tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post2178498291792058764..comments2024-03-25T19:07:29.729+00:00Comments on Steve's Bus & Train Page: Tales Of The Unexpected!Steve Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-14691885954710688022017-05-29T14:07:33.454+01:002017-05-29T14:07:33.454+01:00To understand what has happened to Chambers 111, y...To understand what has happened to Chambers 111, you have to remember that the ECC contracted Halstead - Sudbury route operated by Regal is up for renewal in August. SEV 777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-63424583554133644592017-05-24T10:16:25.632+01:002017-05-24T10:16:25.632+01:00P&R buses in general just do not generate enou...P&R buses in general just do not generate enough traffic and they are also very expensive to operate. THey arlso tend to take up most of the money councils have to support bu serves so it leads to cuts to those servicesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-17594459180916643862017-05-24T10:11:00.488+01:002017-05-24T10:11:00.488+01:00Chambers route 111
Well it now appears that what ...Chambers route 111<br /><br />Well it now appears that what has happend is that Siemens have stopped subsidising the service. They were orginally going to axe it but now has a reprieve and has been re registered as an 89X with a slight variation in the route to take in Sudbury bus station, It will operate onm a commercial basis and hass been regisrered to July. Given the times of operation I cannot see it generating much trafficAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-46443618799357358282017-05-23T20:46:32.611+01:002017-05-23T20:46:32.611+01:00I have never come across a real time system that a...I have never come across a real time system that actually works. You get buses that claim to be a few minutes away that mysteriosly disappear into a black hole routes missing totally and frequently showing old time table information/ Other times the display just shows timetable information and then there is the display that are not working and left like that for several months if not longer<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-61891699240843717252017-05-19T15:06:14.630+01:002017-05-19T15:06:14.630+01:00Likewise Andrew, I'm often bemused that First ...Likewise Andrew, I'm often bemused that First Essex tweak theirs what seems every few months, by the odd minute or two! Depends how cloudy the crystal ball is, I suppose. Perhaps more realistically my theory is that it's a useful way of keeping the Traffic Commissioners off your back; if they are ("look 'ow 'ard we're trying guv, 'onest") in the bus playground.<br /><br />I suppose if you have the technology you have to find a use for it, or not. But I think the argument was that regular times were easier for passengers to remember. Not perhaps so important with realtime data, though if anyone can make sense of it with its missing and disappearing buses bemuses me! Perhaps it's like satnav estimates, or licking your finger and sticking it in the air!<br /><br />Re: Regal. Sounds like the UK, half us of want to keep what we've got and half of us want something else, entirely. At least ECC now can do what they were going to do anyway; after all no-one has come up with an agreement on anything better! I remember too (1970s) when there was a couple of buses a few days a week! It wasn't all the gold old days.smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-48559648900681576042017-05-19T13:53:24.069+01:002017-05-19T13:53:24.069+01:00@Smurfuk - re. congestion, I have often been puzzl...@Smurfuk - re. congestion, I have often been puzzled why IB's timetabled running times seem to be much the same throughout the day. London Transport - admittedly with longer routes - have always tweaked theirs to allow for rush-hours.Andrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-2018145507706314892017-05-17T20:33:11.709+01:002017-05-17T20:33:11.709+01:00The issue with the Regal 11/12/13 services was sum...The issue with the Regal 11/12/13 services was summed up by a lady from Essex County Council after a public meeting, half the people said it was wonderful that they serve the villages either side of the main road and the other half said it was no use because it took an hour to go round the houses instead of 20 minutes straight down the main road. It has to be said that the service is a huge improvement on previous decades when there was a handful of journeys per week.SEV 777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-2091518413316982052017-05-17T17:27:40.180+01:002017-05-17T17:27:40.180+01:00Yes it will be, Andrew but I don't have detail...Yes it will be, Andrew but I don't have details yet. As soon as I do I'll publish