Transdev Blazefield

[Andyh82]

That would need exactly the same amount of buses and exactly the same amount of drivers as now, so where would the cost saving come from?

 

[SCH117X]

The 0839 arrival at Skipton is school days only

 

[Ashly_Jethro]

That would need exactly the same amount of buses and exactly the same amount of drivers as now, so where would the cost saving come from?

Well to start, replacing the clapped out B7s which not only saves of maintainance but will also masivlely save on fuel across the MMCs upto colne and the versas onwards.

PLUS, those spare MMCs are earning no money sat at the depot, rather costing whilst there on lease.

 

[158756]

The 0839 arrival at Skipton is school days only

Which will very probably be the only days it is needed, and if it's just running empty the other way there's no reason to run it if the capacity isn't required. I've noticed now they have cut a journey in the other direction though - both peak arrivals currently run back to Burnley in service, but in the new timetable it's one in service and two not. Are they really saving much money by doing this? Especially between Skipton and Colne there are a lot of sections where running non stop won't save much time if any at all. Same with the missing journeys to Accrington and Clitheroe, if the bus has to reach Queensgate anyway you really don't need many passengers to pay for the extra time.

There are even more errors I didn't mention my last post - especially in the M1/M2 timetable this is just silly because it's 99% the current timetable with the odd minute different here and there.

 

[GusB]

Okay, I think it's time to knock the speculation about Alex Hornby's whereabouts on the head for now.

No doubt we'll find out in due course and, when there is some actual news, you can be certain it will be posted here!

I'd also like to remind everyone that if you're referring to any external sources, you should link to that source and provide a relevant quote, contained within quote tags (screenshots are inappropriate).

 

[Andyh82]

Which will very probably be the only days it is needed, and if it's just running empty the other way there's no reason to run it if the capacity isn't required. I've noticed now they have cut a journey in the other direction though - both peak arrivals currently run back to Burnley in service, but in the new timetable it's one in service and two not. Are they really saving much money by doing this?

Are you expecting there to be all that demand for 3 buses out of Skipton at that time of day, too late for students and commuters, too early for pass holders?

I think you should be pleased they are still providing extra journeys in the peak rather than complaining they aren’t running them in service in the other direction

 

[158756]

Are you expecting there to be all that demand for 3 buses out of Skipton at that time of day, too late for students and commuters, too early for pass holders?

I think you should be pleased they are still providing extra journeys in the peak rather than complaining they aren’t running them in service in the other direction

I'm not saying there should be three, I'm saying there are currently two and in future will only be one, and questioning how many pennies will be saved as the bus runs empty all the way back to Burnley. The Accrington and Clitheroe examples are more egregious, I can't believe Transdev will profit from running those out of service, assuming they are not in fact errors.

I suppose we are meant to be grateful for any bus our privatised operators deign fit to extract profit from, but the provision of bus services in this country is almost universally appalling, and while Skipton to Colne is far from the worst example we can and should criticise the constant cuts in the industry.

 

[AlastairFraser]

There actually is enough vehicles as when those vehicles were purchased the X43 ran every 15 minutes before COVID

They obviously don’t see the fast link to Colne as financially viable. How many passengers would just transfer to the Mainline instead and how many would be lost entirely is the question, and how many use it off peak anyway

The Mainline is busy most of the day. Th real issue is Burnley to Nelson traffic around the peaks - it may be worth extending 1 X43 per hour in the peaks at least to make up for the shortfall, because traffic through Brierfield can be at a standstill a considerable amount of the time.

 

[Deerfold]

The Mainline is busy most of the day. Th real issue is Burnley to Nelson traffic around the peaks - it may be worth extending 1 X43 per hour in the peaks at least to make up for the shortfall, because traffic through Brierfield can be at a standstill a considerable amount of the time.

They used to extend 2 X43s an hour for a couple of hours. On the odd occasion I caught them, they had single figure numbers of passengers.

 

[AlastairFraser]

They used to extend 2 X43s an hour for a couple of hours. On the odd occasion I caught them, they had single figure numbers of passengers.

Was this when the Pendle Wizz was running and Northern Rail a more stable operator though?

 

[darloscott]

I'm not saying there should be three, I'm saying there are currently two and in future will only be one, and questioning how many pennies will be saved as the bus runs empty all the way back to Burnley. The Accrington and Clitheroe examples are more egregious, I can't believe Transdev will profit from running those out of service, assuming they are not in fact errors.

