News, sport and entertainment from the Bournemouth Echo and Dorset Echo.

OAPs take Yellow Buses chief to task

From the Echo, first published Thursday 25th Jan 2001.

ANGRY pensioners confronted the boss of Yellow Buses over the axing of services to their part of Boscombe.

Many elderly people say they now have to struggle up a steep hill or pay for taxis since the company cut Boscombe Pier from its timetable.

Yellow Buses managing director Roy Edgley faced around 35 residents at a protest called by Boscombe West councillor Phil Carey.

Most of the group then walked from Boscombe Pier up Sea Road to show Mr Edgley how steep the climb is.

Resident Catherine Phillips said: "I've got a pacemaker, which doesn't help. It's a hard walk, especially when it's windy."

An angina sufferer told how she had to make daily trips to the shops by taxi. "It's costing me a bomb at the moment but I would have a heart attack before I got to the top. I can't get my breath," she said.

David Jessup, a hotelier and chairman of Boscombe First Residents' Association, said he was worried about the effect on the tourist trade.

"Many of my visitors are elderly and come down here by bus and most return by bus because they can't get up the hill," he said.

Many elderly people in the area have to make regular hospital trips and are now forced to take taxis.

Resident Stella Stephens said: "We can manage without the Poole bus, although that was very handy. But if we've got to give up one or the other we'd rather have the hospital bus."

Mr Edgley said cuts had to be made because journey times were getting longer. "We will take on board all they say and will look at it but we've pointed out that our problem is we have too many vehicles stationery in traffic that should be moving around."

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