Claims that bus service for village near Leamington is just not the ticket

It follows concerns raised by David Saul, a member of Cubbington Parish Council.

Mr Saul said the most recent incident involved the non-appearance of the 8.09am 68 service from Cubbington to Leamington.

He said it happened on January 11 and made people late for work and one distraught schoolgirl was trying to get to Trinity Catholic School for an exam.

Mr Saul said: “She got quite upset. She went home distressed and a kind villager took her straight to Trinity.

“I can’t comprehend why they are failing the residents of my village.”

The 68 is operated by Stagecoach Midland Red and takes in a long route, including Lillington, Stud Farm, Leamington Railway Station, Warwick Gates, Warwick and Hatton Park.

Mr Saul said he had raised concerns with the company in the past about the service, adding: “In one week it happened three times on the 8.09am service. It just does not turn up.

“How would the bus company bosses like to stand in the freezing cold waiting for a bus that doesn’t turn up?”

He said he believed that when there was a problem with a driver or a bus, “the 68 is sacrificed” for a busier and more profitable route.

But that was discounted by Stagecoach spokesman Chris Child.

He said: “If we have a problem with a route, if we have not a driver or a bus, we will take it off a route that runs more frequently.”

On January 11 the 68 bus did run but was made late by traffic, said Mr Child.

“Before it runs that journey it was on the 77 and that was caught up in traffic between Lighthorne and Gaydon which was due to the traffic for the Jaguar LandRover site.

“We are going to monitor the situation over the next few weeks and look to see what can be done to improve punctuality.

“There’s a mixture of things that we can do.”

Some good news for bus users in the area is Stagecoach spending £1.6 million on 10 double-deckers that will be mainly used on the Uni service between Leamington and the University of Warwick.