Box to Box
No. 1 son and family have just returned from Edinburgh having travelled from Oxfordhsire there and back by train. One means of whiling away the journeys was by playing Catan a strategy board games origniating from Germany. Dad was giving a talk about something esoteric in the field of technology assisted learning to a batch of important people at Edinburgh University. The location of the lad's talk was shown on his Twit site.
Posh, isn't it? But the point of this tenuously transport related tale is the postcard they sent back to the old crusties (his endearing phrase!)
A typical Edinburgh scene flopped through the fbb's letterbox on Saturday 31st October. It was posted on Friday afternoon 30th October at Edinburgh Castle ...
... SECOND class! That's just 19 hours box to box!
Top marks to the oft maligned Royal Mail!
A Remarkable Fox
Would that be Midland Fox ...
... now Arriva at Leicester?
Or the Fantastic Mr Fox ...
... a Film?
Or the strange logo which advertises Fox with a Polar Bear ...
... presumably on a very small bit of Glacier?
Or the legendary Uffa Fox ...
... ex Isle of Wight sailing supremo?
No it's a real live fox!
Customers travelling on the First Essex 21C Service from Canvey Esplanade to Benfleet Rail Station ...
... had a surprise when a Fox jumped on board, casually walked down the aisle and sat on the back seat of the bus. The fox remained on board for some 10 minutes resisting encouraging attempts for it to exit the bus.
First Bus driver, Ken Ball, said it was one of the strangest incidents in his 19 year career driving buses. "I stopped at the bus stop at The Windjammer on Canvey ...
First Bus driver, Ken Ball, said it was one of the strangest incidents in his 19 year career driving buses. "I stopped at the bus stop at The Windjammer on Canvey ...
... and a lady got on, bought her ticket and went towards the back of the bus. All of a sudden she was back at my side, saying, "Excuse me, but there is a fox on the back seat."
The fox stayed where it was, watching what was going on, not concerned at all by his surroundings; eventually leaving via the rear emergency door.
Thanks to the First bus people in Essex for the story. And, yes, the last picture is contrived!
A Result for Vox
Of the populi kind.
Back in July, fbb was reporting on changes to service 10 in York which resulted in an utterly daft frequency of every 35 minutes (read again).
A couple of weeks ago First York issued a Press release about "improvements" in the city's bus service.
First York has today announced an improvement package of bus service changes from 22 November driven by feedback from customers, staff and local discussions with City of York Council.
The changes include:
Revised service 1 timetable to improve reliability
Service 4 operating between Acomb and York only (Osbaldwick & University now covered by service 6) with new timetable to improve reliability
Service 6 returning to the previous route serving the University of York and the Hospital
Revised 'clockface' timetable on service 10
New early journeys from Bishopthorpe & Dunnington
The change from 22nd November will put service 10 back to a bus every 30 minutes and sanity is restored;as are some early journeys from Dunnington withdrawn earlier in the year. The servce 4 and service 6 changes represent a de-linking of a dubious link introduced when First snaffled the University contract.
fbb likes the phrase "driven by feedback from customers" which is bus operator newspeak for ...
Maybe there's a similar problem in another Yorkshire City (which must remain anonymous)?
And, talking of Sheffield, fbb will be visiting his former home city NEXT WEEK to sample the changes for real.
Should be great fun / thoroughly depressing - delete where inapplicable.
Opportunity Knox
Readers will remember fbb's enthusiasm for the downloadable App for bus services in Delhi. See Goodness Gracious Me! (episode 1 indeed) [read again] and Goodness Gracious Me! (episode 2 indeed) [read again]. fbb is meeting a computer whizz-kid next week (busy week!) to explore the possibility of using the old man's xephos experience to develop something similar for the UK. VERY SPECULATIVE!
This is a joint a service with Stagecoach 7, so where is their half?
Have you worked out what "Partnership" means yet?
What is the difference between an 8 and an 8A?
How many 8/8A buses call at Woodhouse Cross Street?
After 0626 how can you get to Birley Lane?
Is Hillsborough Leisure Centre at Hillsborough?
Do you run any buses via Neepsend?
Does the 8/8A run to/from Ecclesfield - or not?
Of the populi kind.
Back in July, fbb was reporting on changes to service 10 in York which resulted in an utterly daft frequency of every 35 minutes (read again).
First York has today announced an improvement package of bus service changes from 22 November driven by feedback from customers, staff and local discussions with City of York Council.
The changes include:
Revised service 1 timetable to improve reliability
Service 4 operating between Acomb and York only (Osbaldwick & University now covered by service 6) with new timetable to improve reliability
Service 6 returning to the previous route serving the University of York and the Hospital
Revised 'clockface' timetable on service 10
New early journeys from Bishopthorpe & Dunnington
The change from 22nd November will put service 10 back to a bus every 30 minutes and sanity is restored;as are some early journeys from Dunnington withdrawn earlier in the year. The servce 4 and service 6 changes represent a de-linking of a dubious link introduced when First snaffled the University contract.
fbb likes the phrase "driven by feedback from customers" which is bus operator newspeak for ...
And, talking of Sheffield, fbb will be visiting his former home city NEXT WEEK to sample the changes for real.
Should be great fun / thoroughly depressing - delete where inapplicable.
Opportunity Knox
Readers will remember fbb's enthusiasm for the downloadable App for bus services in Delhi. See Goodness Gracious Me! (episode 1 indeed) [read again] and Goodness Gracious Me! (episode 2 indeed) [read again]. fbb is meeting a computer whizz-kid next week (busy week!) to explore the possibility of using the old man's xephos experience to develop something similar for the UK. VERY SPECULATIVE!
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A Sheffield (Partnership?) Snippet
from the First South Yorkshire web site
Here is an extract from the 8/8A timetable. Followed by a few questions.Have you worked out what "Partnership" means yet?
What is the difference between an 8 and an 8A?
How many 8/8A buses call at Woodhouse Cross Street?
After 0626 how can you get to Birley Lane?
Is Hillsborough Leisure Centre at Hillsborough?
Do you run any buses via Neepsend?
Does the 8/8A run to/from Ecclesfield - or not?
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Next rail blog : Wednesday 4th November
Worrying to see the dreadful Stagecoach cycle vinyl has spread to First Essex now. It's like a disease.
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