A Cumbrian MP has joined the call for bus services to be improved in Cumbria.
Whitehaven & Workington MP Josh MacAlister said urgent action needed to be taken over ongoing disruption to services run by travel firm Stagecoach.
He said his office had received over 200 complaints in recent months about the firm.
On Friday, Cumberland Council said it had written to the Traffic Commissioners to raise formal concerns about Stagecoach’s services.
Yesterday, Mr MacAlister said he was backing the authority and had also written to the Traffic Commissioners.
His letter says that the problem was particularly serious in rural and coastal communities, where people often have no realistic alternative if a bus does not turn up.
He added significant public investment was being made to improve local bus services, including new publicly funded routes across West Cumbria, but said public confidence risked being undermined if commercial services did not run reliably.
Mr MacAlister said: “Reliable buses are not a luxury. For many people in West Cumbria they are the only way to get to work, school, college, hospital appointments or the shops.
“My office has heard from too many constituents who have been left waiting for buses that do not turn up, or who have had journeys disrupted at short notice with little or no communication. In rural and coastal communities, a cancelled bus can mean a missed shift, a missed appointment or being cut off from essential services.
“Cumberland Council is right to raise these concerns with the Traffic Commissioners and I am backing their call for urgent action. We are seeing significant public investment in local bus services and we need operators to play their part by delivering the reliable service passengers deserve.
“This is about standing up for passengers, protecting local bus services and rebuilding confidence in public transport across West Cumbria.”
The travel firm said in recent weeks, multiple sets of roadworks had been carried out at the same time across key corridors, including Warwick Road, Eastern Way, Victoria Road and Burgh Road roundabout, resulting in significant congestion and delays.
In 2024, the firm was given a formal warning for its failure to operate bus services in Cumbria.
The warning was issued following a public inquiry and DVSA investigation into the bus operator – which found the firm was failing to operate certain of its registered bus services in Cumbria without a reasonable excuse.
A Stagecoach Cumbria and Lancashire spokesman said: “We recognise the concerns raised by Mr MacAlister and fully understand the frustration experienced by customers when services do not operate as expected.
“We take our responsibility to deliver reliable and dependable bus services across Cumberland extremely seriously.
“While bus operations across Cumberland continue to be affected by significant factors outside our control, including extensive roadworks, congestion and wider highway disruption, we remain focused on improving the service we provide and earning the trust of customers through consistent delivery and open communication.
“We remain committed to working constructively with Cumberland Council, the current local MP and the Traffic Commissioners to deliver the reliable, resilient and accountable bus network that communities across West Cumbria deserve.”
