A BRIDGETON man was baffled after was told his usual bus stop was axed without warning.

Robert Richardson has taken the 263 bus on Dalmarnock Road near to his East End home to Laurie’s pub near Farmeloan Road in Rutherglen every day for the last five years.

But the 62-year-old claims he was told the bus no longer handily stops outside the pub, meaning that Robert would have to walk nearly a mile along to get to his destination.

He said: “I tried to get the driver to stop and he told me the bus shouldn’t stop there.”

Robert said he was told by the new driver, whom he did not recognise, that First Bus had cut the stop six months ago.

“The next stop is three-quarters of a mile away,” he added. “That’s an extra five or ten-minute walk and sometimes I have quite bad knees.

“It’s very inconvenient.”

Robert raised the issue with First Bus’ customer help service but said he did not receive a response.

The company confirmed receipt of Robert’s complaint and said the bus had not stopped at the normal stop because the driver had deemed it not safe to do so.

A First Bus Glasgow spokesman said: “I can confirm the customer has contacted us via phone to make us aware of the incident and the matter was resolved on the call.

“On this occasion, the driver deemed access to this stop as unsafe to board and alight for passengers due to parked cars and vans blocking the area.

“He stopped at the next safest point, which in this case was the next stop.

“The safety of our passengers and staff is our number one priority at all times.”