Missing the bus

It’s difficult to understand how the management at the Great Western Hospital managed to get their plans for providing a staff bus service so wrong. Just three weeks ago, they were effusive about the likely level of usage.

The service will be up and running by January 4 and after speaking to staff about the plans, many have said it is a service they will be glad to use… staff would find it more convenient as many have to pass Honda to get here anyway.

Now the £30,000 scheme that was intended to free-up 200 parking spaces has been shelved for lack of interest. Now I’m sure that the hospital management know where their staff live, but if most of their staff pass the Honda site on the way to work that suggests that either the hospital is staffed almost exclusively by residents of Highworth or that staff from around Swindon like to take a tour of Stratton on the way to work.

For much of the twentieth century, many large employers ran staff buses. Surely it’s not that difficult to get right?