First Kernow Publicity

fbb has recently received the summer edition of the timetable for First's operation in Cornwall.

It is a high quality product and, of course, FREE.

The Cornwall business has picked up remarkably in recent years. First came the purchase of Truronian, arguably for too much money, then came the collapse of Western Greyhound. This gave the "traditional" Cornwall operator its near monopoly back and, obviously, removed competition. Some astute management led to additional college business and a good relationship with the County.

Sadly, for the visitor, the booklet does not cover the few remaining "other operators' services", but these are minor and very local.

Details of what used to be called season tickets are given ...

... with the now inevitable discount for the slower and, according to some, less reliable App technology. What remains astounding is the high price for a day rover (£13/£15) and the oddly cheap price for a week's ticket (£26/£28) at approx £4 a day. Some would class the one day price as one huge rip-off, discouraging to occasional visitors to the area.

It would be interesting to know how sales of the day ticket have grown/fallen over the last few years.

Some of the actual timetables are an interpretative challenge. Here is service 55 ...

... where only one journey runs without notes. Part of the problem is caused by merging Monday to Friday and Saturday timetables - understandable to save space - but less helpful because of potential confusion. There is room in the book to split the worst offenders, and with clear dayset heading this would help.

Silly things can also confuse. Here the blue shaded journey offers an arrival at Seven stars (Helston) ...

... but no departure time. Does that mean you cannot use it to get from town to Tesco? Unlikely.

Back to the 55 timetable above and one of fbb's on-going beefs about this book. There are SIX stops called "Bodmin". Which is the main town centre stop? fbb would prefer ...

Maybe even better would be "Bodmin Heritage Railway" for "General"? That might drum up a bit of extra business for the preserved line. (Whoops, fbb mistryped "Morrisons"!!).

Maps are generally excellent as ever and are a credit to the operator and the cartographer. The network maps now covers three double page spreads and it is easy to follow across joints and page turns.

Each town has a block of blobs showing routes that serve that community.

Seasonal is not the best word to add to the A4 - surely "summer season only" is more helpful.

There is more "encouragement" to go Ape (sorry, to go App) with some full page spreads ...

... using space that could be better employed unravelling the more complex tables.

But, minor niggles aside, this is an excellent production and must surely have made a significant contribution to the company's improved financial performance over the past few years. Well done First. 

Other bus companies should note, admire and emulate.

One page was new ...

... and the leaflet also popped through fbb's letterbox. It was, horror of horrors, printed on a sheet of paper! How quaint!

This document explained the fares offers in much more detail, adding to that included in the timetable.

There is no guide (however minimalist) to single cash fares. Surely a few scary examples might encourage non-cash bulk payment still further?

One "product" was "bundles" - a name borrowed from some Wifi and Mobile Phone adverts. In London such were called a "carnet", itself a term borrowed from French practice. [carnet - French for a small booklet].

Here you buy a package of separate one-day tickets which can be used for odd day's travel, not necessary a full 7 days worth running together. A good idea for non tourist use. Buy in bulk and get a discount.

A completely new product is also featured in the fares leaflet.

Called "town zone" it is a weekly or monthly ticket valid only within the boundary of a designated "town area" available at a standard price for each of the towns.

In Hayle, for example, it is effectively a weekly/monthly season on Tinner T1 and T2 with the less frequent A4 thrown in.

In Penzance, you would appear to get much more for your pounds.

But wherever they are on offer they do bring significant savings if you are travelling every day. £2 return into town and back is reasonable by today's standard even if there isn't so much opportunity to use the ticket on Sundays!

Good idea. In due course, fbb will ask what the take-up was. It will need to sell more seats than "normal" fares or it will lose money for First.

fbb was less than excited by the double page spread explaining how the phone App works.

OK, of course, for the shining young things (an example illustrated) but for the likes of fbb (and worse) a total turn-off. We crusties are still likely to want to hand over money (as illustrated) ...

"That'll be four pound five and thrupnce ape knee, sir" - we could cope with that!

But as fbb was leafing through the excellent timetable book he came across an oddity.

What was service 11A from Plymouth to Padstow?

There is no 11A in the timetable book. But go to Traveline and you get this.

11A Padstow and Bodmin Parkway? A quick check of brain, memory and tiny print on the traveline timetable page reveals that it is operated by GoAhead's Plymouth City Bus.

The little arrows at the base of each column show that the 11 from Plymouth to Parkway continues as an 11A to Padstow.

Has First Bus negotiated a takeover of the 11A or/and the 11?

Or is it a cartographic error?

It was First's 55 that, in the fairly recent past, provided a good connection between Parkway, Bodmin and beyond but, as we saw above, the 55 is now very sparce indeed. So ...

Are First helpfully guiding their customers to a useful link?

Or is it a mistake?

fbb knows not; but suspects a bludner.

First's Future?

This is from the local press in Aberdeen.

The return of Aberdeen corporation transport? (Renamed "Grampia pre-sale to what became First Bus).

It is a "brave" idea and would, you assume, cost the Council considerable Scottish pounds which they probably do not have in the piggy bank.

Isn't that what First Bus is aiming to do at the moment? And there is a snag.

Maybe Nicola will legislate. Certainly Jezza would be dead keen in he wins the next UK election.

Meanwhile in Bristol, James Freeman writes in his weekly staff newsletter.

A management buy-out? Well now; there's a novel idea - NOT.

And fbb also understands there are similar rumblings in Swansea.

So we could have lots of smaller regional and urban companies hived off from First Bus, then, in a couple of years some entrepreneur or investment bank could start buying them up to form a large national group ...

... called Second First Bus. Himself is probably too old for Fearnley's First Bus!!

What goes around, comes around.

 Next mixed bag blog - Saturday 15th June