Back Home And Disappointed ...
... but most definitely NOT disappointed with the Cornwall countryside and the weather. Both were absolutely glorious with clear skies, green greenery and an azure blue sea - hyper magnificent.
Disappointment 1
Less Topless - Well, None!
But, as we know, First has withdrawn ALL of its open top bus services which were a very special delight, especially based in St Ives, Lands End and Penzance.
All gone! There are still a good few double deck bus routes, but the views are just not the same.
The topless experience is better from the open section and you can sometimes enjoy the cold, the wind and the rain. But that is all part of a good British holiday!
But First Bus doesn't want tourists' money! It's all too much trouble and the company is "concentrating on its core business" - which, in Cornwall, is surely loss making.
First is also concentrating its management remotely, leaving constituent companies to act merely as operating agents. So it would be harder to respond to changes in demand if the weather turns warm. So First Bus can't be bothered.
However, the fbbs knew about that before they went.
Disappointment 2
The Fares Farce
Fares are of no concern to the elderly and decrepit fbbs; but fares DO affect the general public, both residents and visitors. Readers may remember the reduced Fares Pilot Scheme which cut fares by about 35%. Although greeted with wild enthusiasm by the Council, this Government subsidy was time-limited and times has now run out.
The result is all round complexity and confusion with a series of fares "revisions" (snigger snigger) flowing like fish catches at Newlyn over that last year and a bit.
fbb apologises if these on-line news extracts are incomplete and ot of order - but they do serve to illustrate the mess.
Sorry, councillor, it matters not whose fault it is; what matters is the effect of the changes on the fare paying public.
Here is a message from Plymouth City Bus with no explanation of the link with Cornwall. Plymouth is in Devon, you know!
Much the same message arrived a couple of months later in Cornwall itself but anonymously so as to blame the government.
That is for January 2025. Even the BBC got in the act!
Then six months later ...
Such was the inrush of on-line fares chaos that Google so-called AI (it isn't) was obliged to clarify things. (it didn't).
Disappointment 3 
Liverish About Livery
We already know, and fbb has already reported thus in his holiday blogs, that First has abandoned route specific paint schemes, going from brand to bland.
Whilst waiting for a bus to their second base near Constantine on Tuesday last, the fbbs enjoyed a late breakfast "en plein air" ...
... at the caff opposite Penzance's rather poor bus station.
fbb's bacon sandwich was well filled and delicious; Mrs fbb's egg sarnie ditto. Their two mugsa were also hot and promptly served. But fbb was able to sample some of the shambolic livery presentations.
But just one bland passed by, making no contribution to corporate identity but merely ...
... contributing to the impression that First bus has given up and simply doesn't care! During the 30 minutes or so that fbb observed, not one brand liveried bus was on its "own" route. Everything was wrong!
Here is a Tinner vehicle (routes T1 and T2) on service 17 ...
... meanwhile a bus in generic green left on route T1!
In the stands a branded bus for U1 and U2 (from Falmouth) left ...
... on service U4. Well. at least it, too, was going to Falmouth!
One particular farce was a single decker still carrying the abortive brand for the collection of day tripper routes centred on The Eden Project. 
The scheme was, sadly, a failure but it is long gone, but, of course, the bus remains with a brand to advertise a product that is no longer available.
One livery which both amused and infuriated fbb, but which might confuse the residents of Penzance, was this:-
Did you spot its origin? It is a Doncaster cast-off!
So South Yorkshire is in as big a mess as Cornwall.
Sadly (?) no sign of a lizard at Penzance.
Maybe Buses for Cornwall will be better?
Spoiler alert! Not much!
Next Cornwall Mess blog : Tues 30th Sept
I am also just back from Cornwall
ReplyDeleteThe coast is gorgeous as always.
The local economy is as diabolical as ever.
It has had so many EU and Government subsidies, but they just get spent with no long term improvement.
The fare increases are just that the subsides have been spent with no increase in sustained ridership to allow any reduction to continue.
The fares package on offer is pretty standard.
The one big fare advantage is that, other than singles, all tickets are valid on any operator between the same points.
Liveries may help tourists, but in rural communities the bus is the bus regardless of what colour. If there was more money, things might be improved.