THE head of a bus operator who was criticised for making sweeping changes to rural services met some of his fiercest critics.

Paul Matthews, chief executive of Go North East, attended a public meeting in the Lamplight Arts Centre in Stanley.

The meeting was called by North Durham MP Kevan Jones, after he received a huge number of complaints about bus services.

Mr Jones said: "The big mistake of deregulation is we now have private monopolies, where bus operators can pick and choose where they go.

"People's jobs are under threat if the bus companies don't provide reliable services.

"They are economically disadvantaged, because they cannot get out of their villages.

"I find it appalling that they cannot access jobs in the Team Valley or in Newcastle."

Mr Matthews told an audience of more than 60 people, that the delays and cancellations which blighted the summer were a thing of the past.

He said rural services which had been cut from the schedule would not be reinstated.

He said: "Services in Derwentside throughout the summer have been totally unacceptable and I apologise."

He said the Stanley depot had been 25 drivers short. This has been reduced to 12 and he expects to have full employment next year.

Villagers from communities in the Stanley area complained about services being cancelled or delayed, often leaving them stranded miles from home.

Areas affected included Tanfield, Quaking Houses, South Moor, South Stanley and Crookgate Bank Top.

The biggest gripe was Go North East's policy of driving buses 'blind'.

If a service is delayed by more than 15 minutes, the driver is ordered to make up the time, by switching off the interior lights and driving past rural bus stops, even if there are people waiting to get on.

"It is a balancing act," said Mr Matthews. "We feel it is better to try and correct the late running bus and provide an on-time service."

People from Tanfield appealed for the restoration of the 707 service, a direct link with Newcastle that was cut in the summer.

But Mr Matthews said studies had shown an average of five people a day in the village were using the bus.

"We are not in a position to support a service that carries only a handful of passengers a day," he said.