MY life is being held captive by the ACTION bus timetable. I am totally dependent on public transport as I, alas, cannot drive.

You wouldn’t think that something as seemingly innocuous as a bus timetable could have such a dramatic impact on a person’s entire life but it does. I assure you. I cannot do anything unless the timetable permits it.

What I can do is interrupted by the lack of any late-night bus service. Does ACTION not realise that there is life after 9.36pm? Yes, that’s the latest I can stay out on any weeknight as that is when the last bus leaves the city.

This is supposed to be a metropolitan city, yet we must have the most useless bus service in the country. In other cities, buses run much later than this, so why not here?

People are positively encouraged to use public transport yet it’s hopelessly inadequate. Weekends, the time when people are able to get out and do things, are even worse.

On Saturday and Sunday buses only run once an hour. On Saturday nights when you would think buses would run to a much later hour, they don’t. So don’t plan on going to any concerts or any of the other activities often enjoyed on Saturday nights because you won’t be able to get home unless you can afford a cab.

Sundays are worse. Yes, worse; 7pm is the cut off time because, of course, nobody could possibly want to be out later than that on a Sunday! I had to give up doing something I love very much simply because there was no way I could get home as it was a Sunday.

Canberra’s bus travellers are getting a very raw deal.

Grumpy is an occasional column dedicated purely to things that get up your nose. Readers are invited to vent (no more than 300 words, please) at editor@citynews.com.au