I suppose we are meant to be grateful for any bus our privatised operators deign fit to extract profit from, but the provision of bus services in this country is almost universally appalling, and while Skipton to Colne is far from the worst example we can and should criticise the constant cuts in the industry.

They look timed to allow the bus to do a school run to me!

 

[philthetube]

Teachers strikes, bad weather etc, no need to run unnecessary services in those circumstances.

 

[Deerfold]

Teachers strikes, bad weather etc, no need to run unnecessary services in those circumstances.

Which services do you think are unnecessary?

People still need to get to work and to the shops in bad weather.

 

[Goldfish62]

Which services do you think are unnecessary?

People still need to get to work and to the shops in bad weather.

Quite apart from the legal obligations to run local bus services as registered. They're not optional based on the daily whim of the operator.

 

[Ken H]

Quite apart from the legal obligations to run local bus services as registered. They're not optional based on the daily whim of the operator.

In the past there were lots of school days only public bus services, and 'works service, liable to suspension if not so required' So there must be a way of registering services with 'days off'

 

[Goldfish62]

In the past there were lots of school days only public bus services, and 'works service, liable to suspension if not so required' So there must be a way of registering services with 'days off'

There are, within strictly defined guidelines, which of which, "nah, we don't think it's worth running today" isn't an option.

 

[M803UYA]

In the past there were lots of school days only public bus services, and 'works service, liable to suspension if not so required' So there must be a way of registering services with 'days off'

Yes, you declare such things on the route description page under additional comments. Yellow Buses when I worked for them, introduced a standard paragraph which said 'additional journeys may operate at the discretion of a company, or other official' - which was intended to cover airshow duplicates but could also cover schools services. It was added to each registration change until such time as it was standard on all of them.

We never had any communication from the traffic commissioner's office that this wasn't permitted, all registrations submitted to Leeds had the clause in...

If the operator was using electronic registration (EBSR) then there is a box for additional notes - you'd include anything else you wished to add into there.

 

[Ken H]

Yes, you declare such things on the route description page under additional comments. Yellow Buses when I worked for them, introduced a standard paragraph which said 'additional journeys may operate at the discretion of a company, or other official' - which was intended to cover airshow duplicates but could also cover schools services. It was added to each registration change until such time as it was standard on all of them.

We never had any communication from the traffic commissioner's office that this wasn't permitted, all registrations submitted to Leeds had the clause in...

If the operator was using electronic registration (EBSR) then there is a box for additional notes - you'd include anything else you wished to add into there.

Yes I remember Leeds buses showing Duplicate in the lower blind when they ran 2 buses instead of 1. I think there were rules about the duplicate having to follow the main bus close behind to ensure the operator wasnt sneaking in an unlicenced frequency uplift.

I dont know if the traffic commissioners are more relaxed about such goings on today.
There were some Traffic Commissioners minutes on timetable world but I cant find them now. I will email Matt Shaw to find where they are and report back

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Mar 2023 ==

Yes I remember Leeds buses showing Duplicate in the lower blind when they ran 2 buses instead of 1. I think there were rules about the duplicate having to follow the main bus close behind to ensure the operator wasnt sneaking in an unlicenced frequency uplift.

I dont know if the traffic commissioners are more relaxed about such goings on today.
There were some Traffic Commissioners minutes on timetable world but I cant find them now. I will email Matt Shaw to find where they are and report back

TTW menu problems. Matt will fix Thursday

 

[Goldfish62]

Yes I remember Leeds buses showing Duplicate in the lower blind when they ran 2 buses instead of 1. I think there were rules about the duplicate having to follow the main bus close behind to ensure the operator wasnt sneaking in an unlicenced frequency uplift.

Here is the formal guidance:

11) Additional‘duplicate’vehicles
There may be times when, due to special circumstances, the number of vehicles normally used to
provide the service will not be sufficient to carry all persons wishing to travel or will not be able to
provide the service in accordance with the registered timetable. Under these circumstances
additional vehicle(s) may be put into service, to operate over any part of the route of the service
withoutthe need tovarythe registration.Theymust be operated as closely as possible to the timings in
theregisteredtimetable.
Ifit is a regular occurrence thatthe usual number ofvehicles used to provide the service is unable to carry
allthe personswishing to travel,that is not a special circumstance.
The traffic commissioner maytake the viewthat unregistered local services have been operated if
there are no special circumstanceswhichwarrantthe provision of additionalvehicle(s).

