Saturday 7 September 2024

Saturday Variety

Geoff's Documentary

fbb is quite happy to enjoy Geoff Marshall's YouTube videos. Geoff has a pleasing manner and usually offers a positive outlook on London's trains and, less frequently, London's buses.

Recently he has been talking about making longer "Documentary" style Your Tubery and the above is the first that has hit fbb's in box. The illustration on the thumbnail is Harrogate Buses route 36 from Ripon to Leeds now running every ten minutes between Harrogate and Leeds.

The video also explores services by Brighton and Hove, More Bus and (surprisingly) Arriva. Don't fret, anxious reader; the Arriva route is in a segment about partnership with Local Authorities, in this case fronted by the talking head from Hertfordshire. It's about partnership, see.

The Boss of Brighton and Hove has his say ...

... and no bus video documentary would be worth its You Tubeness unless it had input from ...
... the Bearded Bus Beautifier from the Bush. He wants bus travel to be an "experience", to create desire!

One young lady in Geoff's  pre-title sequence ...

... tells us that "buses are exciting now that they are electric". Really?

As you follow the introduction, maybe, like fbb, you will begin the get the impression that this is not a genuine Geoff Marshall jobbie.

Then the title comes up.

"The ten per cent club"???

One such brand seems to be sell pick-me-up pills.


In fact it is a gang of the Great and Good in the bus industry campigning to increase bus usage by an average, nationally, of (guess!) ...

10%

Here they all are, listed for our edification.
What, no Stenning?

fbb prefers Geoff's non-sponsored videos; they sound far less "scripted"; more genuine.

Puzzle Picture 1
NOT transport related, but just plain silly!
What yummy beverage has fbb recently bought?

Answer later!

Puzzle Picture 2
It is always good to have an accurate timetable!

fbb has cruelly sliced off the top of the picture. So here is the reveal.
It is the railway that will take you up the "Cairngorm Mountain".

Enjoy a winter ride down the Cairngorm Mountain.

Not If McGills Have Their Way!
Most bus operators do NOT want the franchise system. Whereas most companies talk, with gritted teeth, about the dubious benefits of co-operation with the franchising authority, McGills has spoken out with some ferocity about (a) not wanting it and (b) its ultimate doom and failure.

Methinks McGills are right. 

Take a look at the unimpressive Bee Network in Manchester, just a repaint of the previous GMPTE network.


Hmmm?

Merch In Japan?
fbb has no idea what most of these are, but certainly the picture below is of rail-themed chopsticks.
No household should be without several packets.

And, apparently, this is a recording of on-train announcements!
Itte kudasai, seiri sa rete iru no ga wakarimasu!

The range on offer is spectacular ...
... even if you have no idea what they all are.

Puzzle Picture 1
(Above) Of course it was really easy, wasn't it?
It is hand soap! 

For the record, this fluid is NOT imbibed in fbb's occasional pub crawls or evenings down the boozer with the lads.

 Next Variety blog : Sunday 8th Sepr 

4 comments:

  1. Mr Stenning is in the list. I know that the mincers are playing up but ......

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  2. fbb is wrong about most bus companies not wanting franchising. Potentially the larger groups see it as a way of guaranteed profits that deregulated operation can no longer deliver. Stagecoach's comments on the West Yorkshire proposals are enlightening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It depends on who owns the business. The companies who are owned by multi-national businesses who specialise in contracting & franchising are unsurprisingly for it (Stagecoach now being amongst those numbers), the privately owned companies who are skilled in the deregulated market and not as experienced in franchising are unsurprisingly against it (McGills being the ultimate example).

      Delete
  3. Don't know where the 10% listing came from, but Alex Hornby is no longer at McGill's

    ReplyDelete