Changes to B3 bus route defended by Sullivan Buses and Hertfordshire County Council

The new schedule for the B3 bus route, run by Sullivan Buses, was introduced in July.

But passengers who used to rely on the early morning services to get to work on time claimed the drastic changes were without consultation.

Caroline Pitrakou used to take the first bus of the day at 7.15am to the station, but this has now been moved back to 6.50am.

The second bus of the day is at 7.25am, which the mother-of-two said is too late for her to get to work at London Bridge on time.

Steve Simmons, manager at Sullivan Buses, said the new timetable has actually made it easier for people to get to work.

He added: “It is true the journey Mrs Pitrakou took no longer runs, and has been replaced by the 6.50am service and one 20 minutes later.

“But both connect well with fast and slow trains into London. Obviously, some passengers are inconvenienced by not being able to get the same train as they used to, but the earlier journey was put on following requests from other passengers.”

He added that the three morning services, which used to run at 7.15am, 7.43am and 8.43am has been replaced by four services, at 6.49am, 7.59am and 8.36am.

The manager also said the last service of the day, at 6.50pm, was withdrawn due to the fact that the journey was “little used” so was not a good use of tax payers money. The last service is now at 6.18pm. 

Sullivan Buses operate the B3 under contract to Hertfordshire County Council, who determine the timetable.

A spokesperson from the council said: “Due to increased traffic congestion, we have introduced additional running time for the B3 route in peak periods to improve reliability. We have also made changes to meet train arrivals and departures.

“Changes in bus service provision are not subject to a public consultation, but passenger comments have been included in the new timetable for the B3 route. Despite these alterations, the latest timetable for the B3 route is very similar to previous timetables.”