IN February this year Diamond Buses were given a formal notice to improve its performance by the West Midlands Traffic Commissioner.

Despite the warning and after the company received a fine in 2014 it would appear that they are still struggling to operate an acceptable service according to timetable in Redditch.

Many residents in Winyates Green and Matchborough East have informed me that they have at times been forced to wait over an hour for the number 62 when buses haven’t turned up.

This is a vital route that many people, both young and old, use to get to the Morrisons supermarket or to access the town centre.

Diamond has pledged to address their punctuality by investing £600,000 in new ticket machines.

They will also be increasing their fleet from 228 vehicles to 275 vehicles as part of its expansion plan to meet the increased customer demand for the service.

In addition to this the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency are currently conducting a timetable monitoring exercise to see if the bus company is making any improvement in its performance.

You can be rest assured that I will be writing to Worcestershire County Council and the Traffic Commissioner to ensure that the bus company does meet it’s compliance level of 95 per cent.

Cllr Paul Swansborough Winyates Ward (UKIP)