I thought I'd take a different walk to work this morning, via Whiteladies Road to see the new double deckers on Wessex's new "The One" service on the inagural day of this new service. Was a little surprised to see that the service is currently formed of single deckers, oh well the new double deckers haven't arrived yet then. Was also a little surprised to see the destination display says 1 and not The One as I was expecting. Seen about five of these services alltogether in either direction during my walk to the Centre. There were no more than about five passengers onboard them. But I expect passenger volumes will increase over the coming weeks and months.
This evening I thought I'd try out one of these services from Union Street to Clifton Down Shopping Centre. Was pleasantly surprised that the fare was only £1 single, compared to the £1.50 fare First charge. That's a bonus in my book. If I haven't got a weekly First pass or a First Day Rider, and I'm making a similar journey in future I'd rather pay £1 single on Wessex than £1.50 with First. Anyway, this new service number caused some confusion to some passengers. As they boarded with a First Day Rider or weekly pass, and the driver said "No you can't use that on this one. This is Wessex.". But the destination display did say "Cribbs Causeway 1" exactly what the destination display on a Northbound First service 1 would say! And with it being dark too, it can be a little more difficult for people to recognise whether the buses are a First or Wessex bus. So I expect this will cause some confusion to a number of passengers over the coming weeks and months.
