I WAS surprised and disappointed that Stuart Cole considered the public meeting held to discuss the First 84 Bus Route Whitchurch Road was a waste of time (Letters, September 30).
As the county council member for Tavistock, I was approached by residents in Whitchurch Road for help to restore the bus link between Horrabridge and Yelverton. They had been angered by the unilateral actions taken by First in making changes to the service without consultation.
It should be remembered that this is a commercial service with no subsidy support. It exists solely on the fares generated.
There was no statutory requirement for First to meet with local people to explain their actions. There was no requirement for them to listen, far less restore the link. However, as a result of public pressure and lobbying from me they agreed to listen to a reasoned case. The outcome of that meeting was they restored that section of the service.
To have done nothing was not an option. Thanking them for listening and responding so quickly to restore the link after hearing the residents? case was only good manners. If this happens again in Tavistock, where First want to tinker with a service, they may have learned from this positive experience to consult with residents and myself first.
Roy Connelly
Devon County Councillor
Tavistock Rural