I was deeply shocked to hear of Stagecoach Swindon's plans to end the number 70 bus service.

As a young adult living in Chiseldon, this service represents my only viable means of transport. In the current economic climate, given the cost of higher education and vocational training, people of my age simply do not have the funds to maintain a car of our own, and are almost totally dependant on public transport.

As a result of Stagecoach's decision, many young people I have spoken to in Chiseldon, the Ogbournes and Marlborough stand to lose either their jobs or their social life, and in general are outraged at having their only line of communication severed.

I have heard the Stagecoach claim that the service they currently provide is inadequately patronised, hence their desire to terminate it. They have overlooked the fact that it is the inconsistency of their service which has reduced its patronage.

Initially it ran from Marlborough to Swindon and back again, regularly, on the hour. Then the route was modified to include Barton Park, changing the times, the timetables at village bus stops were not replaced until long after.

More recently the same happened with the building of the Great Western Hospital. The service was temporarily increased to a half-hourly one, which was barely publicised and then withdrawn due to "lack of interest".

Furthermore, Stagecoach began engaging in the practice of using the same fleet of buses to serve the congested Swindon-Oxford route; often delaying buses to a ludicrous degree.

As the main public transport franchise in the Swindon area, Stagecoach surely has a responsibility for providing adequate public transport, as opposed to merely running the most profitable routes. If it is unable to do so adequately, surely it would be better to rescind its franchise and bestow it upon a more able company.

T Howe

Chiseldon