tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post71531015151365651..comments2024-03-25T22:17:35.616+00:00Comments on Public Transport Experience: Frustrating Failure at Fleet?fatbusblokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833340546527596517noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post-21292651405593119442015-08-23T17:47:59.735+01:002015-08-23T17:47:59.735+01:00Thanks Ian. I have no problem with trains turning ...Thanks Ian. I have no problem with trains turning at Basingstoke (provided that they wait for an equivalent departure from Waterloo!) but I DO object to on-train staff not being provided with the full information and/or not giving it out. I also object to lack of knowledgeable staff on platforms. If No 3 son knew what was happening, why didn't the staff?<br />I also object to delays being prolonged because of the need to "investigate" and "report". fatbusblokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06833340546527596517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post-59883048759265680292015-08-23T14:45:04.288+01:002015-08-23T14:45:04.288+01:00Of course, turning trains round at Basingstoke mea...Of course, turning trains round at Basingstoke means that at times of disruption, the line west of there has a service which runs as normally as it can. I'm sure that had the FBBs been stranded at Exeter due to all trains being stuck at the other end of the line, an equally thunderous blog demanding that trains trun round at Basingstoke would have resulted.Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14179060513290116094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post-26531522402759051252015-08-23T11:57:27.722+01:002015-08-23T11:57:27.722+01:00At least £500 per bus per day, probably more for L...At least £500 per bus per day, probably more for London area TOCs like SWT given the last job advert from RR bus drivers had pay rates 25% higher than normal provincial bus drivers, for the drivers (as the delay tends to be finding the drivers then getting them to the buses before you can get the bus to the station) so not including the cost of the buses themselves which would be a decent sized bit on top. So we are talking somewhere between £750 & £1000 per day per bus in cost and since one double-decker would effectively equate to the load of one standard carriage in terms of capacity to have any affect at all at times like this even having 20 (approx £20k per day so somewhere around £7million per year just for 20 buses) on permanent standby would barely make a dent for an incident like this (it would basically shift the passengers of two fairly full trains).<br /><br />SWT don't have a rail replacement fleet as such, the local Stagecoach operators (Stagecoach South for SWT & Stagecoach Lincolnshiire for East Midlands Trains) retain a small fleet of older coaches/buses to assist with rail replacement and painted in a version of rail livery. They aren't truly dedicated and will assist with other work as needed (such as schools) and are crewed from the normal pool of Stagecoach bus drivers (i.e: there is no dedicated full-time drivers)dwarfer1979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post-90968871009441788552015-08-23T11:57:04.586+01:002015-08-23T11:57:04.586+01:00Stagecoach South has half-a-dozen buses in SWT liv...Stagecoach South has half-a-dozen buses in SWT livery that are used for booked replacement work at weekends and on late evenings, and are staffed as such. I don't believe that they have any booked work at other times. However, the staffing issue still remains . . . . bus companies do have standby drivers in some cases, but generally only one/two per day at a larger depot. Any staff casualities will normally be covered by calling in a driver on a RDW, or overtime from drivers already at work.<br />((by the by - I don't believe that many TOC's have standby staff at all . . . witness the number of "cancelled due to lack of staff" trains!!)).<br /><br />In re standby buses - where would you suggest SWT stationed them? London - Exeter with branches to Portsmouth and Weymouth is a pretty big patch to cover! Also, in re costs . . . . one bus plus two drivers on daily standby (assuming a 10 year old bus) would cost something over £100K EACH per annum; so around £1m for 10 buses that might be used (say) 25 times per year. For the disruption at Fleet, assuming the line was closed Basingstoke (R) Woking, you'd need probably 10 buses per hour to ferry the passengers around the blockade in one direction, plus another 10 buses in the other direction. This all starts to get both complicated and expensive, and would mean SWT staff trying to organise an emergency bus service as well as dealing with everything else.<br /><br />A little story to end on . . . . whilst about my lawful occasions in July I travelled from London to Ipswich. For some reason, the line was closed between Colchester and Manningtree, and we were put onto a coach to Manningtree (for which we waited around 30 minutes). All well and good so far, but the coach took 30 minutes, and we ended up catching the first train through the block anyway!<br />Some times just sitting tight is the best answer!!greenline727https://www.blogger.com/profile/03033268278026535109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post-3835952690619507252015-08-23T09:48:39.465+01:002015-08-23T09:48:39.465+01:00The cost of having buses on "hot standby"...The cost of having buses on "hot standby" is so trivial compared with train company finances that it should be standard practice and written into franchise contracts. Doesn't South West Trains have a rail replacement fleet?fatbusblokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06833340546527596517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post-18537067444073058852015-08-23T08:56:13.247+01:002015-08-23T08:56:13.247+01:00"Over two hours . . . plenty of time to get r..."Over two hours . . . plenty of time to get replacement bus services going".<br />Oh Good Grief! As usual, the bus and coach industry is expected to get the rail industry out of the mire at short notice. Let's look in a little more detail, shall we?<br /><br />1. Surprisingly, bus anc coach companies do not have drivers and vehicles sitting around doing nothing just in case "something" happens on the trains.<br />2. There may well be vehicles sitting idle in school holidays in a yard somewhere, but chances are that they're awaiting maintenance ready for September and the schools return, so they won't be immediately available.<br />3. Drivers like holidays in school holiday weeks as well, so they can go away with their families. So . . . . probably no drivers immediately available either. Part-time drivers often have second jobs, so can't just "drop everything" like part-time firemen or lifeboat crews.<br />4. So . . . in summary . . . actually there are no buses/coaches or drivers to be obtained at short notice.<br /><br />This was a trespass incident, that reasonably could have been expected to be cleared in a couple of hours, and indeed was so cleared by around 1200. Sometimes, it is better to just stop the service for a period, and then to restart and tidy up. Salisbury line trains are often terminated at Basingstoke, as they are only 3 (or maybe 6) coaches, and it is better for an 8 (or 12) coach train to take up the path. This also means that the diesel can be sent down towards Exeter to return that service to timetable more quickly.<br />I will comment that, as I've found in the past in similar situations on SWT, information is sometimes disseminated to train crew too late. I was on a train that was terminated at Basingstoke with (literally) one minute's notice, to the dismay of the guard, who made it very clear in her announcements that she simply hadn't been told in advance of the plan. It would be better to be told "it is likely that the train would be terminated early" and then the train extended to the original destination later; that's bad news followed by better news, which is always good news!<br /><br />And finally . . . . . if train companies would like to pay for half-a-dozen buses and drivers to be on "hot spare" status, then we, as bus companies, will gladly take the money!! <br />Even in London, where the Underground train set breaks with alarming regularity, this was considered 15 years ago (10 buses and drivers on call 0600-2400), but the cost versus likely usage meant the plan never got going.<br /><br />Ultimately, the poo will hit the round bladed thingy every now and then, and we as human beings need to learn to chill out and accept an inconvenience to our travels. After all, the fbb's did get to Shoreham eventually, and I bet the mugga and bun tasted all the better for the wait!!<br />greenline727https://www.blogger.com/profile/03033268278026535109noreply@blogger.com