A resident who relies on buses from her Tavistock home to see a friend in hospital is frustrated at the ‘poor’ service.

Jane Miller, 80, does not drive and is frequently delayed in her trips to Plymouth to get the train for onward travel or to see her friend who is in Derriford Hospital.

Retired teacher Jane has lived in Westbridge Cottages on Plymouth Road, for 34 years and has recently seen the service worsen.

She complains about the three-an-hour Number One service regularly not arriving or arriving late at the Plymouth Road bus stop near her home.

The service used to be four-an-hour and also used to stop near Plymouth train station - but has been re-routed to travel through Mutley, down North Hill directly to the city centre.

This means a walk from the nearest bus stop to the train station for often older people laden with luggage. A previous rerouting of the train station service was reinstated after passengers protested, but has been withdrawn again.

Jane, who used to teach maths and science at Launceston and abroad, said: “I rely a lot on the Stagecoach Number One because I don’t drive, but it’s becoming more and more unreliable.

“It used to be four times an hour, now its three an hour - which is obviously not as good. But the main grief is not being able to rely on it. If you expect a bus to come at ten minutes to the hour and it’s late then that’s also tolerable occasionally.

“But for it just not to turn up is unforgivable, especially as we don’t know it’s been cancelled or it’s delayed. We’re at a disadvantage at the bus stops, because we don’t get that information, unlike at Tavistock Bus Station where, there’s an electronic board. The service to the train station has also been stopped again, despite protests a few years ago. This goes against the concept of connectvity through an integrated, joined up transport system.”

She added: “This unreliability is particularly stressful for me because I regularly visit a friend who is a long term patient in Derriford who I hate to let down. It’s distressing for us both when I’m late.”

A Stagecoach spokesman confirmed that from Sunday, August 31, Service received ‘minor changes to improve reliability and punctuality’. As part of these changes, the service no longer operates into the city centre via North Road East but instead runs via North Hill and Queen Anne Terrace. This allows for a more direct route and provides improved access to the University of Plymouth.

He added: “We appreciate that changes in routing can mean longer walking distances for some customers, including those wishing to connect with Plymouth Railway Station, and we are continuing to monitor feedback closely.

He said Stagecoach teams are continuously improving reliability, by reviewing punctuality across all services and this autumn will be sharing vital service information with passengers through social media: “One new change we are launching in the coming months to help on this based on customer feedback are new service updates, delivered via text, email, push notifications and WhatsApp, helping to provide important travel information when needed.”