Sheffield buses: Commuter warns 120 Stagecoach service is so bad she could be forced to quit work

A Sheffield commuter has warned she may be forced to give up work because her bus service is so bad.

Lynne Hancock, aged 63, endures a gruelling two-bus journey starting at 6.45am which should take 50 minutes.

But last week her Stagecoach 120 bus from Birley Spa Lane, Hackenthorpe, failed to turn up four days on the trot, which meant more time waiting in the cold, aggravating her asthma.

It also meant her morning journey soared to 90 minutes because she missed her connecting bus in the city centre. And she was late for work every day.

Lynne, who works at the Curtain and Blind Company in Woodseats, says she is lucky she has an understanding boss who has not docked her wages or threatened to sack her. But she might quit anyway.

She said: “I love my job, it’s the bus service that will make me retire. Since Covid the 120 has gone to pot, it’s late or missing at least one in four days. But last week it was every day.

"My boss knows the person I am, so when I arrive cursing she’s understanding. I’m very lucky, if I worked in a big company it could be very different. Bad buses will be affecting thousands of people in Sheffield.

“If there are not enough drivers, change the timetable so passengers can change their own timetable.” 

Lynne, of Jermyn Close, Hackenthrope, has been doing the commute for 14 years.

A Stagecoach spokeswoman said they offered their “sincere apologies” and blamed driver shortages.

She added: “Unfortunately, the 120 bus that arrives at Birley Spa Lane at 6:51am has been cancelled several times recently due to a driver not being available.

“The bus industry has faced major challenges in recent years due to driver shortages, however our driver numbers are improving because of a huge investment made in recruitment and training which will prevent cases such as this from happening in future.

“We offer our sincere apologies to Lynne and other passengers who use this service for the inconvenience this will have caused. We really value this feedback, and the depot will continue to work hard to improve reliability moving forward.”