Pages

Sunday 3 June 2018

Bus Franchising, The Debate Continues

There is an article in a Cambridge Newspaper that has caught the interest of those in the bus industry. Written by Andy Campbell, MD of Stagecoach East, it is an argument against bus franchising and why it wouldn't be financially sustainable. You can read the article here. If I was a shareholder of one of the big operators, or a top bus manager on a six figure salary I would be keeping a copy of that article in my wallet, to glance at occasionally. But I'm not a shareholder of one of the major operators, or a top manager earning a six figure salary. I'm a passenger. I set up this blog to give passengers a voice. Not managers or ex managers, very few of whom use buses, but passengers. As a passenger that article fills me with dread.

One paragraph caught my eye in particular. It was this one;

We want to provide an excellent community service but, as a commercial operation, we simply can’t fund unprofitable routes over the longer term. Doing this would put any business at risk. It would jeopardise the salaries that our drivers, mechanics and office staff, and their families, rely on.

The irony that this was the MD of Stagecoach East, the same Stagecoach East that has just pulled out of Norfolk, rendering drivers, mechanics and office staff jobless was not lost on me. But it paints a bigger picture. What it is saying is if your service has been cut over recent years don't expect it back because we won't consider operating routes that are currently loss making, or even try to turn them around. That is rather depressing if you are a passenger on a low income who can't afford taxis everywhere.

So it won't come as a surprise to you when I say I'm more in favour of franchising than Mr Campbell. Where I do agree with him, though, is that franchising alone is not the answer, but I really believe it's part of the answer. So why am I in favour of franchising? We need to turn the clock back.

When I was a boy I would spend evenings poring over timetables planning days out on the buses. I left Mum an itinerary of my planned movements with the promise to let her know via phone box if anything altered. So let's take one of those days. I would buy an Explorer ticket, which covered all operators in Kent and Sussex, get the first bus out of my village in Kent, around 7am to Chatham, then go to Maidstone - Faversham - Canterbury - Dover - Hastings - Maidstone - Chatham. I'd get home around 10pm having had a great day, mainly on Bristol VR's. So - can that day still be achieved today? The Explorer ticket still exists, but do the bus services. Let's see, I assure you I'm looking the services up as I type.

Well the first bus out my village is roughly the same time at 0639, getting me to Chatham at 0655. There is an 0710 service 101 to Maidstone, arriving 0740, which I'll admit is a lot quicker than when I was a boy, helped by road improvements especially getting into Maidstone (bait set). Now for the 333 to Faversham. Ahhh looks like breakfast in Maidstone as no 333 until 0920. Never mind, we get to Faversham at 1024. An 1106 3X whisks me to Canterbury for 1130, again faster than the old days.

Another improvement is the bus service between Canterbury and Dover, certainly day times. A 20 min frequency operates on the 15 and I hop on the 1152 and I'm in Dover at 1227. This is where it might get interesting. I used to love the 550, which ran along the coast from Dover to Hastings via Folkestone, New Romney and Rye. Can I still do it?

It seems I can. The 102 at 1320, so lunch in Dover, takes me to Rye for 1528, where I need to change buses onto the 100 at 1542 to arrive in Hastings at 1623. Very good, to be honest I wasn't expecting that. Now to get back to Maidstone. Obviously I want some time in Hastings so don't want a bus immediately. There is a 1753 or 1848 from Hastings to Hawkhurst. I'd prefer the 1848 if in Summer so let's try that one - will there be a connection at Hawkhurst for Maidstone? The 1848 arrives in Hawkhurst at 1938 and the bus to Maidstone leaves at...2200. Ahh, not so good. Let's check the 1753 from Hastings, which arrives in Hawkhurst at 1852. The bus to Maidstone leaves at...2200.

