Wessex Red (Bristol) - time to take action?

[ValleyLines142]

Evening folks,

I'm absolutely furious with Wessex Red buses in Bristol. Three weeks ago I had a lecture in uni from 2pm to 5pm. Therefore, I planned on getting a bus from UWE Frenchay to Bristol Parkway to catch the 5.41 train home to Cardiff. Anyway, my lecture finished half an hour early, so I was able to put my plan forward by thirty minutes and catch the 5.08 train instead.

I walked to bus stop at UWE and aimed on catching the 4.35 no. 502 bus to Parkway station. However, it didn't turn up and eventually I boarded a 625 bus at 5.10 and got to the station at 5.20, so I ended up getting the 5.41 train after all.

I found it absolutely ridiculous that the 502 just didn't even bother to turn up. Admittedly, it was rush hour, and so it wouldn't have been so bad if it was five or even ten minutes late, but for a bus to be over half an hour late without any explanation is absolutely outrageous. I was unable to get any other bus as I had a day ticket only valid for Wessex Red. In hindsight, I could have walked, but I had a lot of books etc and if I knew that the 502 was going to be a no show then I would have just paid a £1.70 single on the far, far more reliable 18 run by First.

I emailed Wessex Red and complained, saying it was really poor that the bus was a no show. Over three weeks later, I still haven't had a reply.

Today, I waited for the 1142 no. 14 from UWE to the city centre. The bus turned up, and I put my smartcard (which I have since got, but might not bother to use any more as their service is so unreliable) on the reader and asked the driver for a day ticket. I had £8 on there, so I was not short of cash. The driver started pressing several buttons on the machine, before telling me that he wasn't able to print one. So subsequently, he told me that there was nothing that he could do and that I just had to wait for the next 14!!!! This wasn't for another TWENTY minutes. As a result, I was late meeting my friend in town, which highly irritated me. I am always punctual and turn up to everywhere eith early or on time. If somebody said meet me at Temple Meads at 2pm on Friday, then I would be there at Temple Meads at 2pm on Friday. I waited for the next 14 and was able to get a day ticket as normal, so I have no idea what happened.

This issue with the 14 today completely put the icing on the cake. With all due respect, it is not my problem that the ticket machine had failed, and I should not have had to wait for the next bus. If that was the case, I should have been given some kind of pass which I could have used on other buses throughout the day to say there was a problem with the machine and as to why I couldn't have been issued with a normal paper ticket. These passes should be readily available with the driver, not printed from the machine. Of course, Wessex Red would never consider this.

Wessex Red is the most shoddiest, laziest bus company I have ever come across, and I should not have to be at the tail end of their incompetence.

I emailed them again today, asking if they had any intention of replying to my previous email I made on 24th September.

In comparison, First are absolutely out of this world. Back in March, I waited for an 18 to Emersons Green which broke down. I missed my train as a result and I complained to them. I sent the email at 5pm, and at 10am the next morning they apologised to me, saying they normally ensure that all of their buses are checked that they are fit for service before leaving the garage but that on this occassion they failed to meet these standards. They said that it was totally unacceptable and took 100% blame. As a result, they gave me a free Day Ticket for Zones 1 to 2. Now THAT is good customer service.

I think First have a brilliant service. Their buses are of a high standard, most being painted in a new livery and leather seats, they are frequent and are 90% on time and now that their fares are decreasing, I think they're an absolutely brilliant company.

You certainly won't get that with Wessex Red. They never reply to emails and they never take the blame for anything.

I've had enough now to be honest. I'm willing to give them until next Friday, which isn't for another eight days and is actually VERY reasonable in the circumstances, for them to reply to me. If they don't, I think I might contact Passenger Focus. Do you think this is wise?

All comments, although only constructive please, welcomed!

Thanks!

 

[robertclark125]

I think Wessex Red are part of Rotala, so try contacting Rotala PLC via their website.

 

[anthony263]

I have not heard many good stories about Rotala certainly they paint their buses up but they they tend to act like cowboys at times doinng the bus industry no favours.