[Withdrawn] Local PSV service registrations (PSV353A)

Information on how bus operators should run new or existing local bus services, including registration and legal requirements.

www.gov.uk

 

[158756]

They look timed to allow the bus to do a school run to me!

They do a bit, but as far as I can tell a bus arriving in Accrington at ten past eight is too late to get to the start of any of Transdev's school runs, and I don't think any school run has even started never mind finished by the time the afternoon bus needs to be in Clitheroe - the return journey of that is the one which runs via the Grammar School.

 

[Andyh82]

Looks to me that these errors have now been fixed, there is an 0816 from Accrington to Burnley

 

[Ken H]

Yes I remember Leeds buses showing Duplicate in the lower blind when they ran 2 buses instead of 1. I think there were rules about the duplicate having to follow the main bus close behind to ensure the operator wasnt sneaking in an unlicenced frequency uplift.

I dont know if the traffic commissioners are more relaxed about such goings on today.
There were some Traffic Commissioners minutes on timetable world but I cant find them now. I will email Matt Shaw to find where they are and report back

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Mar 2023 ==


TTW menu problems. Matt will fix Thursday

They are on the bus timetable menu
Or this short cut will take you straight to images of the minutes https://timetableworld.com/ttw-viewer.php?token=66800946-a000-408d-b74d-38000ccbdadd

 

[RELL6L]

The new Mainline timetable with Skipton is up https://images.transdevbus.co.uk/downloads/230416 Mainline M3 M4 M5_1.pdf

Also a new timetable for services in the Padiham direction, which has mostly only very minor changes. https://images.transdevbus.co.uk/downloads/230416 Mainline M1 M2_1.pdf

There is an additional journey into Skipton in the morning, so buses will arrive at 0826, 0839 and 0853 (It appears two of these will then run empty all the way back to Queensgate). However there is one fewer departure from Burnley in the afternoon, and the last bus is at 1815, half an hour earlier than the current timetable, and that is already early. Burnley to Colne goes back up to every 15 minutes on Sundays. Burnley to Skipton takes 20 minutes longer than it does on the Wizz.

I must say these timetables are rather sloppy. The biggest error (I've found so far) is that one M5 per hour is shown as terminating at Earby rather than Barnoldswick, but the return journey still starts at Barnoldswick, and the timings suggest the latter is correct. But if you read the wrong page it appears the service is halved on that section.

There are also a number of M5s mislabelled as M6s. In the M1/M2 timetable some 152s don't have times at Padiham, one service is I think wrongly stated to call at Clitheroe Grammar School, and one short journey randomly appears to terminate at Ightenhill Park Lane in Burnley (and there is no stop of that name - I presume this is the Tim Bobbin stop renamed because I think the eponymous pub has closed).

The biggest changes I can see on the M1 and M2 are that the 0816 journey from Accrington (Mon-Fri, it still runs on Saturdays) and the 1455 from Burnley to Clitheroe will no longer run, in both cases leaving an hours gap in the timetable, and in the former case a 14 minute gap immediately after the 7-8 minute morning peak frequency from Padiham. The return legs of those trips still run though, so either Transdev have developed a sudden love of lots of dead mileage or possibly this is another symptom of the evident lack of proofreading.

Some of these errors have been corrected but this is still a poor quality timetable.
In the M1, M2 towards Burnley the 15.16 from Accrington to Burnley is shown twice, once in the right place and once about half an hour too early.
Away from Burnley the 152 at 19.58 doesn't go to Padiham (it does), ditto the Sunday M2 at 09.43 (it comes back from Padiham but presumably goes there)
But worst is the uncertainty leaving Burnley around 15.00. The "then at" shows departures from Burnley at 02, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, but after the 'until' the first bus is 15.03. So is there a 15.02 to Clitheroe or not? On the normal pattern it would arrive Clitheroe at 15.49, but on schooldays (except Weds) the equivalent return journey departs at 15.47 - so questionable. On NSD and Weds it departs Clitheroe 16.01 as normal pattern so surely the journey to Clitheroe runs those days - but what about schooldays? If the pattern is as shown then the first journey after the 'until' must fit with the pattern, only after that can you have journeys which don't.
Does anyone proof read things these days?

