A BUS user has spoken of his delight now that important repairs have been undertaken at Warrington Bus Interchange.

Former town mayor Geoff Settle, who is also chair of Warrington Visually Impaired People (WVIP), is a regular passenger on Warrington’s Own Buses.

He says he has been making full use of his OAP bus pass around Warrington, and as far away as Cornwall when on holiday.

However, he has been pushing for improvements at the bus station, including the repair of broken timetable screens and chairs, as well as a leaking roof.

“For the last couple of months, the electronic information boards have been out of action,” Geoff said.

“The place is constantly being repaired – entrance doors, bay doors, timetable screens, cracked floor tiles and vandalised seats.

“Customers need the information on the screens to plan their journey home, and visually impaired people cannot always see obstacles where repairs are taking place.”

He wrote to Warrington Borough Council to raise the issues and was told in response: “We are also aware of several areas of concern relating to the upkeep of the bus interchange.

“We have secured funding for a high level clean which includes all of the glass, inside and out, and around the perimeter of the interchange building.

Issues were raised with seating and timetable boards

Issues were raised with seating and timetable boards

“We anticipate that this work will be carried out during July.

“Colleagues within the wider council are presently carrying out a survey on the floor condition and options to address the deficiencies.

“We are working to get the deficiencies rectified as quickly as possible, but please accept my apologies for the inconvenience that they are causing.

“The work on the roof has only recently been completed, but early signs are positive, and we are cautiously optimistic that the issues with the roof have now been solved.”

Geoff says that he was returning home recently by bus and ‘breathed out a sigh of relief’ when he noticed that all of the screens were up and running.

“Looking around, I saw that the bus interchange looked in a much better condition, with no visible trip hazards,” he added.

“I am very pleased, because his fellow passengers now have somewhere to sit in the relative warmth while they wait.

“This is instead of shivering in the icy blast that used to come from the open bay doors that never shut.”