My last choice in travel (First Group Buses)

Member Name: rbjg_1990

Product:	First Group Buses
Date:	18/08/09 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It gets you from A to B. Eventually

Disadvantages: High costs, infrequent bus services, rude drivers, dirty buses

First Group Buses are simply the worst buses i've had the pleasure of catching in my lifetime. The buses are late, dirty and have very rude drivers.
Just over a year ago, I moved house to a place in the country called Cleobury Mortimer, around 10 miles away from kidderminster. However, with no railway, the only way to get to Kidderminster by public transport was using the only bus service that ran through the town, the 292, operated by First.
One of the main issues is the frequency of this bus service. The bus only comes about every 2 hours, making a short trip into Kidderminster (Or Ludlow in the other direction) impossible. Also, in relation to bus times, the first bus of the day doesn't arrive in Kidderminster until around 8.30, and the last leaves at around 7pm. This made it very difficult for employees to accept me for jobs as there was no way I could travel too and from work at the required times.
Another big issue is cost. It costs £3.30 for a one way ticket and around £6.00, which is far too much to get to your nearest town centre! This is compared to a company like TWM (National Express West Midlands) who charge £1.70 for a single fare from Stourbridge to Birmingham, which is around the same distance. The cost of First Buses made it very difficult for me to visit friends as I couldn't afford the cost.
The drivers of these buses are also very rude. For example, when boarding a bus, I asked how much a return ticket to Kidderminster would be, and he simply shrugged his shoulders before saying "probably around £6.00". Which was obviously his idea of being funny. And they have also kept my change before without me realising until it was too late.
If you catch these buses, the chances are you have no choice. take my advice and stay well away. I have a scooter now where the same £3.30 journey works out to just over 50p.

Summary: Very, very poor public transport