A PENSIONER says a string of failures with a lifeline bus service have left her and other elderly people from Inverclyde trapped in their own homes.

Community campaigner Alice McCaughey from Greenock, who suffered serious injuries following a freak accident, is taking on Strathclyde Partnership for Transport over what she says is the 'running down' of their MyBus service in Inverclyde.

Alice says it is frequently leaving people like herself stranded outside venues waiting to be picked up because the service is overstretched, with drivers picking up in Glasgow and Renfrewshire.

She has also blasted the automated booking system and the decision not to return to a full service by lifting Covid restrictions, or allow group bookings to return and limiting people to two journeys a week.

The 83-year-old told the Tele that there have been a catalogue of problems with MyBus lately, which have left local senior citizens unable to get out and about.

Alice, who lives in Inverkip Street, said: "There are poor souls out there who are too scared to speak out about this in case they end up not getting on the bus

"But I am not scared to speak out.

"It is ridiculous what is happening.

"Without MyBus people can't get out of their house to meet friends and go to groups."

Bosses at SPT say that the usage of the service has declined but Alice says this is down to the way it is being operated.

She told the Tele: "If passenger numbers are falling it is because it is too hard to book a bus get on it and get picked up on time.

"People with mobility problems can't use public transport and in most cases have crutches or wheelchair and they have no other way of getting out.

"But because of the problems with MyBus people who used it are now left staying at home.

"I have been left standing outside the bingo hall for half an hour.

"I am not able to stand that long so we are left leaning against a wall.

"The drivers have too short a time between distances to pick up.

"Inverclyde used to have its own MyBus but from what I can see that is no longer the case - drivers are going from Paisley to Glasgow and back again.

"It is totally unacceptable.

"During lockdown transport was reduced to two journeys a week and that hasn't changed so far - we need to get back to normal.

"When you book a week before you don't get confirmation until the day before too.

"That is no good for people to make arrangements."

There is also concern about the service axing group bookings.

Alice said: "I am involved with the Your Voice community care forum and they used to be able to book MyBus to take people to groups, to prevent isolation.

"But there is no longer a facility for group bookings.

"This leaves people on their own."

Alice says disabled people have also been told their wheelchairs are 'too big' to get on board.

She added: "This was never a problem before."

Alice says one of the biggest problems with the service is the automated booking system.

She added: "You can't speak to a person any more - you have to go on an automated service, put in your bus pass number and your date of birth.

"This is really hard for some people to do.

"I am waiting for cataract operations in both eyes and am just lucky I know the information all off by heart."

Bosses at SPT have defended the service and say they recognise how much people rely on it.

They added that they plan to hold talks with passengers to try and get the service back on track.

A spokeswoman said: “MyBus is an essential service for many older and more vulnerable people and we know how important it is to many in the community.

"We meet more than 90 per cent of all requests for journeys.

“However, MyBus usage has been steadily declining in recent years and passenger numbers have not returned post-Covid.

"We are currently carrying out a review of the service to consider future operating models to meet the needs of current and future users with the budget available.

“We are happy to meet with service users and representatives to discuss the services and any issues they may have.”