I agree with what you have said about First they do a good job with their bus operations although things will go wrong at times a lot of the time it is not the companies fault

 

[robertclark125]

Seem to do a good job in Preston, so it could just be a case of local management at Wessex. Wessex do also have a twitter feed, sure its @wessexbus

 

[swifty]

@uwetravel or travel.plan@uwe.ac.uk is who you need to contact, they take Wessex Red (the UWE 11-19 services) complaints very seriously and usually respond fairly quickly.

As for the rest of the Wessex services you'd have to contact @wessexbus, the less said about their customer service the better. Take the U10 in Bath for example, it frequently doesn't run for hours at a time!

 

[ValleyLines142]

Wessex do also have a twitter feed, sure its @wessexbus

They're just as bloody useless on Twitter, not a surprise really. I follow them and have tweeted them several times, but have heard nothing back. Although I do have a private account; would this have an effect on them replying?

@uwetravel or travel.plan@uwe.ac.uk is who you need to contact, they take Wessex Red (the UWE 11-19 services) complaints very seriously and usually respond fairly quickly.

Thanks for the contact details, will give this a go if I don't hear back from Wessex by next Friday!

As for the rest of the Wessex services you'd have to contact @wessexbus, the less said about their customer service the better. Take the U10 in Bath for example, it frequently doesn't run for hours at a time!

It's really bad. It's just the same here at UWE. Frenchay campus is absolute HUGE and has thousands of students on it; you'd think there'd be some organisation by Wessex Red.

If you go to the bus station, you'll see that there are far too many buses parked up in the lay bys doing nothing and not enough actually in service!

Also, just realised that Passenger Focus doesn't deal with bus complaints.

I really wish the 73, run by First, which currently goes City Centre - Gloucester Road - Filton Avenue - Sainsburys - Parkway Station - Bradley Stoke - Willow Brook Centre - Aztec West - Cribbs Causeway, would make the short journey up to the north entrance of Frenchay campus! It'd only add on a few minutes!!

 

[swifty]

It's really bad. It's just the same here at UWE. Frenchay campus is absolute HUGE and has thousands of students on it; you'd think there'd be some organisation by Wessex Red.

If you go to the bus station, you'll see that there are far too many buses parked up in the lay bys doing nothing and not enough actually in service!

Also, just realised that Passenger Focus doesn't deal with bus complaints.

I really wish the 73, run by First, which currently goes City Centre - Gloucester Road - Filton Avenue - Sainsburys - Parkway Station - Bradley Stoke - Willow Brook Centre - Aztec West - Cribbs Causeway, would make the short journey up to the north entrance of Frenchay campus! It'd only add on a few minutes!!

To be fair when the services started back in 2007 there were 5 Ulink buses and the bus stops managed fine. However now the PVR is getting on to ~35ish it will always appear that too many buses are parked up doing nowt, when in reality the drivers are taking their required legal breaks. There isn't room at Bower Ashton for layover on the 11 for example so that is built in to the timetable at Frenchay.

On the subject of the 11, towards Bower it really does seem to struggle in the morning because they refuse to use double deckers on any routes apart from the 14 & 16. South Gloucestershire provide a free bus on behalf of UWE to help meet the demand but still people get left behind.

Also with the UWE Master-plan set to increase the size of Frenchay campus by 70 acres at least there will be a new bus interchange that should be in a more convenient central location.

 

[34D]

Also, just realised that Passenger Focus doesn't deal with bus complaints.

But Bus Users UK should be able to help.

 

[PG]

If you seriously wish to report an operator who is failing to run a local bus service in accordance with their registration you could write to the Traffic Commissioner (TC). In this particular instance the relevant TC is :

Sarah Bell
Traffic Commissioner
West of England
Jubilee House
Croydon Street
Bristol
BS5 0GB

The more detail you can provide eg dates/times/locations/vehicle registration numbers, the better chance you have of getting the TC to investigate/monitor the operator.

TC's will not intervene personally in any dispute etc, but do have vast powers/sanctions available to them to discipline operators. However this is not a quick process so I guess it depends just how far you wish to take the matter as certainly in the short term you are unlikely to see any benefit for you personally.

 

[Titfield]

Bus Monitoring exercises (checking the reliability and punctuality) of services are carried out.

If there is evidence of significant non compliance then the Traffic Commissioner will take action.

