A PETITION calling for Newport Bus to "bring back our bus service" has been signed by more than 1,200 people.

The petition, directed at economy and transport secretary Ken Skates and Wales' traffic commissioner Nick Jones, was set up by Clare Gray, 35, who uses Newport Bus services twice a day to get from her home in Duffryn to her work in the city centre and back again.

But she said, since the new school year started, services had been cut and those which were running were perpetually late.

It had been signed by 1,251 people as the Argus went to press.

In the petition Ms Gray, who pays £48 a month for a bus pass, said: "Since the new school year started public buses have been taken off and used for school buses.

"People are being left stranded at bus stops in Newport and can't get to work on time. Newport Bus do not respond to complaints and do not care.

"People are losing wages and are being threatened with the sack."

Saying "Newport Bus is not fit for purpose", she added: "If they can't provide the service they are licensed to they should have their license revoked."

A Newport Bus spokesman said: "We can confirm that, apart from a small number of dedicated contracts we operate through our private hire arm, all of our services that operate to/from schools in Duffryn are public services, available to everyone, that are operated in the same way as other services in our network."

Saying "we are aware of the petition that has been created", the spokesman said the company had offered to meet Ms Gray to discuss the issues, only for her to decline. But Ms Gray said this offer had been in connection with a separate concern she had contacted the company about in July.

The spokesman continued issues caused by the ongoing roadworks around junction 28 of the M4 "(are) felt by all traffic in the area including bus services, with the 35/36 Duffryn services affected more than most, due to lack of enforced priority along the entire route".

"It is disappointing that this development did not include a bus priority scheme," he said.

"We hope that this petition directed to Ken Skates, minister for economy and transport, highlights the important role bus operators should play at the planning stages of any major development and the effect significant increase in traffic congestion is having on bus services across Wales."

On issues caused by the ongoing roadworks in Duffryn, Tom Kenyon, project manager for Costain - which is carrying out the works - said: "The M4 junction 28 scheme in principal extends the lanes and the traffic flow capacity of three major roundabouts at Bassaleg, Tredegar Park, and Pont Ebbw.

"The running lanes between each roundabout have not been widened and the capacity for bus lanes is extremely limited without the acquisition of additional land.

"When the junction 28 improvement project is complete and the new traffic signals are fully commissioned, journey times will improve for all and without this scheme it would have continued to be heavily congested, including delay for public transport.

"That said, the scheme’s design would not preclude a future scheme of this nature being delivered."

View the petition at change.org/p/ken-skates-bring-back-our-bus-service