The switchover of Wiltshire’s buses from Andybus to Coachstyle last month has once again proven that the council bureaucrats are more worried about contriving ways to make themselves look busy than improving life for existing bus users.

In particular, in the case of service 92, the hugely meandering detours to Hullavington, Kington St Michael and Kington Langley completely fly in the face of cutting down vehicle emissions, avoiding congestion hot-spots, keeping the timetable and, most importantly, meeting customer demand.

The arbitrary mixture of ‘by demand’ stops means that the existing core of Malmesbury to Chippenham business commuters regularly have to endure a one-hour and 20 minute journey to travel just ten miles – all for the benefit of barely one extra passenger or, more often than not, stopping at completely empty shelters.

Does no one at the council remember the similarly long, illogical routes that our buses took during the 1990s, and the way they were eventually shortened with very little mourning from the public?

Together with the rising ticket prices, it’s easy to imagine the real problem between Andybus and the council was that no company in the world can operate a sane, profitable service while also meeting such weird, arbitrary schemes.

James Smart, Bremilham Rise, Malmesbury.