Monmouthshire Bus Guide 2008 and the timetable posted at bus stops are different.

The number to ring for information which is posted at the bus stop is out of date. It has a recorded message telling one to ring a second number.

The second number knew of no problems with the service but gave a third number to phone.

The third number was a recorded message referring one back to the obsolete first number!

There was a 'Road Closed' sign at the junction of Priory St and Hereford Road but it did not say where the road was closed and traffic was flowing freely up and down the Hereford Road. I assumed it still referred to the closure of Osbaston Road which had been flooded some days previously.

It would be very helpful if 'Road Closed' signs could specify where the closure is, though I realise that this is more work.

In fact the Hereford Road had been blocked at Welsh Newton for some days by a landslide and buses were diverted via the Dixton Road and Wilton.

Stagecoach must have known of this as the buses had been re-routed but this information did not get through to their information line or their passengers.

We are all being encouraged not to use our cars so much, but it is difficult when public transport lets us down. On this occasion I had to catch the first of 3 connected trains and I was lucky enough to be able to contact a friend who got me there in the nick of time.

Dr. Charlotte Jones

(Monmouth)