Abus drivers fined for waiting in Bristol bus stops
Drivers with a Bristol bus company have been issued with parking tickets for waiting in city centre bus stops.
Abus owner Alan Peters said the council agreed his buses could wait at quiet stops before picking up passengers.
Bristol City Council said tickets were issued when buses were pulled up for more than five minutes due to "considerable demand" from operators.
The Lib Dem authority said it was working to create more stands in the city centre.
"There are simply too few locations in the centre to stop and wait your time in," said Mr Peters.
"There's also the issue of no public toilets on any of our routes that my drivers can use so they have to go when they're in the city centre."
Mr Peters said over the past two years, his drivers have been issued with an average of one parking ticket per month, the majority of which he has successfully appealed against.
"Ninety per cent of the tickets have been rescinded but I still have to write the appeal and sometimes go to a parking tribunal. It's all time-consuming," he said.
Bishopsworth Conservative Councillor Richard Eddy, who campaigned to keep some of the Abus routes open, has tabled questions on the issue for his Liberal Democrat colleague Tim Kent, the member for budget and transport, at the next full council meeting on 18 September.
"This operator provides a vital local public transport link for the people living in my ward," said Mr Eddy.
"The wrongful issuing of parking tickets to this company is vexatious and time-consuming.
"Abus must be allowed to continue to provide local residents with much valued bus services - unimpeded by faceless, over officious and bungling bureaucrats."
Abus runs services between Bristol city centre and Bath, as well as routes to more rural outlying areas and some school buses.
Bristol City Council said: "We are aware of the situation with Abus and have advised them of the current situation with regards to enforcement action. We are looking, as stated, to finding a working solution."