Plymouth CityBus Farce

[Rich McLean]

CityBus have just issued this annoucement:

http://www.plymouthbus.co.uk/about-us/news/cancelled-services-6th-july-2013

Plymouth Citybus
Due to operational difficulties the below services are to be cancelled

Plymouth Citybus is immensely sorry for any upset and inconvenience this will cause to our customers.

Service Time Operating to
5 15:00 City Centre - Plymstock - City Centre
5 15:20 City Centre - Plymstock - City Centre
5 16:00 City Centre - Plymstock - City Centre
5 16:20 City Centre - Plymstock - City Centre
5 17:20 City Centre - Plymstock - City Centre
5A 19:30 City Centre - Plymstock - City Centre
5A 21:30 City Centre - Plymstock - City Centre
16 15:33 City Centre - Ham - City Centre
21 15:19 Barne Barton - City Centre
35 14:40 City Centre - Ham - City Centre
40 15:10 City Centre - Southway - City Centre
40 17:30 City Centre - Southway - City Centre
41 16:20 City Centre - Southway - City Centre
43 15:25 City Centre - Ernesettle - City Centre
43 16:35 City Centre - Ernesettle - City Centre
43 17:45 City Centre - Ernesettle - City Centre
43 20:00 City Centre - Ernesettle - City Centre
43 21:00 City Centre - Ernesettle - City Centre
43 22:00 City Centre - Ernesettle - City Centre
43 23:00 City Centre - Ernesettle - Milehouse
61 15:35 City Centre - Transit Way - City Centre
61A 20:25 City Centre - Transit Way - City Centre
61A 22:25 City Centre - Transit Way - Peverell Cherry Tree

Quite a few drivers pulling sickies for the rugby and tennis is my guess
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
..........and more cancellations today, and this is a Sunday, where most services are either half hourly or every hour

Due to operational difficulties the below services are to be cancelled Sunday the 7th
July 2013
Service Time Operating to
8 15:10 City Centre - Efford - City Centre
8 17:10 City Centre - Efford - City Centre
9 17:40 City Centre - Efford - City Centre
9 19:40 City Centre - Efford - City Centre
8 20:40 City Centre - Efford - City Centre
16 16:58 City Centre - Kings Tamerton - City Centre
16 20:20 City Centre - Kings Tamerton - City Centre
24 19:15 City Centre - Mount Gould - City Centre
23 20:15 City Centre - Mount Gould - City Centre
35 16:05 City Centre - Ham - City Centre
41 14:00 City Centre - Southway - City Centre
41 16:00 City Centre - Southway - City Centre
41 17:00 City Centre - Southway - City Centre
44 12:20 City Centre - Whitleigh - City Centre
44 13:20 City Centre - Whitleigh - City Centre
50 14:45 City Centre - Derriford
50 16:15 City Centre - Derriford
50 19:10 City Centre - Derriford
50 21:10 City Centre - Derriford
50 15:20 Derriford - City Centre
50 16:50 Derriford - City Centre
50 19:45 Derriford - City Centre
50 21:45 Derriford - City Centre
61 13:20 City Centre - Transit Way - City Centre
61A 14:50 City Centre - Transit Way - City Centre

Plymouth Citybus is immensely sorry for any upset and inconvenience this will cause to our customers.

 

[34D]

This is out of order.

If I were you, I'd send screenshots of this to the Traffic Commissioner.

How many drivers' work is this, and how frequent are the affected routes?

 

[Rich McLean]

5 and 5A are circular routes, every 10 mins from the city, but every 20 minutes around a circuit of Plymstock

8 and 9 are the same route but a smaller circuit, again every 10 minutes then every 20 round the circuit.

16 every 20 minutes

21 every 10 minutes

41 every 20 mins

44 every 20 mins

50 is every 15 mins

61 and 61A are both every 30 minutes.

I think the traffic commissioner are already aware

The problem is an unusual high level of sickness. Mmmmm

 

[Antman]

Well if an exceptional number of drivers have pulled sickies what else can Plymouth Citybus do but cancel services?

 

[jon0844]

Let's hope most people yesterday were also at home watching Andy Murray and didn't need a bus!

 

[radamfi]

I presume the Traffic Commissioner will generally excuse occasional disruptions like this and will only take action if these events become regular, and only if they have surveyed it themselves based on a tip off. So I suspect they will get away with it. Under a TfL type regime, there would be automatic penalties for lost mileage.

 

[tbtc]

Well if an exceptional number of drivers have pulled sickies what else can Plymouth Citybus do but cancel services?

Precisely.

Credit to Plymouth CityBus for warning people about the cancellations, at least they are trying to inform passengers in advance.

 

[SWTH]

I'm slightly concerned by the automatic assumption that its drivers 'pulling sickies'.

There are many reasons for cancelling services, non-availability of drivers is just one. Whilst I am aware that everything that goes wrong is (by public perception at least) the drivers fault, this instant blaming of the drivers seems very harsh.

 

[jon0844]

It might be harsh, but it's not unknown. It has happened on the railways too, as has been documented on this very forum.

It also happens in probably every profession, so isn't unique to transport.

 

[SWTH]

Yes, London Midland springs to mind.

However, the point I am making is that apportioning blame without any solid facts as to why the buses didn't run is daft. PCB simply stated the services would not run - as far as I can see from the original post, no reason was given other than 'operational difficulties'.

 

[plymothian]

PCB basically ran out of drivers due to holidays, long term sickness and lack of driving hours to cover the services affected.

 

[455driver]

Am I right in thinking that Plymouth City bus have not been recruiting drivers (in the usual numbers) for a while and have been relying on rest day working and overtime to cover the service and it has come back and bitten them on the arse?

 

[plymothian]

PCB recruited about 30 new drivers June-August last year, and about the same number are undergoing their training now.

 

[Ivo]

No matter the reasoning (the dates do seem somewhat suspicious mind you), these is the sort of thing that a truly passenger-focussed operator would attempt to negate by offering reduced cost or even free travel for a limited period and/or on certain routes. Keep an eye out to see if PCB actually do this...