A controversial decision to move where a well-used bus stops in Ipswich town centre had to be made in order to keep the service running, a travel firm has said.

Ipswich Star: The new bus stop is shared by other veru busy services such as the Copdock Tesco service and Martlesham Park and Ride and doesn't have anywhere for people to shelter. Picture: PAUL GEATERThe new bus stop is shared by other veru busy services such as the Copdock Tesco service and Martlesham Park and Ride and doesn't have anywhere for people to shelter. Picture: PAUL GEATER (Image: Archant)

The 66 service stop was moved from the Old Cattle Market bus station to outside Revolution in Dogs Head Street in August - where several other routes stop, making it much busier at commuter times.

Whilst the stop in the Old Cattle Market provided plenty of shelters and seating areas, the new location has no shelters or seating at all - leaving bus users vulnerable to the weather.

The move has been criticised by some passengers of the 66, which travels to Kesgrave and Martlesham, with one saying: "The person who decided this has clearly never taken a bus in their life.

"I feel for some of the elderly people who are going to Sainsbury's to do their shopping and then have to stand and fight their way through the crowds."

However David Jordan, marketing manager for First Bus, said: "We had to make those changes in order to keep the service running.

"We had to allow five to seven minutes to get into the Old Cattle Market and turn around and get back out again and that meant people who were getting the 66 service had to sit there and waiting.

"Now that it's on the street, it's much more efficient and we've actually had feedback from our drivers who are saying it's much more efficient and time-saving for them.

"What we are really about is getting people where they need to go on time. And that's a really popular service so it's just helping that to run more efficiently."

The new bus stop location is where busy services such as the Martlesham Park and Ride and the service to Copdock Tesco converge.

One bus passenger said: "You need to keep your wits about you because you can't compare the timetable with the live one you can get on your phone mobile, so it's a real struggle.

"I just can't see the logic of it and the stop they moved it from is still empty so I don't see the sense."