08 November 2012 | Cowick News
COWICK city councillor Paul Bull has been out and about on the buses, and believes from talking to passengers that improvements could be made to the service that would benefit the ward.
He has started a Cowick Deserves Better Buses campaign after talking to to passengers.
For many, it is a 2-bus trip to access medical and health services provided by the St Thomas Medical Centre on Cowick Street, a difficult and taxing journey for those with mobility problems and young children in buggies.
“It also means it is expensive to travel to reach the health centre.
“Patients either have to buy 4 single tickets or an Exeter Dayrider at £3.50 to make a bus journey to travelless than a mile as the crow flies.”
Cllr Bull as discovered it is easier fro residents in both Alphington and Exwick to travel to the doctors’ in Cowick Street by bus and told the Echo: “it may be more convenient for Cowick residents to use a doctors’ surgey in Pennsylvania if they rely on Stagecoach services”
Out and about on the buses, Cllr Bull found that many passengers had their own ideas on how to improve the Cowick service.
Cllr Bull said: “As we travelled down Isleworth Road, someone sais: ” Yu know what would be great? If this bus turned right at the bottom and went to the health centre. And to compensate, one of the three services from Exwick could go down Okehampton Street.’
“A simple solution obvious to passengers but which according to Stagecoach ‘doesn’t make commercial sense.'”
cllrpaul4cowick 
14/11/15 | Statement from Stagecoach
A Stagecoach spokesperson commented “Over the last few years we have made significant improvements to our Exeter network, including spending some time looking at the most simple and effective ways our E, F and P services could interwork with one another for the benefit of the majority of our customers. The result of this was to keep our E and F services on a similar routing between Stoke Arms and Redhills, allowing us to maintain a maintain a turn-up-and-go service. The P was then rerouted down Isleworth Road and Charnley Avenue to provide residents of High Meadows with a bus service.
“This arrangement works well for most of our customers, but we appreciate there are some Crossmead residents who would like route P to also serve Cowick Street Health Centre. At present we have no plans to make this change to the service but, to complete this journey, customers can connect onto either E or F at The Barleymow or St Thomas Shopping Centre. Alternatively, Country Bus, Dartline and Western Greyhound all offer direct services from Dunsford Hill to the Health Centre.”
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And my response to that statment:
“I am saddened and disappointed that Stagecoach’s representative feels that the current route of the P service only affects a small number of its passengers.
“It is not only those who live near Crossmead who feel aggrieved the there is no direct bus service to the St Thomas Health Centre, but the majority of the 4.000 residents of Cowick.
“18 months ago, I made a facetious remark about it being easier for Cowick residents to visit a doctor in Pennsylvania than their nearest surgery. Well, that tongue-in-cheek remark was closer to the truth that I thought as the P passes the Mount Pleasant Health Centre. Yet the residents of Beacon Heath that use that centre wish that the E, F1 or F2 could be diverted from Old Tiverton Road and run along Mount Pleasant.
“It’s all well and good suggesting that passengers could change at either the Barley Mow or St Thomas Shopping Centre, but that adds time to their journey.
“I wonder how funding for the national Bus Pass works? Do Stagecoach get a fixed annual fee, or is it based on numbers of pass users? The current route means 4 journeys rather than 2 on the more direct route.
“Many Cowick residents forego the option of public transport and choose to use their cars. When they do, they are faced with congestion at the First and Last junction – often caused by the backing up of buses on the very route that is denied to them.
“I know that Stagecoach is a commercial business, with the aim of earning profits for their shareholders, but It’s possibly time for them to remember that they are in the business of delivering a public transport system
“Maybe they should take my lead and join me on the P route and talk to their very annoyed customers.
“Indeed I would be happy to share the odd journey with Helen Scholes – or any other seniour Stagecoach represetentative – on the P bus.”
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