tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post2180635927067953025..comments2024-03-18T21:18:19.020+00:00Comments on Steve's Bus & Train Page: Gt Yarmouth Air Show Park and Ride (South)Steve Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-4573164076228083932018-06-28T09:05:17.889+01:002018-06-28T09:05:17.889+01:00Stagecoach take £85M hit to their bottom line
Ra...Stagecoach take £85M hit to their bottom line<br /><br />Rail and bus group Stagecoach has taken an £85.6m charge to cover the cost of the failure of the East Coast rail franchise.<br /><br /><br /> The company reported adjusted pre-tax profits of £144.8m for the year to 28 April, down from £151m the year before. Stagecoach also cut its full-year dividend to 7.7p per share from 11.9p last year.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-77230215293748162912018-06-27T05:42:51.812+01:002018-06-27T05:42:51.812+01:00Yes, the seatbelts issue, but I don't think th...Yes, the seatbelts issue, but I don't think the buck can just be passed to Government. As I understand it Steve Wickers (Eastern Counties MD and his team)and depots - who are left to carry the can - have to use the vehicles specified by Head Office. Not perhaps so different from anyone else.<br /><br />But a few months ago the Croydon tram crash report concluded that operator First corporately (along with owner London Transport) had failed to identify the major risk in that case, let alone deal appropriately with it. Not again, Mr. Fearnley, MD of First Bus?<br /><br />Hopefully the coroner, whose powers are more limited, will still consider the wider issues.smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-7530309148552016192018-06-26T20:59:02.924+01:002018-06-26T20:59:02.924+01:00One issue is the law is very lax with regard to fi...One issue is the law is very lax with regard to fitting seat belts to buses. Since 2001 the fitting of seat belts to buses has been mandatory EXCEPT on urban buses. What is urban seems to be down to the bus companies and many are very liberal with interpretation I find it very difficult to see how this X1 service can be called Urban. There are even buses going on . motorways and even allow standing passengers<br /><br />Clearly in this accident it would probably not have saved the driver but would have reduced injury to passengers<br /><br />In my view the definition of urban needs properly defining and should exclude buses if they go on motorways or uses road with speed limits of 50mph or over but excluding most rural roads<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-16677613501660233292018-06-26T16:37:08.740+01:002018-06-26T16:37:08.740+01:00Did we need reminding: the standards of our roads ...Did we need reminding: the standards of our roads (and driving) and how bus drivers put their lives on the line, every day. I've never yet come across a bus driver who DIDN'T put safety first, over more than half a century just to emphasise the point, something to always remember when our bus is late. Thanks, guys and gals; and my deepest sympathy to the families of the driver and passenger who died and to those who are injured, and hope for a speedy and complete recovery. And to the managers, and a reminder to the rest of us; just try not to make the job even harder! All the rest of us could make a resolution to drive better as the best memorial. smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-78001516191939116912018-06-26T14:33:30.474+01:002018-06-26T14:33:30.474+01:00Two people have died. One was a passenger and the ...Two people have died. One was a passenger and the other the driver who was based at Kings LynnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-43295858505771270322018-06-26T14:03:37.480+01:002018-06-26T14:03:37.480+01:00Now being report as First Bus Excel service X1Now being report as First Bus Excel service X1Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-71187809746243440532018-06-26T12:04:19.089+01:002018-06-26T12:04:19.089+01:00Serious accident between lorry and bus at Guyhirn,...Serious accident between lorry and bus at Guyhirn, Cambridgeshire, Probably a Stagecoach service 46. At least one death has been reported and several serious injuriesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-68975837739414351562018-06-25T22:35:28.923+01:002018-06-25T22:35:28.923+01:00Just wondering too ... modern cars require far les...Just wondering too ... modern cars require far less maintenance than old ones. If that's also true of buses, then you presumably need fewer depots (or, at least, workshops),Andrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-65069615577243285402018-06-25T16:33:18.397+01:002018-06-25T16:33:18.397+01:00Got confused above, ECOC and meant ENOC instead! B...Got confused above, ECOC and meant ENOC instead! Brain overheating (sunshine not buses, I'm not that much of an enthusiast!)smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-73300223893135770812018-06-25T16:28:11.612+01:002018-06-25T16:28:11.612+01:00Hmm, depends on your perspective. I think it was o...Hmm, depends on your