The daughter of a pensioner has branded the changes to a bus service a “ridiculous idea”.

Arriva’s service 94 has been withdrawn and replaced by a new service 98 with more frequency, but this service no longer serves Norton or Pixmore Avenue in Letchworth GC.

The withdrawal of this bus service from Pixmore Avenue means that 88-year-old Mrs Schofield, who has to walk with the aid of a stick, now has to walk to Works Road to catch a bus anywhere. As she is elderly, this takes her 20 minutes.

Her daughter, June Chapman, said: “On a Saturday she does her shopping so has to walk down to Works Road to catch her bus into the town.

“Coming back she has to get off in Works Road and pull her shopping trolley up the hill to Boscombe Court, where she lives.

“While pulling her shopping trolley, she must also use her stick, and if it is raining try and use an umbrella, with added problems if it is very windy.

“I know she is not the only one who has or will be affected by this ridiculous idea.”

Mrs Chapman has been affected by the 55 bus service, also run by Arriva. She said: “This has to be one of the worst I have ever come across. The buses keep breaking down, they do not run to time - what is the point of timetables?

“They like to run in pairs and, apart from a minority of drivers who are very polite and helpful, the rest of them treat passengers as a pain in the backside rather than a customer. They should be taught some customer service skills. Manners cost nothing.”

A spokesman for Arriva said: “It is correct that Pixmore Avenue no longer has a service. We appreciate this is less than ideal, but the changes made overall will offer a more reliable service all round.

“We are aware of recent reliability issues on the 55 service and feel there should now be improvements in this area. if customers continue to be dissatisfied they should log their complaints with our customer services team so the depot can investigate further.

“Arriva has made changes to a number of their services, increasing frequency on some routes. They have also introduced a new service 96/96A that serves Letchworth, Arlesey and Stotfold. Full details of these revised services can be found online at arrivabus.co.uk/stevenage-letchworth-sept13

* We incorrectly reported in last week’s paper that the service from Hitchin to Arlesey was provided by Arriva. The service is actually provided by Stagecoach.