First Bus Founders - Maybe Fails?
Certainly Roger French thinks so! By way of explanation, here is a chunk of a First bus route map (still available on-line - of course) from not that long ago.
With very few exceptions (e.g. London Buses 81) First Bus ran everything in and around Slough. And look at the network now!
So, for completeness, here is the Langley area enlarged and shown more correctly than on previous blogs. Earlier, fbb never found the above most recent version of First's network map! The 7 (BLUE) has become 7 and 7X and the 4 (ORANGE) has become A4.
The Joys Of Privatisation
Other on-line maps are available; An out of date (2014) monstrosity is from Slough and Windsor Council ...
... which shows that the 75/76 (now 7/7X) then ran via Langley Road and the 58 (now 3) then ran via Trelawney Avenue - the opposite of today's routes. Consistency is always to be applauded!
A more recent Council map is more up to date but has not been changed to show the 458.
Of course you could also have a full and up-to-date Carousel map ...
There is an up-to-date Thames Valley (i.e. Reading Buses) map ...
... which includes the London 702, Heathrow 703 ...
... showing three routes in the Langley area. In addition to the new 458, there is the long standing tendered 585 from Hedgerley ...
... and a branch of the 103, formerly branded Chiltern Hundreds ...
... from High Wycombe; with the other branch to Windsor.
... the Heathrow 704 ...
... and a Slough local plus Heathrow add-on service 5.
It is all a right mess!
Back To The 458
Roger French has already done a "First Day" and he noted that roadside publicity was excellent for the 458 - except at Uxbridge ...
... where there wasn't any! There was no timetable, not even a departure list and no 458 on the bus stop flag. It is this quality of service which the PTE mega mayors (Steve Rotherham, Tracy Brabin and Andy Burnham etc) are so keen to spread to their areas as they strive to "be like London Transport".
It is all a right mess!
Back To The 458
We have already met the 458 map and the timetable is delightfully simple with a tidy 30 minute frequency Monday to Saturday but, as yet, no Sunday service.
We can compare this with First Bus service 3 on-line ...
... brimming with confusion over Christmas! The on-line timetable itself is, as is usual with First, awful beyond measure. This was for 1st January when, presumably, a Sunday service was in operation.
Sorry this is too small to enjoy the detail, but it really wasn't worth the effort to do anything better with what First offers its potential customers. An alternative and much better First timetable did materialise on-line ...
Whatever the source the above, it shows that First only runs every 30 minutes on Mondays to Fridays; Saturdays is hourly as well as Sundays. Carousel runs every half hour on Saturdays.
... but it's source was unclear.
Carousel was enthusiastic and informative in its pre-launch publicity ...
... with clear understandable general information about the new route. It was written in English rather than bus operator new-speak!
But the highlight was racks of timetable leaflets on the buses. Yes, printed material to take home and peruse at you leisure without needing a device or a good wifi signal.
Also available is a timetable booklet for the Slough area ...
It is called "Marketing", and it is what good businesses do to promote their product.
First Bus does nothing to promote its product Because, as its managers say ..
IT'S ALL ON-LINE
Yesterday, Roger |French published his take in Carousels' 458 which included a bit more background to the competitive scene in and around Slough. His headline refers to First's departure from Southampton and Cornwall - but to that you can add Hereford, Northampton, East Lothian, the Scottish Borders area and most of the former Alexander Midland territory.
What a way to run a bus company!
There is an alternative, and it is not franchising and it is not nationalisation.
It is called "working together".
Was it not the great John Betjeman who wrote a celebrated poem about buses in Slough?**
Come, networked bus, and fall on Slough
It isn't fit for travel now,
It's just a mess; you don't know how
To get about!
Sort out the mess they call a town —
Passengers who wear a frown
Poor information gets them down
They rave and shout!
Then there's no published bus's fares
They do not adverise their wares
The cost of travel really scares
And leads to tears,
One simple thing that can be done
Instead if three let's just have one
A single bus firm would be fun
Pin back your ears.
They've done the job up Leicester way
One map, one network, shout hooray
Bright green buses; a fume free day.
They cut the blether!
Come, friendly "bombs", and fall on Slough
It's time for action here and now.
To franchising we need not bow;
Just work together.
But they will need to get rid of the worst of First, first!
** No it wasn't. His poem, which opens with the line "Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough" was a heart-felt tirade against the poor quality industrialisation of what was once a quiet market town.
This 'pastiche' is penned, in Betjeman style, by this blog's resident producer of poignant poesy (or possibly pathetic pseudo-poetic prattle!).
A big thanks to Uncle Roger for extra information as observed in real time on Monday.
Next Back to the Bush blog : Thurs 8 Jan
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