Roadside Variety!

120k : k for Krazy, k for Klever?

When First won the tender to replace Hulleys (who replaced Stagecoach) on the service 80 from Chesterfield to Crystal Peaks, the deal involved two separate routes as shown in the Derbyshire timetable library. Here is the 80:-

Even though the 120k only peeps into Derbyshire, the county included its journeys in a separate table. 

These two panels accurately follow the fbb map above.

Travel South Yorkshire has no interest in Derbyshire so does not include the 80 in its pages.

That was back in May. Then somebody had a good idea. Generally speaking, good idas do not emanate from First Bus, so this may have been a request from Derbyshire which is much more likely.

The idea was to join the routes together and run through buses from Chesterfield to Fulwood via Killamarsh. Amongst other things that would restore through buses from Killamarsh to Sheffield, lost with Hulleys 80 - also, of course, it restored the through link with Hulleys 80 to Crystal Peaks.

So the new deal appears on Travel South Yorkshire (TSY)?

Of course not, TSY have little or no interest in foreign parts. 

But Derbyshire provides a full through timetable admittedly badly shown at Norwood. They are through journeys!

First Bus offers the same set up as Derbyshire but indexes the service as route 80.

Their 120k is the same as TSY.

So it's TSY nul points, First 4/10 and Derbyshire  8/10. 

Because of the treatment at Norwood, guess what ...

... the journey planners make you change buses at Norwood. So the unwary might get off the 80 and wait in anticipation for the 120k which will have just  disappeared down the hill!

Good innit?

Even better (sick joke!) is how this 120 complex is shown in Sheffield; in this example for journeys from the city centre time point at Flat Street.

At this point, Monday to Saturday daytime, First Bus runs the full route to Fulwood whilst Stagecoach turns short at Ranmoor. In the evenings Stagecoach buses run to Fulwood instead of First and on Sundays both run to Fulwood.

So in the frame at Flat Street we have a departure list for the First Bus 120k (to Fulwood)

These all go to Ranmoor!

Then we have a table for the First Bus 120 (to Fulwood) ...

These run an identical route with the 120k and they all go to Ranmoor! The 120k journeys are not included in the above.

Then we have a list for the Stagecoach 120 (to Ranmoor) ...

... BUT ...

... those journeys in RED run to Fulwood via Ranmoor.

So it is a 100% incompetent mess.

Well done Travel South Yorkshire.

Meanwhile In Derbyshire

Excellent roadside publicity for the Peak Sightseer buses. Here at Chatsworth:-

Here on a Stagecoach local service bus in Sheffield.

And at Hathersage.

Plus departure list e.g. Hathersage!

And whist looking at this stuff, fbb snapped a departure list and map for T M Travel's 218 (Bakewell, Chatsworth, Sheffield) at Chatsworth.

Crystal Peaks Car Priority?

There are no views of the outside world (except of the sky!) from inside the Crystal Peaks shopping centre near Sheffield. It was fairly empty when fbb called by, a week ago.

Bit it has a six stand bus station ...

... and should have a tram stip here, in full view of the bus stops.

But the tram stop is actually 200 yards away along the road.

Disappointing.

But even more disappointing is he total lack of signage to buses and trams from inside the "mall".

The argument that people coming by bus will know their way to the bus stops is misguided. Surely motorists would know the way back to where they parked to car? When fbb had finished his feast at Greggs, even he turned the wrong way for the exit to tram back to the city centre.

He did quickly realise his route error and exited correctly.

But then nobody comes to Crystal Peaks by bus, do they?

Bus Stops Not Matey On The 80!

Derbyshire used to be top dog when it came to public transport information. Whilst the roadside publicity at Chesterfield New Beetwell Street was fine with various maps ...

... and departure lists readily available ...

... and Stagecoach timetables on a rack in the Bus/Coach station ...

... out on the route, information was very poor indeed.

Here is the best of a bad bunch ...

... at the hospital. There is no 80a!

But elsewhere ...

... service 70 has been gone for years!

Many stops had nothing to show for themselves, not even a frame with a departure list.

If Derbyshire won't do it; can't do it; can't afford it (or all three), then why are the bus operators not ensuring that their roadside advertisement poles are up to date, attractive and properly equipped with a timetable?

Is this one reason why fbb's First bus service 80 journey ran empty most of the way from Chesterfield to Killamarsh?

And while fbb is having a grump (a justifiable grump), why is this stop named BRIMINGTON (in capitals) ...

... when it is nowhere near the centre of Brimington. If you must, make it HALL ROAD in capitals (because that is where it is!) and put a small "Brimington" as a possible addition.

Maybe ALL the stops are called BRIMINGTON to further discourage passengers for the 80.

Very poor indeed.

Better?

In Sheffield itself, TSY provides a timetable frame and departure lists at evey stop. (?) although my local correspondents report that the "contractors" are often slow to update. In Waterthorpe, the flags look very tired but the frame has its departure lists.

Remember, Remember!

A while back, keen and regular traders will possibly remember that TSY  started a PR campaign to "bring all the buses together" inder the tag "one City one service".

fbb was given a mug, a shopping bag and a tin of very small mints. The lettering on the mug faded at about that same speed as the campaign fizzled into nothing.

fbb remembers the new network map designed to make travel easier ...

... which was so full of mistakes that it was utterly useless.

Well, a couple of echoes of this failure were spotted by fbb last week. 

Here is a Stagecoach single decker still adorned with its sticky backed plastic ...

... and at Moorfoot a very small sticker on one of the shelters.

Did any passenger understand this idea?

No they didn't! It was never really explained.

 More Bits and Pieces : Wednesday 3rd July