Usually in the form of a Public Inquiry the evidence will be put before the company and they will be asked to explain / comment on it.

If the case is found proven then there is a very wide range of sanctions that can be taken including fines (which can be quite severe) through curtailment of / restrictions of licence to revocation of licence.

Operator timetables are expected to take into account road traffic congestion and similar causes of late running. Actually building / constructing a schedule which is punctual (bearing in mind you must not run early either) is becoming extremely challenging with current levels of traffic congestion. If a bus is early at a timing point then it should not leave until it is back on time.
As you can imagine this does not go down well with passengers already on the bus!

As more and more vehicles are fitted with tracking devices this enables operators to collect large amounts of data which helps in building schedules that are more likely to be attainable. Likewise it enables them to answer complaints about the running of a specific service if need be.

 

[ValleyLines142]

However now the PVR is getting on to ~35ish it will always appear that too many buses are parked up doing nowt, when in reality the drivers are taking their required legal breaks.

Oh that's fair enough, absolutely, but it seems that if a bus is scheduled to leave Frenchay at 1130 the driver probably won't load the bus until 1140, even if said driver has been at UWE since say 1100!

On the subject of the 11, towards Bower it really does seem to struggle in the morning because they refuse to use double deckers on any routes apart from the 14 & 16.

Yeah, absolutely. In fact, I think all of the Wessex Red services should be double deckers. The 11 and 13 can get hideously crammed.

In fairness, the 12 has seen a few double deckers on lately.

Also, the 14, which is popular as it's an express via the M32, has seen a few single deckers on it recently, which isn't particularly good. Yesterday, the 1302 from UWE to The Centre was just a single decker and it was absolutely rammed to the rafters. Similarly, I was on the 1300 from The Centre to UWE and that was also a single decker, although there was only about ten people on there.

South Gloucestershire provide a free bus on behalf of UWE to help meet the demand but still people get left behind.

Ooh, wasn't aware of this.

Also with the UWE Master-plan set to increase the size of Frenchay campus by 70 acres at least there will be a new bus interchange that should be in a more convenient central location.

Nor was I aware of this. In fact, this sounds excellent. At present, the bus station is at the south of the campus, and it quite some way from the north entrance. I'm based at Q Block which is right at the top of campus. If I catch the 319 or 581 from Parkway, I get off at Filton Lane and cross the road, as it's actually quicker than it going round the campus into the bus station where I have to walk through to the north side.

But Bus Users UK should be able to help.

Yes, I did see that PF mentioned this on their website.

If you seriously wish to report an operator who is failing to run a local bus service in accordance with their registration you could write to the Traffic Commissioner (TC). In this particular instance the relevant TC is :

Sarah Bell
Traffic Commissioner
West of England
Jubilee House
Croydon Street
Bristol
BS5 0GB

The more detail you can provide eg dates/times/locations/vehicle registration numbers, the better chance you have of getting the TC to investigate/monitor the operator.

TC's will not intervene personally in any dispute etc, but do have vast powers/sanctions available to them to discipline operators. However this is not a quick process so I guess it depends just how far you wish to take the matter as certainly in the short term you are unlikely to see any benefit for you personally.

Thanks for this. It seems like I have a few contacts I can write to should things deteriorate further. Will inform you all what happens in the next few days!

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Their Preston service is also a shambles. Don't worry, you're not alone. They have no good customer support and instead of upgrading the ruined Solos or taking one of their double deckers back off Cosgrove's (still in PBT pre - stagecoach livery) or looking into some larger buses (not sure if there are any mind) which are desperately needed, they go and blow the money on a new staff room. The customer helpline closes before rush hour, they're hopeless on Twitter and don't reply to emails!
I can't say much for your service but I'm not surprised.

 

[bb21]

I won't say that First's customer service is that good, if you have experienced them in places like South Yorkshire, where they would blatantly lie about things.

Wessex though are pretty awful AFAIK in many aspects. I have heard enough stories of their incompetence from people to be able to imagine what they are like.

 

[34D]

Sarah Bell
Traffic Commissioner
West of England
Jubilee House
Croydon Street
Bristol
BS5 0GB

Is she a sister of the legendary Beverley Bell? She is probably the woman in the whole wide world I am most scared of.

