Wick bus company owner talks about the pothole damage his vehicles have suffered – £5000 repairs in eight days
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A Wick bus operator who was forced to withdraw services from a north Caithness route due to potholes talked about the true costs of the issue.
Aaron Wilson, owner of Aaron's of Wick, had previously talked about how he had to put a hold on a service route route through Scarfskerry and Canisbay due to damage caused to the buses by the numerous potholes.
"It cost us £5000 in eight days spread over three buses," Aaron said.
"We had a tyre that blew up and that costs £480 a tyre plus the labour for sending mechanics up to fix it. We had a broken shock absorber, burst air bags and one of the drivers hit a pothole that was so deep that the front of the bus hit the ground and buckled the bar on the door so that it couldn't open – it was all bent underneath the bus. I wish I'd taken a photo of it at the time so I could show you the extent of the damage."
Aaron said that there were four passengers on the bus when the latter incident happened.
"The last thing I want to do is upset the public but when it comes down to passenger safety I said that we're not having it and had to make a decision."
Aaron's decision was to send out a public message on April 10 telling customers that the company will not be covering some of the scheduled services "until the roads are made satisfactory for our vehicles and drivers to travel on".
"We're still covering the route for school times but I've told the drivers to take their time going around it. We've not cut off all the services, so if anyone from Barrock, Freswick or Ham wants to go into Thurso, for instance, they can still do that."
Aaron described the mix of roads around Ham, Scarfskerry and Barrock to be in an "absolutely shocking" state. "I didn't know how bad it was until I went out and experienced it myself. It's diabolical.
"We're new to this so I want to make a good impression with the public and I think we have. The schools are delighted with us but when it comes to buses going off the road and it leaving us short of buses to cover our school runs, we just can't have it."
Aaron says the buses on the controversial route around north-east Caithness were previously in a good condition and he has "good drivers who look after them" but the potholes have been "wrecking" some of them. By temporarily cutting down on services along the worst roads he feels that making this stance with the council will hopefully see the potholes get fixed a lot sooner.
He said he has been in contact with Highland Council, which is responsible for the upkeep of the roads, and the local authority said that the potholes are due to be fixed this summer.
"When I went back to the Highland Council, who we're contracted with, they had stated that any road that is too bad or unsuitable then don't go down it. I've told the drivers not to refuse anyone so if someone is waiting in Thurso and wants dropped off at Ham corner or Scarfskerry we're not going to refuse them."
The buses on the routes range from 33 to 49 seats and get inspected every four to six weeks.
"We take them in over a pit and they get inspected – it's like an MOT almost. We're noticing a big difference with the buses that are out there. We're having to replace ball joints, track rod ends, tyres and brakes the whole time on the three specific buses on that route."
Aaron said it's not fair on his company, the public and tourists visiting the area. "We've got a fleet of around 30 buses now and paying tax of around £400 a year for each. What are we getting back for that? There needs to be something done about it."
Wick and East Caithness councillor Janet McEwan said she did not blame Aaron for taking a stance and understood how the costs of fixing the damage will be impacting his company.
She said: "If buses with their tyres can’t cope with the potholes what chance do motorists or cyclists have?
"I know the roads in Wick and Thurso are disgraceful but I think the council have forgotten about the little hamlets and villages."
Aaron says that there have been some surface repairs carried out around Canisbay recently but other roads have deteriorated even more.
"It's got even worse at Ham and you were fearing the bridge would collapse going over it. Say you were going along at about 40-50mph and hit a pothole like that and the tire explodes? There's a possibility of real damage or someone getting injured."
Aaron said that withdrawing some of the services is not only frustrating for his company but for the public as well. "I could have pulled the service completely but I didn't and people can still get in and out from those areas. I really hope that the council will push and get the roads fixed. It's not just the damage to our buses but it's passenger safety as well – hitting a pothole at speed could cause your bus to just fly off the road."
Highland Council said on Friday that its area roads manager has "confirmed that they have carried out a mix of permanent and reactive repairs to the roads in question".