perspective. I think it was only last year that Colchester were "boasting" (the right word?) they now have a bigger fleet than they have ever had. I'm not sure that there are any majors that haven't shrunk their property assets - they'd be stupid not to. How big did Eastern Counties use to be? And go back further, and the original Eastern National included I think United Counties in the West - Luton/Bedford (now half of Stagecoach East, the rest of which was Eastern Counties). And do you have to include Stephensons, NIBS and the rest (even Go Ahead) running ex-ECOC services? Go back more recently to the 1960s and much of Arriva's northern home counties operations, anyway, were part of London Transport. <br /><br />Look how few depots Stagecoach East get away with, compared to what used to be the case. They're hardly a failure, yet they have the same problems as First to deal with, but with about the same number of drivers (and presumably they all work as hard) and gross income in the same range £40-50m) they make some £10m profit instead of a £400K loss! Maybe efficiency has something to do with it? Even Stephensons managed £2m profit on £10m income on routes First have abandoned as unviable (and local authority contract work which are by definition non-commercially viable)!<br /><br />I'm not sure bigger is better otherwise NBC would have been a huge commercial success. The only problem was that the accountants didn't think so! Fortunately in the world of the imagination the figures don't matter.<br /><br />Virtually all the pre-1985 companies had grown by acquisitions, as much and may be more than by network expansion. Perhaps again the reason why historically they had so many depots. London Transport had led the way in their avaricious 1930s when most of the home counties independents were swallowed up! Eastern Counties weren't too bad at it, either.<br />smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-12141095328185945062018-06-24T18:09:32.295+01:002018-06-24T18:09:32.295+01:00Eastern National
It is interesting to see how lar...Eastern National<br /><br />It is interesting to see how large Eastern National Used to be. It is a far smaller company under First Bus<br /><br />These are pretty much its original Garages<br /><br />BD Brentwood (ex Westcliff, originally City Coach)<br />BE Braintree (ex Hicks) <br />BN Basildon (Cherrywood garage opened in 1961 replacing Bull Yard, Vange)<br />BS Bishops Stortford <br />CY Canvey Island (ex Westcliff, originally Benfleet/Canvey & District)<br />CF Chelmsford<br />CN Clacton-on-Sea (Castle Street, ex Silver Queen)<br />CR Colchester<br />DT Dovercourt <br />HD Halstead <br />HH Hadleigh (ex Westcliff, originally Benfleet/Canvey & District)<br />KN Kelvedon (ex Moore's Bros) <br />MN Maldon <br />PL Prittlewell (ex Westcliff)<br />SD Southend (ex Westcliff)<br />SE Silver End (ex Hicks) <br />WG London, Wood Green (ex Westcliff, originally City Coach)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-70318243852325150402018-06-22T19:04:45.173+01:002018-06-22T19:04:45.173+01:00Can't recall ever seeing as dog round here on ...Can't recall ever seeing as dog round here on longer trips, just urban short runs where there are a few. I'd assumed it's the same reason that I find: too risky when only a single pooch is allowed and at the drivers discretion = even higher likelihood that even if you can get there, you won't get back! Can't see the quid adding to profits or reducing the fares!smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-28898016122784201862018-06-22T13:17:25.913+01:002018-06-22T13:17:25.913+01:00I'm now into my sixth decade on this earth (so...I'm now into my sixth decade on this earth (so still a naive youngster, I know), but buses in the Shires have always been under threat for as long as I can remember, and we have been predicting their demise. I know for many people that has come true. The old adage of "Use it or Lose it" is as true today as it always has been. Public subsidy is a sticking plaster, not a cure.<br /><br />We all have a responsibility to use the bus, and that is as true in the urban areas as for the remaining rural services. That is the only way to survive. Councils won't (and increasingly can't, with all the best will in the world) come to the rescue other than as a short term palliative. (Do Suffolk cut school transport costs or rural subsidy? - the alternative is to just go bust as Northamptonshire have done and let the lot go). The companies have to help themselves, delivering services that their traveling public can rely on. No excuses. (I trust the same, or hopefully greater, effort goes into delivering reliable Norwich Network and commuter services on a dank winter morning, or evening, as for the Airshow P&R).