 

[bb21]

Well she is certainly not one to be messed around with so I am sure you're not alone in that.

 

[PG]

Is she a sister of the legendary Beverley Bell? She is probably the woman in the whole wide world I am most scared of.

Nope, I'm sure the name is coincidental. Yeah Beverley - you most certainly don't want to be called up to explain yourself in front of her hock:

 

[Robertj21a]

Is she a sister of the legendary Beverley Bell? She is probably the woman in the whole wide world I am most scared of.

As indeed should most bus operators. It's really good to see someone doing the job properly for once. Too much pussy-footing around only helps the cowboys, not those who care about their reputation.

Robert

 

[swifty]

Did you ever receive a responce from Wessex about this?

 

[ValleyLines142]

Did you ever receive a responce from Wessex about this?

I had an email to say my two cases had been noted, and they both have a reference number, but they haven't replied to them yet, and that was three weeks ago.

They really are unbelievable.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Just wondering if the OP had taken this further, and what responses he had received?

Not least as I am the process of preparing a complaint against another very shoddy bus operator (Thames Travel) in the West of England travel area, who are also very far from fulfilling their published timetables, and am slightly confused (having received contradictory advise from various sources) at the best stage to involve the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Just wondering if the OP had taken this further, and what responses he had received?

Not least as I am the process of preparing a complaint against another very shoddy bus operator (Thames Travel) in the West of England travel area, who are also very far from fulfilling their published timetables, and am slightly confused (having received contradictory advise from various sources) at the best stage to involve the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

I've emailed again to Bus Users UK, who are chasing them up. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[glennds999]

Just wondering if the OP had taken this further, and what responses he had received?

Not least as I am the process of preparing a complaint against another very shoddy bus operator (Thames Travel) in the West of England travel area, who are also very far from fulfilling their published timetables, and am slightly confused (having received contradictory advise from various sources) at the best stage to involve the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

Regarding Thames Travel, the service they provide is the worst I and a lot of others have experienced. An unacceptable percentage of their services are either ALWAYS cancelled or delayed - it is ridiculous. As from their Facebook page, you can see that nothing has changed, same old complaints about the same old services for well over 6 months. I'd take it to Bus Users UK and see what happens - maybe try contacting the council?

 

[W-on-Sea]

I've emailed again to Bus Users UK, who are chasing them up. Absolutely ridiculous.

Thanks. Frustrating that it takes so long for anything to get done...

Regarding Thames Travel, the service they provide is the worst I and a lot of others have experienced. An unacceptable percentage of their services are either ALWAYS cancelled or delayed - it is ridiculous. As from their Facebook page, you can see that nothing has changed, same old complaints about the same old services for well over 6 months. I'd take it to Bus Users UK and see what happens - maybe try contacting the council?

Oh, I know. I have been using them to get to work for the last 14 months..they have gone from bad to worse to something even worse still....

I don't think the council would be particularly interested: the greatest problems are with commercially operated services - which now have completely unrealistic timetables.

I emailed Thames Travel a week ago with a list of journeys that I had been delayed by over the previous six weeks, and am going to give them a little bit longer before replying, having requested details of how and when they are planning to improve matters; and then to Bus Users. But should one contact the office of the Traffic Commissioner directly also, I wonder? As it is, I am noting down the details of every journey I take with them, so that a case can be built up....

 

[glennds999]

Thanks. Frustrating that it takes so long for anything to get done...




Oh, I know. I have been using them to get to work for the last 14 months..they have gone from bad to worse to something even worse still....

I don't think the council would be particularly interested: the greatest problems are with commercially operated services - which now have completely unrealistic timetables.

I emailed Thames Travel a week ago with a list of journeys that I had been delayed by over the previous six weeks, and am going to give them a little bit longer before replying, having requested details of how and when they are planning to improve matters; and then to Bus Users. But should one contact the office of the Traffic Commissioner directly also, I wonder? As it is, I am noting down the details of every journey I take with them, so that a case can be built up....

Give them some time, as you say, but also because they are surrendering their Bracknell contracts from the 13th January and hopefully will be concentrating their resources on their core network.

