The Biggest Changes Since 2015 ...
... And All Of Them Negative!
On line information from Trayval South Yorkshire is poorly presented as here for service 8 ...
8 First/TM Travel
Birley – Sheffield – Ecclesfield
From Sunday 2 October there are
route and timetable changes.
Service 8 is curtailed to Birley Tram Station.
For journeys to Crystal Peaks,
please see TM Travel services 8/8a.
Evening and Sunday services
will be operated by TM Travel and
only run Sheffield - Birley.
For journeys to Ecclesfield,
please use Stagecoach service 7.
8 TM Travel
Crystal Peaks – Birley
From Sunday 2 October
TM Travel service 8 replaces
Monday - Saturday daytime First
service 8 between Crystal Peaks and Birley.
Will operate hourly, Mon-Sat daytimes.
8a First
Crystal Peaks – Sheffield – Ecclesfield
From Sunday 2 October
service 8a is withdrawn.
All journeys will now run as service 8.
8a TM Travel
Crystal Peaks – Birley
From Sunday 2 October
replaces Monday - Saturday daytime 3
First service 8a between Crystal Peaks and Birley.
Will operate hourly, Mon-Sat daytimes.
Yikes! Travel South Yorkshire have been using the bus orators guide to making things sound moe difficult thyn hey are. Here is what is really happening.
Of course a map would make it much clearer ...
... but only if it is up to date!
Then there are the disappearing Saturday services. As hinted yesterday, First have published timetables for 18, 41 and 73 showing a near normal Monday to Friday service.
But on Saturdays only the existing tendered journeys will run, early morning and throughout the evening. There is nothing during the day, except for route 41 where T M Travel have been brought in to run the Saturday service.
Here is the whole Satrday 18 ...
... there is nothing else. Then we have an extract of the hourly Monday to Friday service ...
... and the hourly Sunday service.
Then here are the evening journeys on the revised X5
Monday to Friday there is nothing between 2035 and 2335; on Saturday between 1935 nd 2335 but on Sunday every hour all evening.
Even more Potty.
And how is all this being publicised? Frankly, it isn't.
There are a few posters dotted around the city centre (as above) ...
... mainly at the bus station now used by few passengers. Note the unhelpful departure screen! As of yesterday these screens were ALL equally unhelpful. There is nothing like good advanced notice if timetable change and this was well, nothing!
Whilst at the bus station, passengers can rejoice in the guidance on offer at each departure stand.
They tell you nothing useful!
Unless you are willing (or, more to the point, are able) to consult the internet at every stage ...
ITS ALL ON LINE
... you will be like this from Monday 3rd.
fbb's correspondent reports tht there is NOTHING on any of the buses and NOTHING at any bus stops except the existing WRONG timetables.
Just to cheer us, correapondent Roy has sent a few pictures which encapsulate the chayges.
First Bus no longer runs to Crystal Peaks (as above rout 8). Through passengers have to change to T M Travel or the "Supertram" at Birley and pay again. THEY WON'T.
Service 110 from Maltby and points west to Rotherham via the hospital, running at shift times, in withdrawn. Hospital staff will have to ride into Rotherham and back out to the hospital. THEY WON'T.
The M17, a delightful little nurdle linking estates south west of the city, is withdrawn "because Travel South Yorkshire could not find another operator" - i.e. were not paying enough tender money. People wil have to walk. THEY WON'T.
Once upon a time we were all encouraged to support the NHS, but, apparently, bus operators don't care.
The M17 serves a very hilly area.
First have pulled out of the X54 to Harthill handing it over the T M Travel who already run the service on Sundays. So a positive move?
No change is better han no bus, of course. But why does the Sunday X54 take a different route from the Monday to Saturday X54.
On Sundays it runs via the Parkway Industrial estate when nobody wants to go there because it is all closed.
The X54 ran via Parkway to provide a Sunday service to balance the Monday to Saturday X74 - which has now almost disappeared midweek.
Will Sheffielders understand that the Sunday service is different. THEY WON'T.
What these messy, ill thought out, changes will do is to discourage Sheffielders from making bus journeys at all. More will go by car or not go at all. Whatever the alternative, there will be less and less passengers and more ans more cuts.
Potty again!
The problem is that these decisions are made by staff looking at computer screens and seeking statistical "savings" and "cuts" without any thought. Cut off the end of a route and the remaining new end will become unviable, so soon you will cut that off. A recipe for self-destruction.
The problem is that these decisions are made by staff looking at computer screens and seeking statistical "savings" and "cuts" without any thought. Cut off the end of a route and the remaining new end will become unviable, so soon you will cut that off. A recipe for self-destruction.
There is a good chance they don't know where the buses go anyway.
Sorry : not much variety. Try again tomorrow.
For a break, try the second section of the fbb Fellowship quiz.
Puzzle Picture
Where and what?
Answer tomorrow.
Nexy Variety blog (Yes, variety) Mon 3rd Oct
Test
ReplyDeleteIt as been frightening to realise the number of bus drivers who have no idea that the route they are driving either as major changes or goes completely.
ReplyDelete