Regarding the service itself there are a few M2 extras between Burnley and Padiham which could well cover for school peaks, that's good, but there's few extras to the 10-minute pattern northwards to Colne and the x10 reduces to x15 from 17.30 off Burnley, which is poor. Considerably short of the intensive service the Mainline was supposed to be.

 

[Soundwave]

Some of these errors have been corrected but this is still a poor quality timetable.
In the M1, M2 towards Burnley the 15.16 from Accrington to Burnley is shown twice, once in the right place and once about half an hour too early.
Away from Burnley the 152 at 19.58 doesn't go to Padiham (it does), ditto the Sunday M2 at 09.43 (it comes back from Padiham but presumably goes there)
But worst is the uncertainty leaving Burnley around 15.00. The "then at" shows departures from Burnley at 02, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, but after the 'until' the first bus is 15.03. So is there a 15.02 to Clitheroe or not? On the normal pattern it would arrive Clitheroe at 15.49, but on schooldays (except Weds) the equivalent return journey departs at 15.47 - so questionable. On NSD and Weds it departs Clitheroe 16.01 as normal pattern so surely the journey to Clitheroe runs those days - but what about schooldays? If the pattern is as shown then the first journey after the 'until' must fit with the pattern, only after that can you have journeys which don't.
Does anyone proof read things these days?

Regarding the service itself there are a few M2 extras between Burnley and Padiham which could well cover for school peaks, that's good, but there's few extras to the 10-minute pattern northwards to Colne and the x10 reduces to x15 from 17.30 off Burnley, which is poor. Considerably short of the intensive service the Mainline was supposed to be.

I have to say it does look a bit sloppy. You'd think Best Impressions would know better.

 

[Ken H]

I have to say it does look a bit sloppy. You'd think Best Impressions would know better.

Best Impressions? Do they make the pdf's for Transdev?

 

[JetBlast]

Best Impressions? Do they make the pdf's for Transdev?

Considering they also have their own marketing staff, I doubt it.

 

[RustySpoons]

I have to say it does look a bit sloppy. You'd think Best Impressions would know better.

Best Impressions? Do they make the pdf's for Transdev?

They'll have a design template that Transdev fill in with their own data, it'd be very cost ineffective for every change to go through Best Impressions. Then again with the amount of money Transdev have said to have spent with them I'd expect freshly printed timetables hand delivered to every passenger...

 

[Goldfish62]

They'll have a design template that Transdev fill in with their own data, it'd be very cost ineffective for every change to go through Best Impressions. Then again with the amount of money Transdev have said to have spent with them I'd expect freshly printed timetables hand delivered to every passenger...

Each personally signed by Ray and Alex.

 

[Delenn]

I did a trip today that involved runs on a Coastliner, a 36 and an X98. The Coastliner was a 66 plate (Coastliner liveried Volvo Wrightbus), the 36 a 65 plate (36 liveried Volvo Wrightbus) and the X98 a 70 plate (X98/9 branded ADL), and one thing that was very obvious was that the ADL interior had worn very badly in comparison with the Wrightbus ones. The seats, the floor, the panels upstairs were all in a much worse condition than the older ones on the other routes. Is this just a general ADL thing, or is there a reason why the X98/9/former CityZap vehicles are in such bad shape internally?

 

[LucyP]

It's because of the poor choice of interior colours, and materials, a bit of vandalism and anti-social behaviour, and a lack of cleaning. Light grey leather on the seat outer panels was never going to stay clean. Shiny black plastic material at foot level along the staircase and upper deck was always going to look dirty, stained and scuffed and it does. "Wood" trim at the front upstairs, which is just paper with a wood grain printed on it, and glued over the plastic was always going to be susceptible to being torn off, and it has been at the edges. Light trim to the sides of the front windscreen was always going to show dirt from people with no manners putting their feet on the hand rail and their dirty soles marking the panels at the edges.

There is also a lack of maintenance. Some of the "fairy light" panels along the sides have fallen off, or been vandalised and removed. and have not been replaced, so you can see the led strips and wiring at the ends. Hardly any of the reading lights in the seat backs work. The heated front windscreen upstairs doesn't work, and the buses are just as steamed up as any other bus. The heating is poor and the bus always feels cold, and the lighting on the left hand side is never on. That makes the buses feel worse too.

They came to Wetherby severely stone chipped at the front from the higher speed Zap route and now the narrow, tree-lined roads of the villages on the X99 route are scraping the sides, especially as they are wider than a Wright bus.