Worrying Whereabouts Of Whiston (2)

 First's Unpublicised Cut Back?

You cannot argue with that. Service 208 proudly displayed on First's web site running from Sheffield Intc to Brisnsworth and NO LONGER extending to Worrygoose Lane. We know that the map c/o First is utter rubbish because it shows the 208 as running to Dinnington - which it doesn't.

But the two PTE maps, the PTE timetable and Traveline's timetable all say that it DOES go to Worrygoose Lane roundabout.

Is it LEGAL for First to cut the route back without telling anybody?

Recently, fbb contacted the people at First Sheffield to point out that some timetables were missing from their list, one being the 97/98 which fbb wanted to use to update the GoTimetable data.

It turned out that the 97/98 was not missing; it was just very well hidden as part of service 798!

fbb suspected that young Gavin, who wurgles First's web site and who has no idea where the buses go - possibly no idea what a bus IS! - set the program to read in the first route number on the file (798) and list it under that infrequent school service route number. Thus, successfully hiding the real table from the public in order to discourage the use of buses. After all, things run much more smoothly if there are no passengers to worry about.

First Bus confirmed this problem in reply.

After we have exported our timetables from the scheduling system, the process to format & upload the timetables to the web site is handled by a 3rd party.

BIG mistake!

There is some inconsistency in the way the header is formatted, in some cases the header is formatted as we would like (i.e. primary service first followed by the other services) e.g. 51/751a in others it isn’t e.g. 798/97/98.

Why not?

As you have observed the timetables are sorted based on the first service id in the header and whilst the search function will find any current timetable, regardless of  its position in the header, so a search for 97 or 83 will  bring up the appropriate timetable group, the search function does not work on forthcoming timetables, making it more difficult for customers to find the correct timetable.

Why is this not corrected?

I am liaising with our Web Manager (who has the relationship with the 3rd party supplier) to see how we can address this inconsistency. 

So, nine days after the reply, it is all sorted?

No.

Could the curtailment of the 208 at Brinsworth have its origins in a similar outbreak of ignorance and/or incompetence.

Let's take a look.

Here is First's route map with the four "time points" emphasised by big re seed blobs and big black names - just so Gavin can understand.

If we are to believe Gavin's timetable, we would expect the "revised" 208 to terminate here, at the btm of Whitehill Lane. Nearly right Gavin. The red blob and the time point are at the btm of Whitehill ROAD ...

... where it juncts with Whitehill Lane. The btm of Whitehill Lane is about a mile further south ...

... just past the old railway bridge at Catcliffe.

This roundabout is not served by the 208 and never has been.

Road? Lane? Lane? Road?

Heyho, who cares? First certainly doesn't.

But everybody EXCEPT First thinks the 208 continues to Worrygoose roundabout as we spotted yesterday,

This is given the unhelpful stop name of East Bawtry Road, Maynard Road, remember; a side road opposite the bus stop and pretty much invisible from it.

But, lookee here; no such stop is shown on the First Bus timetable.

We have Whiston, Worry Goose Lane (In passing, Gavin, Worrygoose is one word, not two) ...

... Greystones Road. More blobs are coming!

The red blob is the "official" terminus of the 208; that is "official" according to the PTE and Traveline, but not First. The purple time points are not served by the 208.

But they ARE served by First's route 26 from Rotherham.

Note; a time point at Whiston Cowrakes Lane ...

... is geographically similar to Brook View!

Now, of course, it is POSSIBLE that First have cut the 208 back to Brinsworth Whitehill Lane btm but are turning the bus SOMEHOW at Whitehill Road btm; 

fbb, however, votes for very unlikely! More likely is that young Gavin has boobed.

fbb votes for an outbreak of ignorance and/or incompetence.

Looks as if that mug will not be arriving any time soon!

Pity!

The Challenge Of Cheap Chinese Chestnuts

Well, they are Chinese and the were cheap"

If they were chestnut trees they would be at least twice the height of the buildings and, planted so close, they would have long since demolished both pub and church!

But these Orientals are very clever technically. These low cost (cheap and nasty) OO scale trees are turning yellow and orange for the autumn and some of the leaves are falling off. Clever eh?

Not really. Cheap trees are, well, cheap.

So more splodging with green paint and ...

... spraying with matt varnish.

Hopefully the fall will not fall!

Exciting News For Sheffield

Tomorrow we hear from an MP who is going to revolutionise public transport in Sheffield!

Louise is going to sort the buses out!

Wowsers!

 Next Politics and Transport blog : Friday 10th September