Well Catcott and the various villages won't have a service from 8th May as far as i can see. Webberbus haven't put through any sort of route change to their 37. M
i've heard quite a few people ranting to the First drivers about how those villages won't have any bus.
I quite agree that 375 can't stay in its current format, but i still think that my plan for 375 would have been better (i.e. hourly Wells to Street and 2 hourly beyond that or interwork 29 with 375, having both routes 2 hourly).
And I really don't see this 54/55/77 circuit lasting.
It is undoubtedly true that passenger flows tend to start at Wells in the morning and finish there in the evening. So in a pure logistics sense, it would make sense to run the 375, 377 and 29 from Wells.
However, I can see why the changes have been made and I don't think your plans would bear fruit. Here's why...
A two hourly 375 south of Street would not have much competitive advantage. From Woolavington to Bridgwater, it would be a two hour service vs. two buses per hour from WB. A two hourly service from Wells/Street to Bridgwater (for what little end to end traffic there is) also doesn't compete against an hourly WB service. There is little traffic from the Polden Villages which even you have witnessed. My anecdotal observations have always shown that Bridgwater to Woolavington is the main traffic until you reach Street, and that is doubtless why BoS are going for the 73 (and I'd assume they have done so after looking at the passenger data). That they can operate it around schools work means that they can do it at a near marginal cost and have a 30 min frequency that is much more competitive.
A 90 min frequency 29 has been tried before - it isn't sustainable as there's not many passengers. The amount of end to end traffic (from Wells/Street to Taunton) is minimal and arguably, WB 38 has the advantage being more frequent and quicker. Therefore, running a 55 as a spoiler makes much more sense and should compete more effectively for the traffic out of Somerton and Langport which are the only real towns in that area. I do share the concerns about timings and reliability with the interworking of the 77 though.
I also am a little bemused by the 178/379 heading to Wells depot on two counts IF it does happen. Firstly, how it will be operated? The idea of a staff car is one (and does happen elsewhere) but given how unreliable those routes can be with Bristol traffic, it is a concern. Secondly, the fact that the 375/377 changes are happening now but the 178/379 is mooted to in September. So Wells will have a surfeit of staff that will have to be used on loan elsewhere in the meantime.
However, I can see the rationale behind many of these changes. The driver pool in Bristol and Bath is now becoming exhausted and they're struggling to recruit and retain. You could increase the pay rates but say you give them a 50p an hour increase in Bath and Bristol, then work that up across the number of drivers over the year. A lot of money! Hence, the solution is to operate some of the routes from Wells and Weston - the dead mileage cost is much less.
Also, I do take Baza585's point that by making these changes, First have BoS competing head on with Webberbus on a consistent front rather than a mish mash of First and BoS (21 and 26 excepted).
If you think that competing off peak on the 14 and 73 misses out the main customer base (i.e commuters) then sorry to say but ENCTS passengers now make up a very high level of usage on those routes (unlike the 376 for instance). By operating around schools work, they can do so at a near marginal cost; to be honest, very much in the way that Faresaver have done so in Wiltshire against First.
I'll be sad that I can't do the Street to Bridgwater bit using a First day ticket in future but I can see the logic in why they're doing it and it is probably the right thing to do.
hock: