fbb had intended to blog about changes to buses between Sheffield and Stocksbridge, a substantial community north west of the city. Unfortunately two 12 hour days of data management plus some time yesterday still has not completed the task. But we are very nearly there and the few unfinished jobs have been mitigated somewhat by a helpful (?) note on the timetables concerned.
Sunday should be a day of rest and fbb sure needs one, mentally and physically; so only corrections before upload yesterday.
To explain the Stocksbridge change and to understand the vehemence of local objections, we will need a map and fbb's cartographical skills were simply unavailable yesterday.
A Puzzle Picture
The plastic box looks a bit like something from the Chinese Chippy across the road ...
... and maybe Mrs fbb has resorted to leftovers instead of Sunday lunch. But open the foil and you get ...
A take-away Sunday roast from the Ship Inn at Axmouth ...
... that well known time point on Stagecoach 9A to Lyme Regis.
The meal looks yummy and was yummy. The fbbs have often dined at the Ship; Axmouth being just a couple of minutes from fbb mansions.
Stagecoach turns down the road to Axmouth
Until Stagecoach extended its 9A hourly from Seaton to Lyme, Axmouth had just four trips a day with Axe Valley Mini Travel - a 4 minute long bus ride!
Axe Valley ceased operating any buses at the start of viral hostilities and, as yet, there is no sign of any return. Will Auntie Frances ever operate her buses again?
The X Files - The Truth Is Out There ...
... or is it just a dream.
This appeared on the web site of independent Eastleigh bus company Xelabus.
We know you have missed us and we have missed YOU! Partial return of bus services...
Whilst continuing to follow the Government's guidelines for safety to return our buses to service and with the partial relaxation of the lockdown we are pleased to inform our customers that buses will start to operate again as follows:
From MONDAY 8th JUNE 2020
The X4 service will operate as a SATURDAY SERVICE, Monday to Saturday between Hedge End, West End and Eastleigh.
The FREE BUS for ASDA at Fareham and TESCO at Winchester will operate as their normal weekday timetables.
From MONDAY 22nd JUNE 2020
A SPECIAL WEEKDAY TIMETABLE will operate for Service X6/X7 between Eastleigh, Velmore, Chandlers Ford and Hiltingbury. Saturday Service will be as now but no Sunday service.
In addition Service X9 and X10 will start operating a SATURDAY Service Monday to Saturday between Eastleigh, Bishops Waltham And Southampton.
From MONDAY 6th JULY 2020
X11 - Operating a Saturday Service Monday to Saturdays.
X12 - Operating normal Tuesday and Thursday timetable.
X15 - Operating normal weekday timetable M-Fri.
X17 - Operating normal WEDNESDAY timetable.
Hoppa - Operating normal weekday timetables.
A special leaflet will be available shortly with further details especially the X6/X7 SPECIAL timetable.
We will be ensuring all buses meet government guidelines for travelling safely. Our safety code will be displayed on many bus stops that we serve as well as our buses.
We will continue to update this site as and when services are further increased in frequency.
Customer Services
Xelabus Limited
A leaflet? Available shortly?
But surely, fbb has been told brusquely, these poor hard-pressed bus people simply do not have the "resources" to produce anything in print - there just isn't time! It just isn't possible!
It is just a dream, surely?
But no, here is the leaflet!
fbb will write it again - it is a BUS TIMETABLE LEAFLET.
If nothing else, it shows that the Xelabus management cares very much for its passengers and does not want to abandon them to the dodgy and time-consuming world of the "it's all on line" brigade.
And not scary in the slightest.
Meanwhile in Sheffield, and from PTE towers ...
... with a slighly higher budget than Xelabus, timetables finally appeared yesterday; but not in print (understandable given the short notice).
Well done all concerned! Ot maybe not.
The timetables are a collection of computer output from the operators and thus ase of very varies quality.
What ever draws services to a multiplicity io Stradbroke Roads, you can rest assured, it is not running at the moment. And this one is fun!
Hopefully the locals will cope. But the pages are far from being user friendly.
fbb Stands Corrected
Roy emails to tell fbb that the fenced off area on a Sheffield Supertram is not to offer limited protection to the driver, but to provide somewhere for the conductor to stand when not collecting fares.
It must be hard to be socially distanced from a tram conductor.
fbb Stands Corrected
Roy emails to tell fbb that the fenced off area on a Sheffield Supertram is not to offer limited protection to the driver, but to provide somewhere for the conductor to stand when not collecting fares.
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A bit of a non-blog today due to updating pressures; but ...
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Stocksbridge and Shed blog : Tuesday 2nd June
Before fbb lavishes too much praise on Xelabus for producing paper timetables, can I just point out they aren't actually running any buses this week and only 1 bus for the following two weeks. Kind of easier to produce timetables if you don't have the distraction of running buses!
ReplyDeleteXelabus are the smaller sister to one of the leading publicity companies in the country, they are the only people in this position, if they couldn't do it no one could but just because they can doesn't mean others are in a position to do the same.
ReplyDeleteThey are also clearly working to longer lead times than anyone else I've come across (the start of the ramp up is a week behind most of the rest) and not being reactive in any way to what is happening on the ground but working to a fixed timescale that won't react to what is actually needed - they are planning for what they are running in July, I'm not actually certain what I will be scheduling for Wednesday (certainly not next week) - if demand spikes today with things going back I expect we will be ramping more up this week.
I'm surprised to see they haven't been operating at all for 2 months, that is quite extensive areas of South Hampshire to have had no bus services during this.
AVMT will resume services on the 15th. It's posted on their website.
ReplyDelete