The Hastings - Maidstone route 5 used to be a direct route. Then Stagecoach bought Hastings & District, and Arriva bought Maidstone & District so of course the route was split. Now the separate parts don't connect with each other. Where have I heard that recently. Stay in Hastings longer I hear you say - good idea - I'll just check when the last bus to Hawkhurst is. Ahhh, it is the 1848 so like it or not I'm stuck in Hawkhurst for 2 and a half hours, and if you've ever been to Hawkhurst you'll know that is a very, very long time!

So eventually I'm on the 2200 to Maidstone arriving at 2255. There used to be a 2315 to Chatham - is there still - yes, 2310 now but still connects - I'm in Chatham at 2334 - can I still get home? So near yet so far - alas I miss the last bus back to my village by 8 mins. Close but no cigar, and that wait in Hawkhurst would put me off that route. There used to be an alternative route back to Maidstone via Tenterden but sadly the timetable has just been slashed and the last Hastings - Tenterden service now leaves at 1625.

So what did that exercise show. Well, if I'm honest I'm surprised I got as far as I did, and it demonstrates that bus services in some areas are a lot healthier than others. Certainly Stagecoach Southeast seem to be doing their best to maintain services, and they should be congratulated for that, although it must be said I only used routes on A roads linking big towns. The moment I went into the country, although still on an A road I had a 150 min wait. But, it demonstrates that some areas would benefit from franchising more than others. It really says something for the operators, and particularly Kent County Council, that the village I grew up in still has a bus out of it at 0639, and a bus back from town at 2324. That's way later than the last train.

So, on the whole Kent is doing ok. They have an integrated ticket if you need to use more than one operator, and with decent marketing buses aren't in too bad a state down there. Obviously there is always room for improvement, which I'll come to later.

However, Kent is vastly different to Suffolk and Norfolk. Look at those journey times on my trip. Only one of them is more than an hour. It takes an hour and twenty to get from Halesworth to Norwich to start my day, not to mention the 6 mile drive from my village to Halesworth. I would love to see Suffolk and Norfolk timetables from 40 years or so ago to see what I could have done then that I can't do now.

Bus services in Norfolk and Suffolk are in a shocking state at the moment. Don't get me wrong I'm not blaming the operators, well not too much anyway. The operators do not get the support from the councils Kent does, for example. Both Norwich and Ipswich are plagued with never ending roadworks, which seem to improve nothing, making sticking to a timetable impossible. Temporary traffic lights are placed to guard sites the size of a small pot plant with nobody working there anyway. Some routes have 3 operators on them, others none. The passenger is being fleeced to a hefty degree, and no one but no one seems to give a damn, and when someone dares complain they are shouted down.

So would franchising help East Anglia? Hell yes! It is inconceivable that the Council can be expected to subsidise on the scale needed to resurrect the rural bus market without getting some help, and that help would come from the profit making services. If there were more buses going to more places more often people would use them if the price was right. But what would be the benefits of franchising in this area?

Firstly integrated ticketing. Sure it's fine if you have a Concessionary pass - you can jump from operator to operator at will. If you're paying though you have to pay separately for each journey if changing operators. That's expensive and no incentive to use the bus if you have to use more than one operator.

Secondly if services were governed from one place you wouldn't have the ridiculous situation we have now, where operators cannot talk to each other and co-ordinate times for the benefit of passengers. One route, one operator, and where routes merge all tickets accepted on all buses.

Thirdly buses would be run at times to suit passengers not operators. A particular bug bear of mine is services that don't run schooldays because the bus is being used on a school run. There are plenty of services around where the afternoon frequency is less than the morning, due to buses being taken off service work. Again, that is not going to encourage fare payers to use the bus. Franchising would allow public and school buses to be kept separate, so passengers had more choice.

Most services outside the big towns are finished by 7pm. Last bus from Norwich to Halesworth is 1815. Last bus out of Southwold, if you want a day there is before 1800. Where is the incentive for people to use the bus to go to work if they can't stay for a drink with their mates after work on a Friday because they'll miss the last bus if they do? Or have to be out of a seaside resort while it's still red hot? Later buses would solve that problem. When I moved to Wickham Market 10 years ago the biggest box ticked for me was the 2255 bus from Ipswich 7 days a week. I was on it Wednesdays and Sundays, after playing pool for a pub in Ipswich. It was the first bus to go in the 2010 cuts.

