BUS passengers are being offered the chance to claim back taxi fares if their service is cancelled.

The issue of bus cancellations was taken up by Stroud district MP Siobhan Baillie who said: "Some residents have recently raised concerns with me regarding the cancellation of Stagecoach buses in Stroud district and the impact this has had on them reaching scheduled appointments.

"I have been in touch with Stagecoach and they have confirmed that if your local bus is cancelled and there is no reasonable alternative means of transport, they will reimburse customers for the cost of a taxi fare."

Rachel Geliamassi of Stagecoach added: "These instances are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

"As a rough guide, we usually consider applications for reimbursement if the wait for the next bus is over 45 minutes. However, we do consider individual circumstances, including the time of day.

“If customers would like to apply for reimbursement, we ask them to email our team on west.enquiries@stagecoachbus.com with the receipt for the taxi and details of the service that was cancelled.”

The offer comes as bus users continue to struggle with the cancellation of services across the county, as a result of driver shortages.

Many people have reported being late for work or missing appointments due to delays and cancelled services.

One Stroud district bus user told the Gazette that her ongoing struggles to get to work are affecting her mental and physical health.

The woman, who is disabled, said she now fears she will lose her job.

“How would you feel if somebody whose job starts at 9am rings in and then can’t even get there until 10am all stressed out,” she said.

“I left home this morning at 7.20am and I got here at 10am. Just to travel four-and-a-half miles, from Nailsworth to Stroud.”

The woman said that she has difficulty walking, but she doesn’t want to keep asking for lifts.

“I don’t want all my family and friends to feel guilty,” she said.

“I want to be independent.”

When asked what she made of Stagecoach’s taxi reimbursement offer, she said: “So I’m going to fork out more than I can afford in the hope that maybe, when they feel like it, I’ll get the money back?”