 

[GearJammer]

How can you get so mad about a bus not turning up? Things happen, it might have broken down two miles up the road, or even just out of sight round the corner, how is the bus company meant to let you know its not going to arrive?

As for the ticket machine, i agree, you should'nt have to wait for another bus, you should get a free ride, simples!

 

[W-on-Sea]

GearJammer, the main problem with Thames Travel now is that their timetables, on at least four major routes, are effectively impossible to operate: they simply do not provide for enough time for the buses to complete their journeys as scheduled, even when traffic jams etc do not intervene: and as there is also insufficient recovery time built into the schedule, so the delays accumulate, by the evening services on certain routes (which to start with only have one bus an hour, according to the timetable) are completely unpredictable, with buses running 20, 40, 60, 80 minutes late. And this is, literally, an everyday occurrence now - and there is no alternative public transport option to these services. It has made their services impossible to rely upon if one has an important engagement (or, you know, if you want to get to where you have to be at a predictable time) - it's not a question of buses breaking down (although of course that happens too) or traffic jams, it's a question of systematic, managerial, incompetence. If it happened in a less peaceable part of the country (and this is a very peaceable part of the country: the police locally say their main concern is hare coursing), drivers would have been assaulted by now, even though they are not the ones at fault.

The question of keeping customers informed is another point - TT do use the Oxfordshire CC real-time information system, but not comprehensively and sometimes misleadingly. But that is another topic....

 

[robertclark125]

If I could get this thread back on topic, about Wessex Bus, I wonder if the person with the original complaint has considered e-mailing Rotala PLC's head office in Birmingham?

 

[455driver]

All you (rightly) complaining about bus operators and some wally on another thread says the bus operators should reduce their services when required so they can provide buses to rail companies at times of disruption!

 

[ValleyLines142]

How can you get so mad about a bus not turning up? Things happen, it might have broken down two miles up the road, or even just out of sight round the corner, how is the bus company meant to let you know its not going to arrive?!

I understand that entirely. Things do happen all the time indeed, but this is why buses are fitted with radios, so that they can contact the depot and let them know if they have broken down/been involved in a collision, etc. Or, if that fails, I'm sure the driver can use a mobile phone to call the depot instead. Whatever method, there is NO excuse. I am absolutely fine with something failing, as long as I know, by means of social media, etc. However, when I am left waiting at the bus stop like a tit in a trance with absolutely NO explanation, then that's a different matter and is NOT acceptable.

Every other bus company (most of the time) does it fine, so why can't Wessex Red? Their customer service is disgraceful.

I finally received a response from Wessex Red, and apparently the disruption on the 502 was due to the fact that it broke down. How it took them three months to let me know this is absolutely beyond me and it just shows how a-certain-word-beginning-with-S they really are!!

I am also currently sorting out a rather poor solution from a complaint I made about Cardiff Bus earlier this month.

I have to take the opportunity to praise Bus Users UK for their efforts during my complaints. They have dealt with the situation excellently; it's a shame the moronic bus companies I'm having problems with cannot act the same way! It's not hard!

 

[matt_splat]

Wessex are shocking at dealing with complaints I have two examples

1) a bus failed to run on a council supported route the inspector from first couldn't contact any one at Wessex a driver on a different route gave me a contact number in avonmouth I rang it because the bus that turned up to do the next trip was seriously overcrowded 15 minutes before departure it resulted in a early depatrue and people along the route waiting a hour and a half before the next bus would arrive the controller just said on the phone "nout I can do about it"
2) on a cold Saturday evening in Midsomer Norton the 18:26 179 to bath fails to turn up leaveing 4 people includeing one disabled man waiting for a bus that never was going to turn up with the next 179 not for 3 hours 40 mins a phone call again to Wessex who said they would get back to us and never did.

if your ever waiting for a 500 series service or the 80's / 620 / 2 / 4 / 5 /6 etc services or the 12, 533, 178 or 179 services I would always suggest complaining straight to the local councils as the failure to run the service would result in a financial penalties against the company Wessex have such a great chance to do good but keep messing up its a big shame really.

also for the UNI services I would recommend talking to the student unions I gather in Bath at the moment the student union and the uni might be slightly unhappy with Wessex is rumors are true due to standard of busses and time keeping on routes