They are just a few reasons why franchising would work here, if, and only if the marketing was done properly to encourage bus use. But as I indicated earlier there are other ways which should be tried out.

An idea I've had for sometime now is for bus services to be sponsored by corporate business. After all they sponsor everything from international cricket to brass bands, so why not bus services. Supposing the evening buses from Norwich to Watton, for example, were sponsored by Barclays. Good publicity for them - giving something back to the community - an all over wrap on a bus for their troubles. How about the Government recognising this as a good idea taking heat off councils and giving the businesses a tax break against the money they sponsor services with? Is that such a daft idea? How about town or city traders clubbing together to sponsor the last couple of buses out of town on a Friday and Saturday night, with the council covering the rest of the week. It irks me that there are far later buses on the Outer Hebrides than there are in the majority of East Anglia.

But above all the bus needs to be more attractive. Value for money, frequency, convenience and comfort are all very well, and operators like Transdev have transformed bus travel in the last couple of years. But despite all that it's not going to persuade those who have spent 25K on a new car, or those who have just renewed their insurance, tax and MOT to leave them on the drive and get a bus.

Therefore it needs some real thinking outside the box so people don't feel almost guilty for leaving the car at home. First of all abolish road tax and put it on fuel duty - those who use the roads most pay the most - that's only fare. Cap insurance rates to make car ownership a lot cheaper but bung 10p a litre on fuel to make driving it more expensive. Make driving in towns and cities expensive to make buses the cheaper option through parking tarrifs and congestion charges. More bus lanes, priority traffic lights, roadworks on bus routes only carried out at night unless unavoidable, park and ride sites at motorway junctions.  But, I hear screams of protest, what if you live nowhere near a bus route even after all the improvements? Quite simple. With modern technology councils will be able to tell who lives more than half a mile from a bus route and they would be exempt from the extra fuel prices. That would include places of work, which if they were more than half a mile from a bus route probably wouldn't be in places causing too much congestion anyway. Of course others, including bus drivers, emergency vehicles etc would also be exempt. Please don't write in citing all those who should also be exempt - it's a concept!

All that, with bus services planned around what the customer needs, rather than what would create the greatest profit, and we might still have something to pass down to future generations.

I expect the usual suspects to come out saying I'm in fantasy land, or just moaning again but something needs to be done, and done soon. The current system isn't working, and where areas like Kent are not in as much trouble as areas like East Anglia, there is nowhere that doesn't need improvement. Trouble is - is there the will to make it happen. I doubt from the top of the bus industry, because they quite like their salaries, as I would in their position, so it's up to others to make the noise.


50 comments:

  1. The complex ticketing in Suffolk and Norfolk these days doesn't attract those of us who have to pay fares to the services . Before First dropped various connecting services I would certainly a good rove around on a day ticket . Now if you use different bus companies and the train to cover the areas explored of old you will return with no arms or legs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In our simple life, love plays a very specific role. Now we are able to make your love life healthy and no space for any type of trouble. These all are possible with the help of Dr. EKPEN of SOLUTION TEMPLE. He helped me cast a spell that brought my long lost lover back within 48hours who left me for another woman. You can also contact him on EKPENTEMPLE@GMAIL.COM or add him on WHATSAPP +2347050270218 and be happy forever like am now with his experience.

      Delete
  2. Sanders and Lynx share a day ticket which you can use on any of both operator's services.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And that is brilliant if you live up there or are on holiday - fair play to them. Doesn't help much if you need to get another operator for a day trip to their network.

