One of the problems of blogging (and of all journalism) is that it is easier to write about things that are wrong rather than to extol the virtues of something that is doing what it is supposed to.
So let's be clear; the M1 was working well!
Yesterday's posting focused on fbb's route from Seaton to South Bristol Community Hospital, the southern terminus of the M1, using service 92.
So let's be clear; the M1 was working well!
Yesterday's posting focused on fbb's route from Seaton to South Bristol Community Hospital, the southern terminus of the M1, using service 92.
It lies in a vast triangle of housing estates, mostly developed in the 1950s, between the A38 Bridgwater Road and the A37 Wells Road.
It is served by the frequent 75 and 76 ...
... and the orbital route 96 (formerly 36) to Brislington.
fbb wrote about the new 92 (replacing various combinations of 50, 50A, 51, 52 and 2A) yesterday. But the M1 represents an additional service to the area, introduced with only a minor change to the previous service 90.
The Hospital was very quiet as was to be expected on a Saturday.
The new £45 million community hospital opened on 30 March 2012. It also houses Bristol's first Urgent Care Centre for minor illnesses and injuries, Day Surgery and a rehabilitation service where people are able to stay as inpatients. The services are provided in a purpose built, comprehensively equipped unit with full access to all facilities and services in the hospital, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dieticians, speech and language therapy, X-rays and scans and a brand new community dental service, offering free NHS treatment for local people, provided by the University of Bristol Dental Hospital.
Although in-patients are catered for, most of the "business" will be for out-patients with very little activity at weekends. A correspondent who was there on the first Monday of the M1 reported that the Hospital was busy with plenty of people using the buses.
For fbb there was the opportunity for his desired PNB plus a lovely little caff which dispensed a "small" CostaLot Americano and a rather tired custard tart to replenish the energy levels.
Last Saturday, buses (M1, 75 and 76) all left with less than a handful of passengers at best, but often empty.
75s and 76s looked tatty compared with the new and shiny vehicles on the M1 ...
... but fbb suspects that when boss James Freeman breaks open his piggy bank for new motors for the 75 and 76, they will be brightly branded and put today's novelty vehicles into their dull-liveried shadows!
But, until then, Metrobus did look the part!
But, until then, Metrobus did look the part!
Niggle number 1 - the lead bus, the next due to depart, sat there with its doors closed until the last minute with driver ensconced on the back seats. On a damp and drizzly day, this was a poor advert for the shiny new service.
Niggle number 2 - the departure screens. Although the iPoint monoliths provide much more information than shelter-top screens, there were things that could have been done better. Why do the 75 and 76 routes go the "City" but the M1 doesn't?
Is Cribbs the same as Cribbs Causeway, perhaps the causeway leading to the quaint waterside hamlet of Cribbs? And the 75/76 route does NOT go to Hengrove! These buses (in the "from city" direction) terminate at "Hengrove" bus depot ...
... which is closer geographically to Filwood Green but with no obvious route to any housing.
The bus was warm and comfortable; fbb chose to charge his phone and enjoyed a top deck front view. There were leaflets available ...
... and electronic screens and clear audible announcements were all working well.
If anything, the "next stop" call was a bit too close to the "next stop" for a less than agile old crock.
The route would take your own less than agile old crock via Inns Court (where the M1 has replaced the 90), Parson Street (where the 75/76 rejoin the fray) and the busy suburban shopping centre of Bedminster.
The route would take your own less than agile old crock via Inns Court (where the M1 has replaced the 90), Parson Street (where the 75/76 rejoin the fray) and the busy suburban shopping centre of Bedminster.
Passenger loadings as far as Bedminster just crept into double figures but from there into City other buses had done their stuff.
Between Paddock Garden(s) and Alverstoke the M1 whizzed happily past bus stops ...
... served by route 515; but, more worryingly it also sped by stops not served by any bus route.
