SCHOOLCHILDREN and elderly residents have been left stranded at bus stops in the freezing cold due to “unacceptably” delayed buses.

In a letter to First Bus, Southend Lib Dem leader Paul Collins has demanded urgent talks with bosses at the bus company over issues on the No 20 and No 25 routes.

Both bus routes are relied on by schoolchildren and residents are repeatedly complaining of 30 to 40-minute delays.

First Bus has now apologised to residents and insisted it is working hard to tackle a “technical issue” which is to blame.

Southend mum, Jo Withers, said: “It’s unacceptable. My son, Lewis, gets anxious about getting a detention and the teachers say to catch an early bus. The earliest is at 7.20am.

“We had an issue in Lewis’ first year, where he was forced to hang around the bus stop, waiting more than 30 minutes because the bus arrived too early.

“We need extra buses in that hour between 7.30am and 8.30am. Living in a city, you expect a better service.”

Pam Watson, 67, who relies on the No 20 bus route, has lodged a formal complaint with First Bus over issues.

She added: “I am reliant on the No 20 bus route. I have made formal complaints regarding this.

“When we had a cold snap, the buses were completely cut out and if this is due to a shortage of drivers, just make sure that the school times are covered.

“Me and my five-year-old granddaughter were left in the cold. It happened again last week.

“None of it makes any sense, to be honest. I am reliant on the bus and the other option is an expensive taxi. When she is older, she could walk but I cannot because I have a knee replacement.

“I try and follow the bus on the First Bus app, and it just disappears.”

A spokesman for First Essex said: “The No 25 service has experienced some issues in recent weeks.

“There were a number of roadworks on the route which disrupted the service but have now ended, and we experienced some temporary operational issues the week commencing January 29, which have now been resolved.

“We are experiencing some technical issues with the accurate tracking of services from our Basildon depot on display boards at bus stops. We apologise for this issue, and we are in the process of resolving it.

“We sincerely apologise for the disruption that these problems have caused our customers.”