Arriva ordered to operate free service in Derby.

[Mugby]

Arriva in Derby have been ordered by the Traffic Commissioner to operate their 44/45 services, Derby - Alvaston free of charge in the evening after 19.00, for a period of twelve months commencing 1st. March.

This is because they changed the terminal point in Derby in the evening without registering or giving notice. Apparently when it was brought to the attention of the TC, Arriva instructed drivers to call at the bus station if required otherwise the service would terminate in Albert Street (some 150 yards away) so that it could form another service and reduce evening vehicle requirement.

The TC ruled that passengers have been inconvenienced, particularly those with mobility problems and those who wanted to connect with other services at the bus station. The ruling also rejected the claim that the bus station could be requested because the service would terminate at Albert Street before passengers realised.

The 44/45 Alvaston Circulars are two of Arriva's principal services in Derby and whilst they are not so busy in the evenings, they link the bus station with the railway station and so, apart from Alvaston, there will be a free bus from the rail station into town for the next twelve months.

Arriva have said they will comment when they have considered the decision.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

I like Beverly Bells style

http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=7505&categoryid=0

 

[Lewisham2221]

I like Beverly Bells style

http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=7505&categoryid=0

Indeed, how any operator in the North West Traffic Area has the balls to play up on her 'watch' is beyond. She certainly appears to be a woman not to be messed with!

 

[Ivo]

Call this biased if you will, but this seems like the kind of stunt Arriva would pull. If they have registered a service as terminating in one place, and actually doing so in another, then they deserve to be for it. Mind you, First did something like that here - albeit on a smaller scale - and it didn't occur to anyone (myself included) to take it forward to the Traffic Commissioner, and now it's late anyway because said service ceased almost a year ago.

Is this the same woman who hit First hard in Manchester and warned she would reduce their vehicle permissions?

 

[Lewisham2221]

Call this biased if you will, but this seems like the kind of stunt Arriva would pull. If they have registered a service as terminating in one place, and actually doing so in another, then they deserve to be for it. Mind you, First did something like that here - albeit on a smaller scale - and it didn't occur to anyone (myself included) to take it forward to the Traffic Commissioner, and now it's late anyway because said service ceased almost a year ago.

Is this the same woman who hit First hard in Manchester and warned she would reduce their vehicle permissions?

Yes, she is. Quite why Derbyshire falls into the North West region for this purpose I don't know, but as far as I can tell she takes a very dim view of any wrong doing brought to her attention.

 

[northwichcat]

A question related to this - during roadworks are operators actually allowed to terminate a service short (assuming there is an alternative route to the terminus point) or divert a service off the usual route (which is still open but with delays) without a revised registration?

 

[mbonwick]

jcollins - AFAIK they technically do need to revise the registration, but in practice they get away with it, and if called before the TCs then so long as they can demonstate how disruptive the works were, the companies are fine.

 

[185]

Is this the same woman who hit First hard in Manchester and warned she would reduce their vehicle permissions?

Auntie Bev is reknowned for swinging a cast iron handbag at rubbish bus operators. £285K was First Manchester's fine, at one of the funniest TC hearings in recent times - Senior FirstGroup managers sat in a row like naughty schoolkids.... one, when questioned about a failing service said "oh...errr well we ain't got round to improving that one yet..." (-Ken Poole, Director)

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/bus-firm-first-fined-285k-684286

 

[bluenoxid]

Yes, she is. Quite why Derbyshire falls into the North West region for this purpose I don't know, but as far as I can tell she takes a very dim view of any wrong doing brought to her attention.

It does. Beverley is also the Senior TC.

She appears to be very good at hitting the operators hard when they do it wrong.

 

[tom1649]

Auntie Bev is reknowned for swinging a cast iron handbag at rubbish bus operators. £285K was First Manchester's fine, at one of the funniest TC hearings in recent times - Senior FirstGroup managers sat in a row like naughty schoolkids.... one, when questioned about a failing service said "oh...errr well we ain't got round to improving that one yet..." (-Ken Poole, Director)

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/bus-firm-first-fined-285k-684286

"Richard Soper, strategic development director north for First, had admitted at an earlier hearing that services that were consistently unreliable would not survive.

Ms Bell told him: "They damn well won't survive because I will take them off you."

Great stuff!

 

[BestWestern]

"Richard Soper, strategic development director north for First, had admitted at an earlier hearing that services that were consistently unreliable would not survive.

Ms Bell told him: "They damn well won't survive because I will take them off you."

Great stuff!

Magnificent!

A certain Mr Soper has some experience in this field I believe, I'm pretty sure he was MD of First Hampshire/Hants & Dorset when they were hit with a whacking great fine a few years back for being equally crap!

 

[Ivo]

How I wish she was TC for the Eastern Region. She could certainly teach a certain bunch of muppets a lesson or two

I nearly reported Arriva Southend last Summer. The only reason I didn't was that during the two week period in which I attempted to gather evidence they seemed to go through a bit of a "purple patch" in terms of punctuality...

 

[KendalKing]

A question related to this - during roadworks are operators actually allowed to terminate a service short (assuming there is an alternative route to the terminus point) or divert a service off the usual route (which is still open but with delays) without a revised registration?

Yes, but must inform the TC what they are doing and the reason for doing it.

A couple of years ago, a bridge collapsed killing a police officer. The only suitable divertion for buses, involved some 40 or 70-mile detour (Can't remember which now). So Stagecoach spilt the route(s) into two parts, both of which terminated near to the collapsed bridge. They still had to informed the TC what they were doing and why, dispite it being well reported on both local & national tv news, and on the front pages of the national newspapers.

**also see below**

jcollins - AFAIK they technically do need to revise the registration, but in practice they get away with it, and if called before the TCs then so long as they can demonstate how disruptive the works were, the companies are fine.

 

[Ivo]

Take a look at the following (from the VOSA application form)...

Should you:-
• fail to provide the service as registered; or
• operate in contravention of section 6 of the Transport Act 1985; or
• operate contrary to other relevant legislation
the traffic commissioner may impose a condition on your licence prohibiting you from operating any local service of a description specified in the condition or one prohibiting you from operating local services of
any description.
The traffic commissioner also has powers to impose a financial penalty.
Any penalty imposed shall not exceed:
• £550; or
• such other amount as the Secretary of State (as respects England) or the National Assembly for
Wales (as respects Wales) may by order specify
- multiplied by the total number of vehicles which you are licensed to use under all the PSV operator’s licences you hold.
In addition to or as an alternative to a fine, the traffic commissioner may make an order requiring the operator to spend a specified sum of money on providing, or making specified improvements to, specified local services or facilities, or requiring the operator to compensate passengers. Compensation could take the form of free or reduced price travel for a period of time.

Too bad. They got caught, and Ms Bell applied a relevant sanction permitted under these rules.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Indeed, how any operator in the North West Traffic Area has the balls to play up on her 'watch' is beyond. She certainly appears to be a woman not to be messed with!

As Speedwellbus found out to their cost.

 

[185]

Interestly, in Derby, Arriva's divisional director is none other than.....


Mr B. Hind http://www.arriva.co.uk/arriva/en/media_centre/press_releases/2011/2011-10-12/

 

[MCR247]

He does seem like a bit of an arse to me

 

[Lewisham2221]

You'll both be glad to hear that he retired last year then

 

[MCR247]

Good to see the rear of him then


(sorry!)