I DO not know if you have heard of the disquiet among users of the number 24 bus route from Gloucester to villages in the Forest of Dean operated by the Stagecoach organisation.

This week the new spring and summer timetables came into operation. This shows that although there is a good supply of buses going from the Forest to Gloucester before 7.58am, between that time at Mitcheldean and up to 9.50am there is no bus – leaving a gap of nearly two hours. They cannot arrive in Gloucester before 10.24am.

This in effect means for appointments with opticians, hospitals etc one will not be able to get one much before 11am.

This is very limiting to someone's ability to get an appointment or attend a meeting.

When returning in the afternoon there are two one and a half gaps in the number 24 service for 1.40pm and 4.45pm which means if someone misses the bus by a few minutes they have to wait for about 90 minutes for the next one.

Is this not a ridiculous parody of a bus service? When one looks at the number 24 service on a Saturday it seems to be a regular hourly service.

This is as it should be – where are the buses on the weekdays?

Has it got anything to do with diverting buses to school runs we might well ask?

I have written to the Freepost address on the back of the number 24 bus timetable and I urge bus users, if they value their ability to get to Gloucester, to do the same.

– W Waddell, Mitcheldean.