MY 93-year-old mother recently moved into a bungalow in Woodthorpe, York. She's still fairly active and will use buses if accompanied by someone else.

Recently we had been to visit friends and we arrived to catch a Saturday evening First service 12 bus from a stop opposite York Station. We arrived at 6.30pm hoping to catch the bus at that time. Unfortunately, I assumed that we had missed it.

Never mind. Another one in half-an-hour at 7pm. It was extremely cold and at 8pm, after waiting one-and-a-half hours a number 12 for Woodthorpe finally turned up.

When I managed to get in touch with First York customer services I was told that the 7pm "broke down". Fair enough. That can happen. However, my mother and I have now attempted to use the number 12 on five different occasions. On two occasions it has turned up fine. However, on two further occasions it hasn't turned up. When I've phoned First York I have been told twice more, "it broke down".

Is that First York's answer to every bus that doesn't turn up? Is it policy for staff to say that regardless, even if the true reason is staff sickness or lack of company organisation? I manage a company in Easingwold and if we offered a service like the number 12 we would be sued, no doubt about it.

First's network booklet says that it offers a level of frequency and reliability that can't be matched? Says who? It has failed my mother and two out of five is not good enough. She's sticking to taxis now.

Mr R Brown,

Cayley Close, York.

Updated: 11:11 Wednesday, February 15, 2006