More economical ways of offering rail replacement services

[Shimbleshanks]

Should more use be made of parallel existing bus services to take the place of rail replacement buses? Purley station forecourt becomes a hive of activity on Sundays, and often Saturdays, with buses and coaches hired in at no doubt great expense to substitute for train services that are not running due to engineering works. These seem to spend a huge amount of time waiting for connecting trains to arrive. But at least two of the those routes, the local services to Redhill and the Caterham branch are closely paralleled by existing bus services. In the case of the Caterham branch, would it not be easier to direct passengers down the short walking route to the stop for the frequent 407 bus to Caterham, which also passes close by the intermediate stations on the branch? The 405 bus offers an alternative to to local services to Redhill, again passing close to intermediate stations. It doesn't currently serve Purley station direct but it could with a short diversion, either when the trains are suspended or, possibly, permanently. Would doing sort sort of deal with TfL to make this happen be cheaper than having dedicated replacement buses?

No doubt there are many other similar instances up and down the country.

 

[The Planner]

Ticket acceptance on service buses can cost more than providing the RRBs depending on the bus operator.

 

[Brubulus]

Ticket acceptance on service buses can cost more than providing the RRBs depending on the bus operator.

I suspect that's because the operator knows that a RRB is the only alternative - so it lines up. Hopefully GBR could come to some sort of sensible national agreement but it's unlikely.

 

[The Planner]

I suspect that's because the operator knows that a RRB is the only alternative - so it lines up. Hopefully GBR could come to some sort of sensible national agreement but it's unlikely.

More that the service bus operator takes the risk off the TOC, potentially needs to strengthen its existing services and therefore charges the earth for it.

 

[Failed Unit]

I would also add that in disruption to services, when acceptance is arranged with local bus services their own loyal passengers get pushed off them. In the recent weeks with the Fatalities between Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage. Passengers at the Villages on the route of the 301 bus (which runs between Stevenage and St Albans) were complaining that they couldn’t board the buses because of the number of the rail refugees. Taxi’s in Welwyn Garden City were also impossible to find.