      Delete
  3. Unfortunately we live not just in an area but a nation that has the most disjointed transport system in the world . How many other countries would allow a bullying cultures to take over a public service and cream off the profits for their share holders? You then have to expect the already strapped for cash Local and County Councils to pick up the pieces. After the big boys have left the area or service corridor. Thankfully forward thinking companies like Lynx and Sanders do offer a good service and hopefully will be left to do so without the anti competitive behaviour of others with their gimmicks and continues timetable "improvements" and spin .

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andrew Kleissner4 June 2018 at 23:14

    Having lived in West Africa where people camped by the roadside because "there might be a bus along tomorrow", I can't agree that we have the most disjointed transport system in the WORLD! Nevertheless it is indeed crazy that public transport doesn't link up as it does in many European countries, and I'm afraid that we can only blame political ideologies for that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tell you what, Andrew - if they camped on my roadside - an A road - they woudn't have a snowflake's chance in Hell of a bus tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I, respectfully, disagree with pretty much everything you’ve written Steve. But then again, isn’t that what the internet’s here for?

    My response is too detailed (just over 1800 words) for the comments section, so I've blogged it.

    https://witterings.mangopear.co.uk/2018/06/in-response-to-bus-franchising-the-debate-continues/?utm_source=steves-bus-train-page&utm_medium=comment&utm_campaign=reply

    Thoughts welcome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am really impressed you must have spent most of the night on that response - I encourage everyone to read it. Just a couple of points;

      Stagecoach did keep their most profitable routes - the 505 to Spalding, for example, and made a complete dog's dinner of Coasthopper by ordering brand new buses the wrong size.

      Where Lynx and Sanders are doing an admirable job in taking over routes at short notice some connections are lamentable now, which is something NCC need to get a grip on. The priority has to be, not just in KL but everywhere, to get folks back on the bus, and fragmenting services further is not going to achieve that without safeguards for passengers, and maintaining connections on what used to be through routes has to be one of them - doesn't it? As does integrated ticketing, not just on tourist routes either!

      Having said that we do have more common ground than you think, and I want the beer and natter I stated n Twitter!

      Delete
    2. Thanks Steve - I'll admit it did take a couple of hours, though well worth it to further the discussion!

      I'll agree that Stagecoach did cock-up with the ordering of the MMCs, though it's interesting to note Sanders are using 12m long Eclipses - albeit with more running time. Maybe something Stagecoach could/should have looked into as the Solos were unsuitable for the route.

      I think that Stagecoach only kept the routes they did because they already had the Long Sutton operating base. Without that, they'd have certainly cut the 505 (and the others) - regardless of how profitable or not they are, IMO.

      With regards to connections, it's difficult for operators to ensure connections are well timed all the time, though your recent experience of trying to connect between the X29 and 49 in Fakenham is a poor example and needs to be resolved during the next round of timetable changes.

      The connections in Wells are worse now, compared to Stagecoach's era, too. That said, with persistent late-running in the area; multiple operators (so difficulty communicating between drivers), it may be necessary to have such lengthy connections. At least there are conveniences and shelters for passengers to take advantage of.

      Integrated ticketing is an absolute must. It's not difficult or expensive to achieve either. Better integration with other transport modes would be beneficial too - rail rovers are available but tend to be expensive and very rarely include any element of bus travel, sadly.

      I'm sure we share a lot of common ground - if not on franchising - and we should definitely meet up some time soon! DM me on Twitter!

      Delete
  7. So living in Rural East Anglia is just like living in West Africa ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never been to West Africa (yet), so can only compare to Andrew;s comment about "there might be a bus tomorrow". Here there definitely won't be a bus tomorrow so even that tiny glimmer of hope doesn't exist.

      Incidentally everyone I have met from West Africa, particularly Burkina Faso, has been extremely charming and friendly - something that cannot be said for Rural Suffolk, or indeed 100% of readers of this blog...

