Just A Succession Of Depression (1)

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But First, An Apology From fbb

Mary is 89 and has been a particular friend of Mrs fbb for seven years or more. Over that period, she has not enjoyed good health and has recently been taken into Exeter Hospital where her life is slowing ebbing away. Yesterday, she asked to see fbb's better half, so a trip to Exeter filled much of the afternoon.

The planned blogging time disappeared, so please accept any limitations to content and style as a result.

Funerals and their preamble are something of a hobby for the elderly. The fbb's have beern asked to officiate at Mary's which she has planned in some detail.

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Build Back Better In Sheffield

If you are a Sheffield resident who daily peruses the web sites to see if anything untoward is happening to your bus service, you may click on the link above. If you then scroll down the page a hefty distance you might find this ...

... and if, in idle interest, you are drawn to click on the "More information" link and then choose "Sheffield", you will come across this.

It goes on to list all of the services that are run jointly by First and Stagecoach -advising the there will be a reduced frequency "for the summer".

In fact the service reductions mainly apply on Monday to Friday only and follow a pattern established over several recent years whereby frequencies are reduced during school holidays. Then the excuse was extended to University summer holidays.

If course, this time, the reductions must be part of the governments public transport strategy to "Build Back Better" as they come in on the very day Covid Regulations (that is all legal regulations) are removed (that is except the ones that aren't!)

If you expect support for this change from First Bus, forget it! The only change announced by First from 18th is :-

Route X5: Sheffield - Dinnington

Route X54: Sheffield – Harthill

These routes have new timetables to improve reliability – there are no changes to routes or frequency, but we’ve made adjustments to react to changing travel times. X5 journeys between Sheffield and Broomhill will no longer operate – please use alternatives on route.

There is no mention of the summer reductions anywhere on the First Bus web site.

Meanwhile, according to the PTE ...

X5 First  Sheffield - Dinnington

From Sunday 18 July there will be changes to the timetable with a reduced summer frequency.

Reduced or not reduced, that is the question?

No mention of X54, we note, from the PTE; but half a cheer for Stagecoach who do admit the changes.

Sadly, although 7, 25, 52 and 120 are joint with First as part of the Sheffield Bus Partnership (stop laughing at the back!) the jointness does not extend to advertising a joint timetable.

IT'S A MESS - and the passengers suffer!

One Brand, One Logo, One Colour

Regular readers will remember the excitement that gripped the West Midlands when the Mayor and the PTE announced that all buses would, in future, be red - no matter which company operated them - and would all carry the new and expensively designed logo.

One operator to embrace this chummy unity was Diamond Bus, part of the Rotala group.

But the happy, playful working together is coming to and end.

This is what Diamond says on their web site.

Diamond Bus has given notice to Transport for West Midlands (“TfWM”) to exit the current partnership arrangements on the 31/32 Walsall to Mossley & Lower Farm, 40 West Bromwich to Wednesbury, 42 West Bromwich to Dudley and 43 West Bromwich to Bilston services. These arrangements will terminate on 28th August 2021.

The decision was not an easy one to make. We believe in working collaboratively for the benefit of the passengers we serve.

The current arrangements allow each operator(s) tickets to be accepted on the other operators services with the exception of the Diamond monthly ticket. In our opinion on reflection - supported by leading Transport Economist Oxera - the ticketing initiatives, route branding, and the premium attached to NBus, which we have never supported, have re-inforced the National Express business. The ticket sales over time have moved away from Diamond to pre-paid National Express tickets, especially on the back of Mobile Phone app initiatives. 

Or, to put it another way; we ain't getting our fair share of the moolah!

Whether this is true or not will never be revealed. Maybe Diamond just want to see all their buses in their nice new blue livery?

Whatever the reason ...

 

IT'S A MESS and the passengers suffer!

Traws Cymru Triumph Or Travesty?

In 2016 Arriva pulled out of the long standing Conway Valley bus route. It is now operated by Llew Jones ...

... with an erratic timetable (extract above), not quite every hour.

But from the end of May 2021 it gains T19 journeys, A Traws Cymru route.

A step forward? What do our readers think? 

Buses magazine is not overly enthusiastic! It does provide an extra four journeys and runs through to Blaenau Ffestiniog (like the train) BUT ...

... it looks as if T19 journeys are in a separate category from 19 - or has joint ticketing been withdrawn from 19 as well as not being offered on T19 journeys?

And don't look at Traveline's timetable for the 19 - it is even more incomprehensible! Check out at the departures at 1000 and 1100!

Whatever really happens ...

 

IT'S A MESS and the passengers suffer!

Hopeless At The Hospital

The fbbs are reasonably regular visitors to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (a k a Wonford Hospital in the old money) but he had never noticed this before.

As readers can see - or maybe can't - it is a departure screen showing all buses that leave from just outside the main entrance to the Hospital as pictured above. For many people, it is illegible; the type face is far too small. As a special treat, fbb will examine what it says in more detail tomorrow.

And Contravision Crisis Continues ...

... also more tomorrow!

On A Brighter Note

More miniature LEDs for the Model Railway, but multi coloured! Where might they be on display?

And definitely not a disappointing depression!

Hopefully all will be obvious tomorrow!

 Next Depressing blog : Friday 16th July