PASSENGERS were stranded in Andover after two buses broke down.

Stagecoach’s Star 2 and Star 4 services were both cancelled for the afternoon after two buses stopped working at lunchtime on Thursday, 15 May.

A Stagecoach spokeswoman told the Advertiser that when one bus breaks down there is a replacement available, but there was no contingency for two buses failing.

She said: “We had two breakdowns on two different roads within half an hour of each other.

“For these roads we have to request specific vehicles because of access.

“Normally we would have sufficient cover but they had to be suspended.

“People at the roadside did end up being stranded.

“We say always contact the customer service team and they can tell people straight away where the bus is and can locate it.

“It was really unfortunate and it does mean people were stranded.

“It is always something that we try to avoid but we couldn’t.”

She added: “We apologise for the inconvenience for people waiting at the roadside.

“We hope to have T w i t t e r ava i l a b l e from the end of June so that customers can get realtime alerts.”

T e r r y Gladwyn, of B e r e h i l l Cre s c e n t , was one of the passengers stranded for over an hour in Andover.

He said: “An hour later no bus came and as far as I know one never did. Lots of people were stuck there.

“Bus after bus came but not one driver knew what was going on.

“I cannot walk at the moment and a taxi at school run time is very hard to get.”