      Delete
  8. Norfolk already has a Fusion ticket which can be used on multi operators. Perhaps a Fusion Plus to go further afield, but where do we draw a line?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Having looked it up it is limited. It only applies to a few operators and only around the Norwich area. It certainly does not cover the county of Norfolk so its useful if you are in the Norwich area but otherwise it is of no use


      https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/public-transport/buses/fusion

      Delete
    2. In the catchment area, apart from Border bus (apart from Norwich it doesn't serve anywhere in the Fusion area) which operators are missing?

      Delete
    3. As far as it needs to be drawn. It should certainly cover the whole of Norfolk and Suffolk, and journeys starting or finishing in those counties. Then we might have something worth shouting about.

      This is the template. I think an East Anglian one could be a tad cheaper for individuals but this is what we need. https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/enjoy/plan-a-visit/getting-around/discovery-ticket/

      Delete
    4. Wholeheartedly agree Steve - the Discovery ticket is great value and covers an exceptionally large area. As someone who lives in Hampshire, the patchy coverage in my local area is somewhat annoying however!

      Rolling out a Discovery style ticket to Norfolk and the surrounding regions sounds like a smart idea. I think a price-point of around £10 (adult price with child, concession, group and family variants too) would be a good starting point.

      Delete
    5. But how can it be cheaper? Konect day ticket is £8, First is £12 (yes it covers out to Peterborough, but you need to buy that ticket to get around the whole of Norfolk and Suffolk). Single fares from far out places to Norwich can be up to £8 individually.

      I think you may be in a dream world where you think we should have a norfolk and Suffolk ticket for £5.

      Then what about people just outside the Fusion zone who want to go to Norwich and then connect to another Norwich zone service? Maybe they should pay less? Unfortunately everything comes at a price, and under £9.50 it would not be worthwhile for the operators.

      Delete
    6. Oh dear did I suggest £5? I said !a little cheaper" and this is why.

      The ticket would be to entice people back to using the bus who have previously given up on it. It would be to entice families to go out for the day by bus rather than take the car. Not to recruit existing passengers, as I would expect very few to get an all day ticket anyway.

      Therefore the ticket needs to be pitched, certainly to begin with at a "come and try me out" price to get those new bums on seats. That needs to come from the Councils, who for once need to work together to make this happen.

      Delete
    7. Yet then at this "lower price" people who travel a great distance, they'd be better off getting a day ticket than a bog standard return. That'd end up with even less revenue.

      Why have a £5 family park and ride ticket? Should we put this up to £20 to deter people from using this and to use the bus for the whole journey?

      Delete
    8. If it reduces congestion that's exactly what we should do - encourage those with a bus service to use it and those without to use P&R. Can I ask why you are so against more people using buses? Btw 7 people paying £6 creates more revenue than 5 people paying £8. Just throwing that out there.

      Delete
    9. Andrew Kleissner5 June 2018 at 19:08

      Thinking not of buses but trains ... it always strikes me as bizarre that one has to pay a lot to park one's car at many stations. Surely that is a deterrent to potential travellers rather than an encouragement? Even the "cheap" rate at Ipswich is over £6/day. I suppose it's because the car parks have been farmed out to NCP and the like ...

      Delete
    10. Okay Steve...if you believe that this magical idea would create 40% more custom then yes it would make more. I suppose you could say do the day ticket for 10p as 81 customers paying 10p is better than 1 paying £8 ��

      Delete
    11. Lol don't get your knickers in a twist! I repeat - what have you got against more fare payers getting on buses! Remember most off peak passengers pay nothing! But I will try and find out how many Discovery tickets are sold down South, and if their withdrawal would mean more revenue or less for the individual operators!

      Delete
    12. Your car park point, Andrew is valid. It's why I tend to drive to Upminster and park there. Not only are you on a tube line but off peak parking is £2.50 for the day. But then the rail industry enjoys fleecing the customer, from parking, to walk o fares, to the cost of a sandwich. Easy targets with few alternatives.

      Delete
    13. Let's put it this way. If you had to get somewhere and had to use two buses from different operators, and had to buy 2 tickets, so be it. It's obviously going to be cheaper than a taxi.

