Getting from A to B by local public transport | Community Natters

On 25 June 2026 (yes, a very hot day) Dartmouth Community Chest hosted a fundraiser at the Teahut in Avenue Gardens. TQ6 Community Partnership joined them with a Community Natter around public transport.

Here are some of the issues and solutions you told us about public transport locally in Dartmouth.

What are your main reasons for travelling by bus/public transport?

Local residents rely on buses for a wide range of everyday activities.

Healthcare was the most common reason for travel, followed by work, education, shopping, family commitments and leisure. Many people we spoke to no longer drive and depend on buses to maintain independence.

Healthcare:

• “I travel outside of Dartmouth for health appointments… I ensure that the appointment time that I make works for me and works for the buses.”
• “The focus of my travelling is really around health.”
• “I have lots of health appointments at Torbay Hospital.”
• “I travel to Plymouth for shopping and I travelled to Torbay to the hospital.”
• “I travel from downtown Dartmouth to the Health and Wellbeing Centre.”

Work:

• “I travel for work.”
• “I travel a lot by bus to get to work from the bottom of town to the top of town.”

Education:

• “Going to school over in the Bay can be an issue.”
• “My children take the bus to South Devon College.”

Shopping:

• “I travel a lot locally to go up to Sainsbury’s.”
• “I like to travel by bus to go shopping in Plymouth, Totnes and Paignton.”

Family & Caring:

• “I travelled to Totnes a lot to visit family.”
• “I visit my dad once a week just to keep an eye on him.”

Leisure & Social Life:

• “I travel by bus to painting.”
• “We travel to Paignton where we go shopping or to the beach.”
• “Being a young person I’d like to travel outside Dartmouth… to meet friends.”

What’s the experience like and what issues do you find?

Bus reliability
The most common concern was unreliable bus services. Residents described buses failing to arrive, breaking down, running late or being cancelled. Many felt operational issues were repeatedly used as explanations without improvements.

• “Sometimes I have to walk up and down because of the buses not arriving.”
• “The number 90 is unreliable.”
• “There’s no timetable—buses don’t stick to the timetable.”
• “I recently travelled… the bus broke down.”
• “The bus service is OK but if one breaks down the whole system falls apart.”
• “We are fed up of hearing that the unreliability… is due to operational issues.” Healthcare Access Bus services play a vital role in accessing healthcare, but poor connections, long journey times and unreliable services often make appointments difficult or impossible to attend.
• “Even with a car the ferry adds so much time… it becomes an all-day appointment.”
• “I often have to cancel appointments.”
• “The bus needs to be going into the Health Centre.”
• “I left the ferry at 7:30… I got to the hospital at 10:55 for a 10:45 appointment.”
• “Aligning with healthcare this bus issue could easily be solved.”

Mobility and Accessibility
Older people and those with disabilities described significant accessibility barriers. These included mobility scooters, walking frames, inaccessible bus stops, limited scooter spaces and difficulties using Stagecoach’s scooter permit process.

• “I have a mobility scooter… it’s really hard to get the scooter on the local buses.”
• “The bus stop is too far. I have mobility issues.”
• “Mobility issues aren’t considered on public transport.”
• “The Stagecoach scooter permit… try getting one of them.”
• “If there’s another scooter on the bus then I have to wait another hour.”
• “I use a walker and I have to get volunteer transport.”
• “I often have to walk because the buses aren’t reliable and I have a heart condition.”

Bus Routes and Timetables
Participants highlighted concerns about poorly aligned routes and timetables. Early morning and evening services did not reflect local needs, and poor connections affected access to healthcare, work, education and social activities.

• “The number 90 used to start at 7:00am now it’s 8:30am.”
• “The solution would be buses that run beyond 5:30pm.”
• “All buses don’t align.”
• “There are no buses back… it restricts my social life.”
• “It’d be really good to get a paper timetable.”
• “The frequency of service makes bus use a lot less than it should be.”

Cost and Affordability
The cost of travel was a barrier for some participants, particularly families and students. Bus fares and the lack of education transport support placed financial pressure on households.

• “It’s cost me £1,200 for my children to travel to South Devon College by bus I get no help or support as I am a home educating mum.
• “#90 bus… it’s quite expensive.”
• “The allocation of fares… don’t always seem to be quite right.”
• “Volunteer transport… they charge.”

Impact on Daily Life
Poor transport affects people’s independence, health, education, employment and social participation. Many residents described feeling isolated or increasingly dependent on others after giving up driving

• “I used to drive everywhere… now I can’t drive.”
• “I’m not an incapable person, but I struggle to work out the public transport.”
• “Young people… there’s no buses back so it restricts my social life.”
• “We’re always reliant on our parents to give us a lift.”
• “Appointments become an all-day event.”
• “Some students don’t turn up to school.”

Volunteer and Community Transport
Community transport services were valued but were not always available or sufficient to meet demand. Residents appreciated Dartmouth Caring but noted reduced or no availability of volunteer drivers

• “I use the Dartmouth Caring volunteer service.”
• “They told me they don’t do cars anymore.”
• “Hospital transport… always say no.”
• “Travel Assist… takes an awful lot of organising.”

Positive Experiences
Despite frustrations, residents recognised positive aspects of local transport including helpful drivers, useful digital tools, improved service frequency on some routes and enjoyable leisure journeys.

• “I use the Stagecoach app.”
• “99% of the drivers are brilliant.”
• “The Totnes bus used to be every three hours—now it’s hourly.”
• “It was a good journey over the river.”
• “Volunteer transport has really helped.”

Suggestions for Improvement
Residents proposed practical improvements focused on reliability, accessibility, affordability and better integration with healthcare and education. Community-led transport solutions were also suggested

• “The bus needs to stop outside the Health Centre.”
• “Buses need to be reliable and better tailored to need.”
• “More buses beyond 5:30pm.”
• “Earlier morning buses.”
• “Better bus-to-bus connections.”
• “Make the Stagecoach scooter permit easier.”
• “Bring back the local bus depot.”
• “A community car-sharing app might be good.”

Part of the TQ6 Community Partnership ongoing community natters, listening to residents and acting on the listening to make things better locally.

Want to know more about travel in Devon, there’s a travel-focused get together in South Brent on 9 September. Stay tuned – or drop us a line – for more.