<br /><br />There is no magic wand. We have to do everything we can across the board, not just using the bus but drivers actually making passengers feel valued, to maximising the scope for cross-subsidy, parishes and local community groups getting actively involved with support, instead of leaving it all to the increasingly remote bureaucrats; and those people like developers and commerce who have benefited from our laissez-faire economic policies supporting the community in which they reside. Not sops but long term commitment. Planning for the future, not just the opportunism to which we are addicted. Looked as that way, can we turn a threat into an opportunity? We don't have any alternative. A rural bus might depend as much (perhaps more) on its town cousins having a successful network as its own efforts. How do dog charges help the passengers, perhaps that ought to be the question, as for every other gimmick?<br /><br />OK the early Sunday sermon over. And, I know, about as much relevance. We'll all just carry on, regardless.smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-22606975764491479652018-06-22T12:24:11.534+01:002018-06-22T12:24:11.534+01:00Yes.I clearly remember a D setting on my old Almex...Yes.I clearly remember a D setting on my old Almex ticket machine. I think dogs were 10p, and that was back in late 80's on Maidstone & District. <br /><br />I might add that dogs aren't allowed on beaches this time of year anyway and aren't a usual sight on buses in the main, especially with people on a day trip! Apart from that responsible owners won't mind paying for their dog but irresponsible owners probably would, and it's the owners that tend to be the problem, not the dog.Steve Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-32575200496586665902018-06-21T21:33:23.446+01:002018-06-21T21:33:23.446+01:00They aren't allowed on seats, so unsure why th...They aren't allowed on seats, so unsure why they insist on charging. Going Cromer - Norwich costs enough as it is without having to pay for a dog too. I think it would put people off going by bus more, especially wanting to take a dog to the beach. I wonder how much they make a week from dog tickets?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-39454352553950368792018-06-21T21:31:37.938+01:002018-06-21T21:31:37.938+01:00Totally irrelevant to this threat but...just wanti...Totally irrelevant to this threat but...just wanting some thought on Sanders....<br /><br />They charge 50p for a dog and have a £1 "rover" ticket.<br /><br />I've never known a company to charge. Do you know of other companies which charge/ what's your opinion on charging for animals?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-34073393101637946652018-06-21T20:22:04.574+01:002018-06-21T20:22:04.574+01:00LGA warn 50% of council supported bus services are...LGA warn 50% of council supported bus services are under threat<br /><br />In the East this has already mainly happened and even quite large towns such as Clacton, Sudbury and Kings Lynn are struggling to provide viable bus service. Unstable services , high fares and poor reliability, corner cutting do not help and as services are cut it reduces passengers numbers on other services making them non viable at present I can see no end to the spiral of decline. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-28751329473563051452018-06-21T20:14:07.803+01:002018-06-21T20:14:07.803+01:00L can tell you that it is quite possible to design...L can tell you that it is quite possible to design and build highly reliable signalling systems with near a 100% reliability, I suspect cost cutting and poor maintanance account for a lot of it as well as equipment not designed for the harsh environment it operates inAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-67250741526260420622018-06-21T17:46:36.463+01:002018-06-21T17:46:36.463+01:00I have no magic answer, but neither does tech. It&...I have no magic answer, but neither does tech. It's swings and roundabouts, sort something out and something else goes wrong (and it gives us more to go wrong too and makes it more difficult to sort out). The cost of progress. I suspect our variable and unpredictable weather, whilst it adds interest to life, doesn't help. It's almost designed to maximise trouble.<br /><br />Our transport network (perhaps the wrong word) was never designed initially, rather thrown together. That's not to say that there isn't some brilliant engineering which there is, we're good at it; but the devil is in the detail as always. Life isn't just a series of miracles.<br /><br />We ask a hell of a lot, throwing more and more development into the mix, while we have to upgrade and keep stuff working at the same time. Things are going to go wrong, at times catastrophically, but a lot of the problems as we are finding with mass housing, are legacy and the result of our eternal habit to kick the can down the road. It looks good. It all comes down to cost in the end, and we just aren't willing to pay for it, even if it all ends up costing us more. How the heck our managers reconcile all our conflicting opinions on what should be done, I don't know. I'm just glad I'm not in their shoes any more!<br /><br />I just suspect that with the Anglo Saxons political demands always take precedence over expert advice. It's our eternal problem. If some people are tempted to take refuge in their bunkers, sometimes, I can hardly blame them! smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-32191198148883207632018-06-21T16:20:12.596+01:002018-06-21T16:20:12.596+01:00Thameslink
