New bus shelters outside Eastbourne District General Hospital are expected to be installed in October after local councillors pressed for the work to be brought forward.
Ratton councillors Nick Ansell, David Small and Colin Belsey say they have been raising concerns with both Eastbourne Borough Council and East Sussex County Council over delays to replacing shelters on Kings Drive.
The new shelters are expected to provide seating and better protection from the weather for patients, visitors and staff waiting for buses outside the hospital.
Eastbourne Borough Council removed shelters across the town as part of a programme to replace 164 units with more modern and accessible designs.
The scheme is being funded through advertising and delivered under a long-term concession.
However, the rollout has faced delays, with some permits delayed or refused and passengers left without seating or cover for extended periods.
The council has previously apologised for the disruption and now says the wider replacement programme is expected to be completed by March.
Following further pressure from the Ratton councillors, an expedited installation permit has now been issued for the DGH stops, with the new shelters due to be installed in October.
Councillor David Small said: “We have been appalled to see two of the town's busiest stops outside the DGH left without any shelter for so long, despite its obvious importance for some of the most vulnerable people in Eastbourne.
“We have watched people leaving hospital on crutches or with limited mobility having to sit on pavements or stand in the open sun while they wait for a bus. I am relieved that these shelters are finally being brought forward so that patients and visitors will soon have somewhere to sit and proper protection while they wait.”
Councillor Colin Belsey was also critical of how the programme had been handled.
He said: “This situation should never have arisen. Removing shelters before the permissions and timetable were in place has been sheer incompetence and it has made many bus journeys across Eastbourne miserable.
“We will keep pushing both councils until every shelter is back in place, the roll out is completed and lessons are learned so that residents are never treated like this again.”
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