themSteve Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-54090817398319168102017-05-17T15:54:08.295+01:002017-05-17T15:54:08.295+01:00I see in the latest Traffic Commissioners Proceedi...I see in the latest Traffic Commissioners Proceedings that FEC are proposing quite a few changes to their east Ipswich routes. Is this all part of the bigger P&R picture?Andrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-71874135089890525052017-05-17T15:12:07.638+01:002017-05-17T15:12:07.638+01:00I suppose that's why they are moving from 5 to...I suppose that's why they are moving from 5 to 4 buses an hour, which I don't think is adverse (perhaps outside peaks). But I agree, I suspect it's not enough. They also seem to be throwing enough PR at the P&R which is good. Keep it up.<br /><br />The trouble I suspect is with Ipswich's attractiveness. Outside Cambridge, and other select places, from what I can see P&R earns its keep from commuters, and finishing at 7pm, and with the rail options round-a-bout, and the local network in town, the attractiveness of P&R is limited. And further handicapped by changing pensioners extra. You don't give people a free pass then take back with the other hand! It's not the British idea of fair-play! The £1 parking charge in Cambridge made them see red for the same reason, and even Stagecoach thought it affected the viability of the network. smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-22001383091675377212017-05-17T14:49:57.230+01:002017-05-17T14:49:57.230+01:00I suspect (hope?) it's not just timetabled int...I suspect (hope?) it's not just timetabled intervals. A poorly managed service will have missing buses. Not infrequently. A timetabled hourly service passengers can live with. You can plan for it. An hourly service with missing-in-action buses they can't, or won't. So often it seems a quarter or half hourly service means an up to an hour wait, and an hourly service can mean a two hour wait, or longer when the next bus is late - how much time does that take out of the day? Add the impact of "missing" stops, even for "justified" reasons. Of course for commuters it's much worse, for them time is money. So they're more critical but so often more neglected too.<br /><br />In short it's why I'll keep banging on about management. (And I don't mean or think any amount of tweaking or nagging by the higher-ups at HQ, local or national, makes any difference). And before anyone mentions it, congestion is an excuse not a justification. The buses have to be managed around it. As with everything else in life the First Commandment is don't go and make the impact worse.smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-52011496771084457112017-05-17T08:15:07.412+01:002017-05-17T08:15:07.412+01:00The service interval question is a real one. If yo...The service interval question is a real one. If you are a car driver, you may well feel it is worth paying for petrol and parking when you're going shopping or even to the doctor, if you know that taking the bus may leave you "high and dry" (or wet!) for an hour.Andrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-82131848464517201462017-05-17T07:48:13.086+01:002017-05-17T07:48:13.086+01:00Ipswich P&R
It appears that first bus will be...Ipswich P&R<br /><br />It appears that first bus will be operating the service without subsidy. I find it difficult to how that will work unless there is a dramatic increase in the number of passengers which seems unlikely. The council are picking up the cost of the two P&R sites this is costing £200,000 a year which sounds to me to be very excessive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-6968994108293544212017-05-16T08:06:50.535+01:002017-05-16T08:06:50.535+01:00Yep. I suspect that is the conventional wisdom. Ma...Yep. I suspect that is the conventional wisdom. May be right too. But in a sentence it's why rural buses are inevitably in terminal decline. So few of them can meet the financial criteria for commercial operation or public subsidy on that basis. Better luck with DRT let's hope.