I am a 75-year-old, living alone in sheltered accommodation in East Oxford.

With no car, buses are my lifeline and the county council must know that we are not being served by bus companies when neither has continuous routes from east to north, through the city centre.

In St Clement's, perhaps a dozen buses an hour pass by, ending their run at High Street.

There is no access to the bus station, so luggage is a problem in any direction. Going to St Giles or Parktown is difficult.

In cold or other bad weather, these obstacles are considerable for those not so mobile.

And, after dark, walking through this 'missing link' can be intimidating.

Surely, this is unacceptable.

After speaking to individual bus drivers, I've been told they also disagreed with these changes.

We need at least two buses an hour from Headington to Summertown.

Could each company provide part of this service? Profit alone could be balanced by need and public goodwill.

Challenges to older citizens are growing, as are their numbers. These voices will get louder.

Decision-makers might give some thought to the old saying that "what you give out comes back to you in some form".

It could be true of buses, too.

A GIBSON St Clement's Oxford