Visitors using Bedford’s Park and Ride service at Elsow to travel to the River Festival have been met with long waiting times and long queues, with some giving up and going home.
Read: Letters: Park and Ride – well that’s a contradiction
And the operator, Stagecoach, has said there is likely to be continued disruption throughout the weekend.
Stagecoach run hourly buses into town from the Elstow car park and has not increased its capacity ahead of the River Festival weekend.
Following major issues yesterday (Saturday), Stagecoach issued a statement to say that all single-decker buses have been replaced with double-deckers to increase capacity.
However, there will be no extra buses on the route.
In a statement to the Bedford Independent, a spokesperson for Stagecoach East said: “Our teams are working hard to keep Bedford moving but there is likely to be continued disruption across our bus network today as a result of various road closures and congestion caused by high numbers of people making their way to the Bedford River Festival.”
They cited a skills shortage, as well as high levels of sickness due to the Covid pandemic, as reasons for why additional buses were not arranged.
“We have utilised all resources available to us and have replaced single deck vehicles with double deck vehicles on the Elstow Park & Ride service for the weekend to help provide additional capacity.
“However, this Park & Ride service will continue to operate to its normal hourly timetable and we advise those attending the River Festival to plan ahead and use the Stagecoach Bus App for the latest service updates and to track their bus.
“We work hard to support local events, such as the Bedford River Festival, as well as delivering our regular services for local communities.
They thanked customers for their patience, but for many, their patience ran out and they returned home.