      The real problem is frequency, and explorer tickets aren't going to make 2 hourly routes run every 10 minutes.

      Delete
    14. I agree with anon.

      Steve says "if" this "if" that. Well, you can say that about anything.

      Don't have a good enough bus service? Move to where there is one.

      It's like living in Beccles and saying there aren't enough shops, and IF X happened, it'd be like Oxford Street.

      Don't like it, move to where it is.

      I know you will now say about your village. But sorry. Any small village which has a bus service, people should feel lucky that they have it.

      Delete
    15. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    16. Andrew Kleissner5 June 2018 at 22:43

      "Don't like it, move to where it is" ... When we moved to Ipswich, we deliberately chose a house which had a bus-stop outside and a half-hourly service (IB 19). Then it went to hourly, then it was withdrawn. My wife was involved in a "Save the 19" compaign, to no avail, except eventually for the inauguration of the useless once-a-day 17.

      Now of course the new hourly 7 passes by, with a better route - but we've moved to Cardiff!

      Delete
    17. Anon: I've been constantly moving to where it is, and it's been constantly cut. I don't possess a crystal ball so don't be ridiculous!I'm trying to make suggestions to improve things? Where are your ideas?

      Delete
    18. You say you live in a small village. Move to a large town and then you wont have problems.

      Delete
    19. Can you activate your brain cell for a second and try to understand that it's not just me living in a small village who has seen bus cuts. Are you suggesting we basically shut the countryside down, and move everything to towns just to make things easier for bus companies and councils?

      Perhaps you would also advise those poor sods commuting on Thameslink and Northern Rail to move to areas served by different operators if they don't like the delays!

      Delete
    20. Andrew Kleissner7 June 2018 at 15:23

      I think that two things have fundamentally changed in recent years. One is that local services of all kinds no longer exist - in the past villages were self-sustaining but now many have no amenities at all. That must be a consequence of the growth of people being able to travel by car (and also wanting, say, the choice offered by a supermarket instead of a local store). The other thing is that we perceive ourselves to be in a hurry which means we aren't going to be prepared to wait for a three-times daily - or even hourly - bus.

      Some of these changes have simply happened by themselves, others have been a (possibly unintentional) consequence of political ideology or planning strategy. All are inimical to most people voluntarily choosing to travel by bus. And I simply don't see how they can be undone. Perhaps there was a "golden age" for rural buses in the 1930s or 50s, when people got the travel "bug" but didn't yet have cars. That has gone for ever.

      Delete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The £12 First tickets doesn't really cover Norfolk only a centre corridor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Plus the Norfolk and Suffolk networks don't link up anyway.

      Delete
  11. its an interesting read, Basically if you want to increase bus services it going to cost money, which no-one has, either council or private opertors, hence the cut backs. Franchising isn't going to magically make it cheaper or increase services.

    As an ex norfolk lad, now living in New Zealand. NZ has recently switched to a Franchise system for the whole country. Part of the deal here was setting goverment set a fare box recovery of 50% for each council. The goverment pays 25% of public transport, the regional/local council pays 25%, the remainder 50% is customers traveling. It not clear what counicls were paying under the previous system, but like the UK, there was a mixture of full comerical, part subsided and fully subsides bus services running in the old system.

    With the new system council now plans, decieded and makes the timetables for all bus routes. They then contract these back out to cheaper bidder., who provided buses and drivers. All money collect goes stright to council. Bus opertors have agreed a fix value to run a route. There are bonuses and plenties condiditions of the contract. Overall i would agree that franchies does have weakness and issues, however i think system really worked here, looking public transport usage in city i live, it has increased from ~45 million (in 2000's) to 92 million this year (March busiest month was 4 Million bus trips in 2008 and this year 2018 is now 6.8 Million. Whilst there are many factors that explain that increase, part of it is due to franching.

