BUS passengers are being left ‘stranded’ at bus stops according to Dawlish councillor and bus campaigner Alison Foden.

Cllr Foden, a long time campaigner for better bus services, says passengers are being left stranded after reductions to the No 2 service between Exeter and Newton Abbot.

To highlight Better Transport Week, Cllr Foden and Martin Wrigley MP are renewing their calls for improved bus services in Dawlish and the surrounding areas.

The Number 2 service is one of the longest in the area served by Stagecoach Southwest used by both commuters and visitors.

Cllr Foden says commuters rely on it to get to work, yet it has been repeatedly reduced over the past 10 years.

Currently two buses per hour run on the busy route.

Stagecoach says passenger numbers have reduced, and running more than two buses per hour would not be cost effective.

But Cllr Foden argues at peak times commuters are often left stranded at stops as when the bus arrives it is too full to allow more passengers on, particularly when single deck buses are used.

Cllr Foden, herself a regular bus user, said: ‘Dawlish residents deserve a reliable bus service that is fit for purpose.

‘The current Number 2 provision is not sufficient to meet demand and more buses per hour need to be scheduled if we are to attract people to use public transport.’

As well as fewer buses, some residents in Dawlish are facing significantly higher ticket prices than other Dawlish residents.

In December 2025, Stagecoach introduced new ticketing zones aimed at offering good value for money.

However, the zone has effectively split Dawlish in two, with some Dawlish residents benefiting from being within the Greater Exeter ticket zone, while others aren’t included, meaning much higher ticket prices to travel into Exeter, in some cases up to 50per cent more.

Mr Wrigley, Cllr Foden, and County Councillor Rosie Dawson met with Stagecoach and the portfolio holder for public transport from Devon County Council to discuss the ticketing zones.

The Fare Fairs for Dawlish petition, with 189 signatures, was handed to the managing director of Stagecoach.

Mr Wrigley said: ‘It seems inherently unfair that residents of Dawlish town are being subjected to higher ticket prices than if they lived a half a mile out of the town centre.

‘We are now in a situation where it is cheaper for a resident of Dawlish to travel four miles to Teignmouth, than to go down the road to Sainsbury’s.

‘When we are trying to encourage people to shop local, reduce their journeys and increase their use of public transport, these changes seem to be a step backwards.’

Stagecoach Southwest said: ‘The cost of running a bus on the number 2 route is at least £50 per hour, and currently bus companies do not receive fair funding to compensate for people with senior-person cards, nor with the Government’s single fare price cap.

‘The current plan for reduced bus fares during the summer holidays is also not being funded by the Government, the bus companies are expected to absorb these extra costs.

‘We appreciate these reduced fares are helping people during the cost of living crisis, but it places extra pressure on commercial bus companies, and bus services, like the number 2, that are not subsidised by the local authority.’