HAVING read the letter by Francesca Brooks concerning the bus service, I would like to make things a little clearer.

Having been a bus driver for many years, I can understand her frustration. It’s not that bus drivers don’t respect the timetable, it’s because they can’t!

Most bus companies base a timetable on the length of time it takes from departure point to arrival point, with some extra time for traffic delays.

However, when traffic is heavily delayed due to road conditions, like roadworks, accidents, adverse weather, this puts extra time on the journey, resulting in the bus losing more time than normal.

Although not working for the bus company concerned, I know the route well. It is not one of best routes in Essex. Traffic on this route is always heavily congested.

The longer the bus gets held up, the more people there are waiting at bus stops, causing the bus to spend longer than normal loading. Ten minutes late becomes 15, 15 becomes 20, and so the time escalates.

This situation is a nightmare for bus controllers, who have to make sure drivers are not driving too long without a break, or driving in excess of their legal hours.

Therefore, if a driver is reaching his or her legal driving hours, the controller has no alternative but to get the driver either on a break or back to base to sign off duty. Any breach of driving regulations can result in a heavy fine and loss of a route.

We as drivers do not think it is fine to turn up 45 minutes late. Try as we may, buses have to sit in congested traffic like everyone else.

All these delays effects our break and finishing times. Every bus company has the same problems. No matter where you are, what country you are in, traffic situations cause delays.

Drivers can understand the frustration of waiting for a bus not knowing if it’s ever going to turn up. We can only do our best.

But with traffic getting more congested and ever increasing roadworks, we are fighting a losing battle. – KEVIN FARRELL, Grays.