howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
From the website of a bus protest group in Bristol.
Using a bus in Bristol over the past month has been worse than ever. Buses are overcrowded, not stopping or just not turning up. As well as people being late for work there are stories of people missing hospital appointments, getting stranded late at night and kids being late for school.
First bus say it’s going to be weeks before this is sorted (nice and specific) and, doesn’t seem to have apologised for the state of things right now.
First Bus have had a monopoly in the city for years. Prices are extortionate and now we’re not even getting a usable service for our money.
No one hold First accountable for their actions, so we should! I also think Bristol City Council also subsidise routes and should use their power to demand they do their job properly.
Personally, I think Bristol City Council should run the buses themselves, that way they would be accountable to us rather than lumbering us with this mess and telling us to suck it up!
Regardless, I’m pretty fed up with being ignored about how bad things are now. I think a protest would show them it’s not just a few people moaning about being late for work, the whole city is affected and something needs to be done now!
NB: complete sympathy for the drivers and the first bus staff. This must be really difficult for them too. It seems like First are unable to recruit and retain enough drivers which is part of the reason for this mess.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
sounds familiar , same as here with stagecoach.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Rather unfair Brian the vast majority of Stagecoach services run like clockwork locally although they don't have to contend with the problems of a big city like Bristol.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
busses in dover are running 10 minuits minimum at the moment howard that's if they turn up. the bus I caught this came straight from the bus depote it got on the estate at 0710 got to priory street at 0720,the bus should have reached my bus stop et 0703.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
ps, its just not the lights / road works at the 5 ways either.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,865
And the number 10 bus little improvement folk to ashford
taking an hour and 40 minutes rather than hour and ten
and only 1 bus an hour rather than 2
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
I use the 63 and 68 that you can set your watch by and the 102 seems to have corrected its problem. I suspect Brian is referring to the 61 route and not the overall services and Keith knows about the timetable changes for the 10 starting next Monday.
Brian Dixon likes this
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
yes howard sorry.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,865
Howard;
I'm aware of changes to number 10
but not much improvement
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Keith I thought the problem was with it terminating at Cheriton which it won't do from next Monday.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,865
Terminating at Cheriton was 1 issue
another was the extending from 1 hour 10 mins to 1 hour 40 mins because it goes via golden valley etc and not direct to folk via sandgate rd
and cut from 2 an hour to 1 an hour
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
I would imagine a lot of people will be unhappy with the change that Stagecoach promoted as an improvement to the service.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
yes an improvement to stagecoach, saves money wages, fuel costs and ware and tear of the bus.
Karlos- Location: Dover
- Registered: 1 Oct 2012
- Posts: 2,491
Reginald Barrington likes this
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,020
Very funny .
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Quite impressed that they have thought things through and come up with this. Would like to know the frequency and who would operate the services.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,020
We could do with a feeder bus toTemple Ewell
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
I have often wondered how much subsidy KCC pay out to operators of the 68 route. I don't know the usage from and to Temple Ewell but the stretch from the town centre to Maxton and back is well used on 6 of the 9 round trips each day and is sometimes busier than the 63 which gets no subsidy. Just sent a FOI request to KCC.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
re; 549
Did you get a response from DDC Sue?
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,020
No .O