It did look as if there was a notice informing Joe Public that the stop was cancelled and "flags" had been removed. This section did show very clearly that the M1 is limited stop all the way. There is some evidence that passengers are willing to walk a bit further than normal to catch a tram but the M1 is nothing like a tram, and bus watchers do wonder what effect this will have on passenger numbers in the long terms.
Will the "they'll get used to it" philosophy override the "I'll get the car/bike/donkey out; its too far to carry the shopping"?
Showing no fear, fbb decided to abandon his plan to observe loadings at The Centre as the stop looked very quiet as he passed ...
... with just one boarding passenger and sit tight to ride all the way to Cribbs Causeway. There were no through passengers from south to north, the last Hengrove-ite alighting at the Cabot Circus city centre stop.
We will complete the ride tomorrow.
Showing no fear, fbb decided to abandon his plan to observe loadings at The Centre as the stop looked very quiet as he passed ...
We will complete the ride tomorrow.
Next M1 blog : Wednesday 16th January
(Older) Bristolians are no strangers to limited stop city buses - the Clipper network came in with white Olympians back in 1982 and lasted into the privatised City Line era albeit with a City prefix.
ReplyDeleteDoes FBB or any of his readers know what led to City Clipper's demise? Is there anything for Metrobus to learn from?
Who runs the 515?
ReplyDeleteIt was Wessex until September, when Stagecoach took it over.
The timetables at Hengrove show BCT running it from 6th Jan.
Traveline, Travelwest and Stagecoach's website show BCT running it from 13th Jan.
BCT's website shows them running it from 19th Jan.
Oooh....where to start?
ReplyDeleteFBB is parroting the "it's not a tram" and mentioning the distance between stops. The reality is that the distance between stops is really not too different from our continental cousins where stops are much less frequent. That and improved boarding times (dual doors and buy before you travel) will also feed into the improved journey times.
The City Clipper routes were essentially running from the various dormitory and peripheral spots (like Patchway or Stockwood) and running limited stop. There just wasn't the off peak patronage to sustain them as time went on.
Now we come to Karl from yesterday... "The M1 is basically just a slightly faster bus with zero additional bus priority compared to normal buses except the motorway slip. Seriously unimpressive. More interesting is that First are competing with themselves to the airport. The A2 single deck via the faster old route every 30 minutes is £4.50 single or £7 return, whereas the A1 via the slower busway is now a ridiculous £8 single and £13 return. My guess is the A2 is to compete with Falcon that is the fastest option and £5 single only every hour and dies a good trade with students and pensioners who aren't given discounts on First."
The zero additional bus priority is a bit unfair. There has been additional bus priority as part of Metrobus (e.g. Harry Stoke, Bradley Stoke, Hartcliffe Way) and yes, it is also open to non Metrobus services. Is that not a good thing as a happy byproduct? There is also the M2 route from Long Ashton to Spike Island and that is also governed by Metrobus rules in terms of vehicle quality etc. The real issue is Bedminster where getting through West and East Streets and then across the Avon to Redcliffe Hill.
As for the A2, it is paid for by the Airport as is the A1 - First are NOT competing with themselves. However, the A2 serves the old route (before the A1 was diverted via the Metrobus route to Long Ashton P&R) via Bedminster and is therefore to provide holidaymakers with that link as well as the staff who work at the airport. The only surprise is that the route extends into Bristol city centre rather than terminating at Redcliff Hill. Of course, students may be happy to hang around Bristol Airport for an hour waiting to save a few pounds on the A2 - most people just want to get home so the much more frequent and comfortable A1 is the preferred option.
Believe Stagecoach are running the 515 until the end of this week.
The M2 guided sections and private roads are even worse as the guidewats is useless and unneeded and actually slows buses down and the speed limit on the bus road is so low. The theory of metrobus was ok , the implementation of it is awful. Better than nothing but barely. The idea the mayor wants to waste more on new routes is nuts as he's got the existing routes so badly wrong. This should be a shining example of how to do bus priority not s national joke.
ReplyDelete