<br /><br />Essex do seem wedded to their talking before doing. Why a lot of services seem to be kept on temporarily or are on temporary contract extensions and short term subsidies. Does it help though or just put off the evil day? We may soon find out. It buys time, for people to get used to the idea of it perhaps. A worthwhile investment.smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-44257693485645599162017-05-15T22:18:16.941+01:002017-05-15T22:18:16.941+01:00An hourly service though is of limited use. To att...An hourly service though is of limited use. To attract passengers a services needs to be at least every 30 minutes and then not divert all around the house to get anywhereAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-79914630835492633712017-05-15T22:16:20.250+01:002017-05-15T22:16:20.250+01:00They seem to have made another late change. It is ...They seem to have made another late change. It is now carrying on untill the 21st July but will be numbered 89X why the numnber has changed who knowsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-90109363219495380832017-05-15T20:56:48.840+01:002017-05-15T20:56:48.840+01:00Demand Responsive MinibusDemand Responsive MinibusSteve Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-19907641257321010662017-05-15T12:16:08.560+01:002017-05-15T12:16:08.560+01:00I suspect there are more than a few legacy service...I suspect there are more than a few legacy services (and networks) where work patterns have changed, but the services haven't. It seems much easier to tweak than rethink. Perhaps the biggest problem of the industry, even more than money? As with much historic British industry, are the bus companies their own worst enemies, sometimes?<br /><br />What amazes me is that even with an hourly service we can't it seems find the demand in the villages. Why won't they use the bus even when it's staring them in the face? They can hardly argue it isn't convenient, can they?smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-91065786600424947132017-05-15T08:55:28.062+01:002017-05-15T08:55:28.062+01:00Sorry - what's DRM?Sorry - what's DRM?Andrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-67606798121470034512017-05-14T17:32:27.978+01:002017-05-14T17:32:27.978+01:00Anonymous at 1041
The Chambers service 111 is a ve...Anonymous at 1041<br />The Chambers service 111 is a very longstanding (over 30 years) works contract operated by Hedingham until a few years ago when it was transferred to Chambers under Go-Ahead control. It began when Corning Medical (previously Evans Electroselenium, now Siemens) built a factory at Sudbury to replace the one at Bocking (and ultimately the Halstead premises as well). It's exact legal status in the Hedingham era has not been resolved. SEV 777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-48322947390736657182017-05-14T14:12:08.293+01:002017-05-14T14:12:08.293+01:00Anglian Bus have a lot of work to do before they r...Anglian Bus have a lot of work to do before they return to their former glory. In 2010 (under Pursey control) they made a pretax profit of £288,330 on a turnover of 5,347,846. For the year ended July 2016 they made a loss of £1,200,000 on a turnover of £3,772,000.<br />You don't have to be an accountant to realise that is not a sustainable position.<br /> SEV 777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-4143464923506682692017-05-14T10:41:12.195+01:002017-05-14T10:41:12.195+01:00The Chambers Service 111 Sudbury – Halstead – Brai...The Chambers Service 111 Sudbury – Halstead – Braintree ceases after the 21st May although their Web site make no mention of it. It is a one return journey a day service and appears to have been some kind of works service<br /><br />The Regal services 11, 12,& 13 are still due to go from an hourly service to a DRM service in August<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-5275557582530740012017-05-12T13:40:40.967+01:002017-05-12T13:40:40.967+01:00I think East Anglia should count itself really luc...I think East Anglia should count itself really lucky! And in my limited experience it is.<br /><br />In my experience in the Home Counties I suspect that over the last 50 years I can count the number of drivers who've shown any interest in their passengers on little more than the fingers of one hand, and most of them pre-1980. More that I've heard about, but a fraction of the numbers going the other way, although perhaps not unexpectedly.<br /><br />I expect as you say that a good example works wonders, and the problem isn't the drivers but the poor quality of so much of the management. Who are more interested in keeping a clean nose with their bosses than the interests of the passengers. Sad. I don't think ownership really has anything to do with it. Rather, give someone an impossible job and don't be surprised when they fail, often miserably.smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-14597887971127251292017-05-11T19:04:59.629+01:002017-05-11T19:04:59.629+01:00that made me smile! Glad to be of service, Andy!that made me smile! Glad to be of service, Andy!Steve Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-77347968952278191942017-05-11T16:41:25.974+01:002017-05-11T16:41:25.974+01:00Steve great blog as always it makes my commute bea...Steve great blog as always it makes my commute bearable!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12684294121716182278noreply@blogger.com