North Yorkshire

[johnnychips]

I was in Wensleydale and Swaledale this week and noticed that since last time I was here, a year ago, 'normal' bus routes had been reduced and replaced by the 'Little White Bus', which seems to be a community/volunteer organisation.

In particular, the bus down Swaledale from Richmond now terminates at Reeth, and passengers for Low Row, Gunnerside, Muker, Thwaite and Keld can catch the 16-seater minibus. Connections are there, but certainly not perfect.

The service down the north of Wensleydale to Askrigg via Redmires, Castle Bolton and Carperby to Askrigg is now a minibus, while the Dales and District service 156 now only runs four times a day and has to cross the valley and back again from Leyburn to Hawes.

What did surprise me is that if you work in Leyburn or Richmond, it is impossible to get there for a 9 o'clock start; and also today (Leyburn market day) a 16-seater Dales and District minibus was on the 156 first bus from Hawes. This resulted in three people unable to board at West Burton (one of whom had a doctor's appointment) and I presume also at West Witton and Wensley. I wondered if this was due to a weight restriction on the bridge from Askrigg to Worton, but then I did see an Optare Solo on the route later.

Any observations from people in the know?

 

[NorthernSpirit]

The 16 seaters are useless, been up to Skipton on Friday and it has put me off using NYCC tendered services. If NYCC used their brains they could have splashed out on a fleet of slimline Optare Solo's or Plaxton Primo's, than some crappy breadvan that is currently used.

 

[Deerfold]

The 16 seaters are useless, been up to Skipton on Friday and it has put me off using NYCC tendered services. If NYCC used their brains they could have splashed out on a fleet of slimline Optare Solo's or Plaxton Primo's, than some crappy breadvan that is currently used.

They're not NYCC-tendered services, they're NYCC-run services.

They're trying not to spend anything so they're using what they already owned.

I suspect they're not bothered about people being put off using them as they don't seem to be very keen on running them.

 

[mbonwick]

NYCCs aim seems to be to make the services as unusable as possible, so people stop using them, at which point NYCC can then withdraw the services as unviable.

 

[Ploughman]

Services on the Moorsbus routes over the North Yorkshire Moors already gone.

 

[Deerfold]

Services on the Moorsbus routes over the North Yorkshire Moors already gone.

A skeleton service returns briefly this summer.

http://www.northeastbuses.co.uk/news/article.php?id=279

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

A skeleton service returns briefly this summer.

http://www.northeastbuses.co.uk/news/article.php?id=279

Wasn't Moorsbus funded by the National Park authority rather than the county council.

North Yorks CC have reverted to type. Always were poor

 

[Deerfold]

Wasn't Moorsbus funded by the National Park authority rather than the county council.

North Yorks CC have reverted to type. Always were poor

NYCC used to contribute to Moorsbus and Dalesbus. They withdrew funding for both a couple of years ago.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I couldn't recall the intricacies but did recall the death knell was dealt by the Park Authority

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Moorsbus went last year, this year to allow access into the Moors service ME1 runs from Hessle to Danby via Malton and Pickering. Its branded as the Moors Explorer, so this year has to see it make money otherwise there is no service next year.

 

[34D]

Yet NYCc keep funding day tripper biddies to get back to Leeds from Scarborough

Keep funding a ridiculous amount of school buses to allow parents to select a school miles away from home, instead of the nearest.

 

[starrymarkb]

Didn't Yorkshire Coastliner try and get their services reclassified as Express routes so they wouldn't have to take the bus pass. IIRC They had to back down after the outcry from angry OAPs (and the odd local villager)

 

[Deerfold]

Didn't Yorkshire Coastliner try and get their services reclassified as Express routes so they wouldn't have to take the bus pass. IIRC They had to back down after the outcry from angry OAPs (and the odd local villager)

They backed down after NYCC agreed to pay more for the journeys. They would only have been classified as non-local services if Coastliner had removed a number of stops from the services concerned (which was the stated plan).

 

[Busaholic]

They backed down after NYCC agreed to pay more for the journeys. They would only have been classified as non-local services if Coastliner had removed a number of stops from the services concerned (which was the stated plan).

Down here it's Cornwall Council getting out of its reimbursement obligation to bus companies by stipulating that certain services are provided primarily for tourism and therefore fall without the scheme, hence the subsequent decisions by First and Western Greyhound to decimate their respective routes 300 and 547.

Seems incredible to think there is an even less-enlightened authority than NYCC in relation to bus travel!

 

[starrymarkb]

Devon are doing the same.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Didn't Yorkshire Coastliner try and get their services reclassified as Express routes so they wouldn't have to take the bus pass. IIRC They had to back down after the outcry from angry OAPs (and the odd local villager)

I think there was more than one local community that was originally threatened by the original proposal

....and less of the comments about "odd" local villagers, who prefer to be referred to as "characters"

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I think there was more than one local community that was originally threatened by the original proposal

....and less of the comments about "odd" local villagers

It was mainly Goathland and the cost of running services out there was more than paying Transdev the extra. That was the simple economics of the situation!

I'm from North Yorkshire and yes, some that way are odd!!

 

[Welshman]

I'm from North Yorkshire and yes, some that way are odd!!

But then, as Yorkshiremen say, "there's nowt so queer as fowk"

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

But then, as Yorkshiremen say, "there's nowt so queer as fowk"

Fortunately, I'm "fair t'middling"

 

[Blindtraveler]

As a holder of(admitedly a Scottish: Consession card, I do feel that many abuse the system both here and south of the border and I just wish there was a way of making it farer for all concerneed and so that rual services wernt cut back. Its a bit daft TBH.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
As a holder of(admitedly a Scottish: Consession card, I do feel that many abuse the system both here and south of the border and I just wish there was a way of making it farer for all concerneed and so that rual services wernt cut back. Its a bit daft TBH.