Advertising Other Operators - Surely Not?
Located in the grounds of St Fagans Castle (which isn't a castle and never was! It is an Elizabethan manor house) is the National Museum of Wales' collection of wonderful historic buildings ...
... including the amazing "Red House".
You do wonder where the name came from!
Once upon a time you could get there by Cardiff Bus ...
... then, later, Bath Bus Company ran there as a sightseeing tour.
Nowadays, a tendered service is run by Easyway of Pencoed.
It is now route 32A but fbb can find no obvious explanation as to what happened to route 32! Todays service runs every hour seven days a week, but with a hour later start on Saturdays and Sundays; from 0905 Monday to Friday.
But despite it not being a Cardiff Bus operation, it is part of the leaflet ...
... although lacking any guidance as to frequency.
Service 30, between Cardiff and Newport, has, for many a long year, been a joint operation. From time to time it has been less joint rather than more - even recently there have been problems with interavailable ticketting, but from May this year even mobile phone scans are valid on both operators' vehicles.
The Days Out leaflet highlights Tredegar House ...
... with the super-duper school holidays deal provided that you can acquire a child for the day. You need to know your stuff, however, because signs to Tredegar House are hard to come by ...
...with even "Tourist" signs being unhelpful!
It is also quite a trek from the A48 and service 30.
But the unusual nature of this leaflet gets even more unusual. You could excuse Cardiff Bus for promoting someone else's bus to St Fagans and you would not be surprised to see a joint service 30 appear.
But what about encouraging your Cardiff Bus customers to support Stagecoach? Service 132 ro Rhondda Heritage Park and Castell Coch ...
... every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and a less appealing hourly headway on Sundays.
And, again, Stagecoach 26 will take you to Caerphilly for the castle ...
... running every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays.
fbb did not know that the castle had a Leaning Tower, although your cynical blogger thinks that some photos are carefully chosen to make the lean more leaning!
Somehow or other, that scaffolding seems inadequate to prevent the tower toppling into the moat!
But it seems very unusual in today's commercial environment for one bus company to spend money advertising the services of another. But, fbb does feel there might be an explanation.
But it seems very unusual in today's commercial environment for one bus company to spend money advertising the services of another. But, fbb does feel there might be an explanation.
Cardiff Bus recommends an Explorer-type fare.
If, as seems likely, Cardiff Bus keeps ALL the revenue from these ticket sales (the concept of revenue sharing is beyond modern technology) then selling tickets for Stagecoach routes and pocketing the fare seems a good deal.
Note also that Traveline is free in Wales which it should be everywhere.
Whatever the justification for the "other operator" adverts, this leaflet is a cracker.
Of course, good leaflets are only good if you can get hold of them, Here is the situation at Cardiff's main station a few days ago.
There is an excellent rack for Cardiff Bus publicity ...
... completely empty. Roger French, who took the pictures on a recent visit, reports that Transport for Wales has withdrawn all paper material to avoid Covid infection.
Of course, good leaflets are only good if you can get hold of them, Here is the situation at Cardiff's main station a few days ago.
Completely pointless. If a customer wants to avoid the one in a ten zillion change of a virus sticking to a bus leaflet, they can not pick one up.
Leaflets are, presumably, available at the Cardiff Bus enquiry office at the bus station.
Oh, sorry, there isn't one; neither bus station nor enquiry office. The bus station has gone and is being rebuilt - slowly!
The old bus station was closed in 2015!
But there is an enquiry office in Wood Street just outside where the bus station isn't.
Never fear, there is a new enquiry office inconveniently located in Westgate Street ...
... oh, closed until further notice. As, apparently, is the head office at Sloper Road.
No, that has been closed down.
Now what a huge let down this is. Here we have been looking at one of the best publicity leaflets that fbb has ever seen which is simply NOT READILY AVAILABLE to the people of Cardiff.
Crackpot or what?
Roger French found plenty on the open top bus to Penarth ...
... but it's a bit late by the time you are on the bus!
Are these leaflets on ALL Cardiff Buses? A Cardiff resident and blog correspondent says not.
Perhaps, when Boris lets us all out of house arrest on 19th (or the Welsh government equivalent) someone at Cardiff Bus will be out and out in the City Centre distributing the Days Out leaflets by the bucket load.
Maybe Tesco should not have been selling food in case somebody picked up a virus from a tin of beans?
Picnics Peopled At The Peterville Pub
Recently purchased picnic tables have been painted, equipped with happy plastic customers and glued to the painted grass!
It is busy sunny evening and an ideal spot for a bevvy after a day riding up and down on the trains.
All fbb needs now is some OO gauge glasses filled with 4mm to the foot beer!
And, excellent news! Peterville Church, which sits, near the pub, atop the railway tunnel, has won an award for its environmental credentials. The "Beacon of Green" is proudly displayed next to the church porch.
More on this exciting news tomorrow (or Friday)!
Next Ferry/Rail Interchange Blog : Thursday 8th July
Easyway service 32A ran half-hourly in the summer before Covid. And viewers of the "Antiques Roadshow" should recognise Tredegar House from the opening credits - including its magnificent wrought-iron gates!
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