    At the end of the day, if councils arn't willing to open their cheque book, then appsolutely no point in going down this path. If they are willing open cheque book, as tax/rate payer, in my view franching offers better value to its rate payers. But it does depend what goal is being achived here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Run efficiently and as a network bus services do not need that much subsidy. 10% per passenger should be enough and one a good network is established that would reduce. It needs funding to kick start it

      May be garages could be shared as well at least in rural areas that would ensure the buses operate from the best garage for a route


      Strangely councils and the government are prepared to give huge subsidies for wind turbines and electric cars but are not prepared to subsidize buses yet they would give the biggest pay back and give the largest reduction in pollution as well as reducing but at the moment the bus network is not viable for commuters congestion so the only option is the car even say going to a GP in most cases is not viable by bus and if its a hospital in most cases forget the bus its simply not possible

      Delete
    2. Exactly. It's a vicious circle. No one is leaving the car at home because the bus service isn't comprehensive enough. Yet the buses can't afford to be comprehensive enough because no one is leaving the car at home.....

      Delete
    3. Maybe bus companies should be able to charge a fare for Concessionary passes where a route become non commercial. Clearly this would need to be monitored closely to ensure bus companies do not abuse it. Maybe cap the payment at say about 25% of the adult fare. If it kept a service going I suspect most pass holders would not mind although I am sure a minority would moan

      Delete
    4. I have said since the scheme started they should charge £25 a year for Concessionary passes and have that money ring fenced by law to subsidise loss making routes and services.

      Delete
  12. Would you be able to take a new job on the basis that the bus service will be running in six months time? In the majority of Suffolk away from the larger towns we can't trust the services to be running on the same timetable and frequency that far ahead .

    ReplyDelete
  13. I suspect Andy Campbell is responding to a Regional Mayor who is pushing a Cambridge Metro - the future or pie in the sky (may be not literally) depending on your point of view. And that's the problem, or best thing (depending on your point of view) about this country. It may be a small island but everywhere is different, not least when local politics intervene (as they inevitably do). Politicians respond to the public, not the other way around. Cambridge, where I've lived (like St. Albans where I grew up) is pretty community minded; hence interested in buses, and use them. (They have other issues though). Chelmsford where I now unfortunately have ended up living (for work) isn't. But it's successful as a modern town (sorry city, still makes me laugh having grown up in the real ones!) The Cambridgeshire Regional Mayor too has just muddled local decision making even more and mired it in even more controversy, and probably made things even less likely to happen. That wasn't the idea.

    All good ideas, but things have consequences, and that is the bugbear.

    I've said it before. I have the opposite situation to Steve. A village that has had its services doubled from two to four times an hour, and because it's now in an urban zone, return fares cut. Is patronage growing? No. After 6 months. We can get to four local towns directly, and the regular network to serve more than ten others and many local attractions. We have an evening service too (two buses in either direction after 8.30pm when the day service ends). Typical usage 2 to half a dozen. When surveyed the evening service was the least used of those locally. Interestingly the one daytime route that has survived since the 1950s is the only one that has decent patronage, perhaps growing a bit but nowhere near its heyday. It says everything that it's more financially viable for First to invest in Eastern Counties than the "comprehensive" Essex network.

    When I had my medical condition a couple of years ago, I too plotted my days out by bus like a baby Steve, with some darned good fare deals too, and across operators, that made it competitive on costs with the car! Did I find anyone else doing so across the networks? No. Even though it wasn't hard. I can't summon up the enthusiasm to repeat it now I don't have to. Been there done that.

    I don't say my experience is "right" or Steve's "wrong". But nothing is inevitable in this game. Apart from that we won't do as we are told, or behave as we "should". Local "attitudes" count for a lot. As far as I can see there are some areas where people use the bus (even when the services are poor) and some where they won't. Why not? I don't know. It looks like history. But the attitudes seem to afflict the bus staff as much as the passengers.