The shambles of the new timetable is s...Thameslink<br /><br />The shambles of the new timetable is still ongoing with no sign at all of it improving it was made worse today by a signal failure. The signalling systems on the railways seem to be another disaster area with hardly a day going by without signal failuresAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-24727008675541806112018-06-21T13:08:31.267+01:002018-06-21T13:08:31.267+01:00Well you could go back to the LNER Quint-arts - hi...Well you could go back to the LNER Quint-arts - high seating capacity but only about 12 inches between opposing seat cushions and you have to sit up very straight! Standing must have been a nightmare for everyone. One similar Quad-art set is preserved on the North Norfolk Railway: http://www.nnrailway.co.uk/graphics/stock/quads/quads_compartment.jpgAndrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-52381887026915293542018-06-20T20:02:50.222+01:002018-06-20T20:02:50.222+01:00A fleet of new state-of-the art London Overground ...A fleet of new state-of-the art London Overground trains has been unveiled, featuring WiFi and USB charging points throughout.<br /><br />The 54 new ‘Class 710’ trains can carry almost 700 people each thanks to their high-capacity walk-through layout – which also allows for more wheelchair spaces<br /><br />The extra capacity being achieved by having far fewer seats. Hardly a step forward although these lines are quite short in fact it might make sense to extend the Victoria line to Enfield Town<br /><br />https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/revealed-new-stateoftheart-london-overground-trains-featuring-wifi-and-usb-charging-points-a3867796.html<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-87658251250848454532018-06-20T16:39:11.372+01:002018-06-20T16:39:11.372+01:00I suspect it takes time for the spectator market t...I suspect it takes time for the spectator market to build especially for anything that needs a wider audience. We don't tend to give "the benefit of the doubt" to something new but prefer to "wait and see", unless perhaps there's a "name" involved! It was also in that hiatus between the students going home and the start of the holiday season. Did it make the press or any publicity other than locally? I think IWM Duxford had a flying event too. I'm not sure the local Norfolk market like to splash the cash, especially if it's not yet a habit. We're all feeling the pinch.<br /><br />Getting to east Norfolk at the best of times is too much of a hassle for many of us! The endless dreg (easily turning into a nightmare) of the A11/A47/A12/A140.smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-76986021450061761822018-06-20T14:57:10.256+01:002018-06-20T14:57:10.256+01:00Sadly (for bus users, not enthusiasts) it seems to...Sadly (for bus users, not enthusiasts) it seems to be endemic across much of the industry that buses are run for the benefit of enthusiasts rather than users, who are rather more interested in whether and when the bus runs, rather than where it comes from. (Though I thought the 70/71 have always been jointly serviced, and Go Ahead are now also taking over the evening contracted 352 which serves part of the route, as well as Clacton?) In that respect can Go Ahead be any worse than Wirst Essex (as they tend to be known in these parts)? They might have lost in the Suffolk Coastal zone but so far First aren't repeating the trick despite their efforts in coastal Essex.<br /><br />I suspect the interesting bit is the future rather than the past. May be there is a method in Go Ahead's recent local madness when the rest of the County Council tenders come up for renewal; and with their London ops sticking their toe in the waters at Southend, perhaps First could end up being squeezed at both ends. Though unfortunately that doesn't help their longstanding mid-Essex mess which shows no sign of being sorted out. May be it is just beyond anyone's ability. I believe it was one of the original nineteenth century local railway companies that was known as the "muddle and go nowhere". Often nothing much seems to have changed in mid-Essex. A strange sort of business this public transport.<br /><br />Of course First's attention is elsewhere, in the West and North, so we in the east will remain a sideshow. But despite their well-publicised problems it seems Go Ahead's group financial results came in ahead of expectations, which gives them some leeway that First don't have. Theirs didn't, apparently. smurfukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04812247601237248526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-8312383908246733232018-06-19T23:47:11.970+01:002018-06-19T23:47:11.970+01:00If you are requested to provide a certain number o...If you are requested to provide a certain number of buses isn't that what you provide?Steve Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.com