    I remember too the drastic cuts to the Eastern Counties network in the 1970s, when it was subsidised as a network. No one used most of it, so we had the discussion whether they had to pour more resources and money in or not. The argument was lost. I think it had to be. There is no bottomless money pit, even for buses. Politics will support buses if there is public demand. If there isn't then drumming it up is incredibly hard, even where it is possible. It might be possible with something transformational, the local example is the Cambridge busway; but once you look at the detailed history, a warning rather than an opportunity. We all want to recreate the dreams of our childhood as we get older though, but that isn't possible, although it never stops us trying ever harder!

    ReplyDelete
  14. One further example: a couple of years ago Herts stopped subsidising all post 8pm; and Sunday services except a few hospital services. Is there a black bus hole? Well . . . er, no actually. Exclusively village services lost out, as they do in my experience under any system. But the rest of the network is preserved, though perhaps thinned out and meandering a bit more. How come? The passengers and the operators came together. Now, which do I prefer for a sustaintable future; that, or franchising? I think I know, and it's not the same conclusion as Steve. The public know what they want, but the politicians know better. Well, as long as they agree with us.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bear with me. Let me tell you a story. It's not just me and Steve that can't escape our past.

    I had a dog. Walked him regularly. He was a springer, known for his disodedience. My fellow residents were remarkedly tolerant to my mind as he wandered where he shouldn't. They would say "don't be so hard, he's a springer, he's not doing any harm, they're like that." (I still get that attitude occasionally in Herts). Then in the early 1990s, something changed. They moved. New residents moved in, and it became "watch that dog". It took me a long time to work it out.

    London was changing in the 1970s. Politicians decided that they had to make people good,and community cohesion had to be enforced. People rebel, as they do. It was a country they felt they hardly recognised. They moved out to "escape all that". And built their own little protective coccoon. As the tidal wave has moved northwards into East Anglia, are we suffering the consequences? Not least, on the buses. The more well-heeled, and let's face it more educated, went west, places like St. Albans and Cambridge, though both suffer from disgruntled natives too, I know more than a few of them! Some places, Ipswich comes to mind, possibly Norwich, have kept their character more than others. But the "pretty" rural areas and small towns have been overwhelmed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. A couple of further points, I've been around when most of the things in Steve's post have been tried. For upwards of two years. How patient do we have to be, or can we afford to be? They did't work in those cases. I know, I was using those buses, but I was lucky if even a couple of other people were, ever. Not to say they wouldn't work elsewhere, but how do you predict?

    I may detect that some of the people now coming out of London, perhaps under the influence of Livingstone and Khan - even Boris - are more community-minded. They are complaining, why can't we have buses more like London? But will it take another fifty years before they have any effect? Changes in attitude take a generation. The modern world doesn't have the patience. After all if two years is too long . . .

    ReplyDelete
  17. There is a local example I'd like the proponents of bus franchising to address. We already have it, in Essex, where much of the First Essex output is controlled by the County Council. And is as bad, if not worse than their commercial (ho, ho that's a laugh) output. So what exactly is the benefit of Council involvement? And please don't say cross subsidy, a £40K loss won't fund you much of that!

    ReplyDelete
  18. In our simple life, love plays a very specific role. Now we are able to make your love life healthy and no space for any type of trouble. These all are possible with the help of Dr. EKPEN of SOLUTION TEMPLE. He helped me cast a spell that brought my long lost lover back within 48hours who left me for another woman. You can also contact him on EKPENTEMPLE@GMAIL.COM or add him on WHATSAPP +2347050270218 and be happy forever like am now with his experience.

    ReplyDelete
  19. There are certainly a variety of details like that to take into consideration. That is a nice point to convey up. I provide the ideas above as basic inspiration but clearly there are questions just like the one you bring up the place an important factor will probably be working in honest good faith. I don?t know if finest practices have emerged round issues like that, however I'm certain that your job is clearly recognized as a fair game. Each girls and boys really feel the impact of just a second’s pleasure, for the rest of their lives. gsn casino slots

    ReplyDelete