Transdev Blazefield

[SCH117X]

Connexions were willing to take it on commercially, but it would have meant they'd have to withdraw their X1 services. Obviously it more than likely wouldn't have run on a Sunday

or after 7pm so it would not doubt have required First to operate evenings and Sundays like the 64 which possibly First in this instance were not willing to do.

The Deighton Bar extension could stay on a couple of am peak southbound and pm peak northbound, otherwise cover it with something else on a reduced frequency (the 8? or off the X70?).

Not really enough time to work that off a X70, or short 7, without adding a vehicle. Its around 14 min duty with fast X70s having a 45 minute in the hour running time (and Transdev give the 7 more time)

Where is that, please?

Travel West Yorkshire forum

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Oct 2022 ==

Chaos in Collingham today with one of the X98 buses breaking down between two busy junctions causing long tailbacks in both directions.

A bus may have broke down in Collingham but all 4 X98/X99 vehicles have been tracking all day.

 

[Deerfold]

No, I don't have any relationship or past history, or employment with Transdev.

What I am is someone who lives on the route, and who wants to use the bus, as I believe in public transport. That was possible under First generally. It is not generally not possible under Transdev, because of the late running and the cancellations. Nothing external has happened to affect the route in the last 3 weeks. The problems have all been caused by the way that Transdev operate the route, as I have said several times.

I am sick of being late for appointments, or not there at all. I am sick of missed connections. I am sick of standing, waiting at the side of the road.

I have backed up my comments with details of the cancellations, the lateness, the speed, the acceleration, the width of the buses, the on-board cleanliness, the temperature, the routing and the lack of limited stops, all of which are unacceptable.

As I've asked three times on the other forum, to no response, have you tried talking to Transdev at all?

 

[SCH117X]

Thay have a questionaire re improving the X98/X99

https://bit.ly/3EZj

To avoid hold ups in Leeds City Centre, and to improve timekeeping across the whole route generally, we are considering using Leeds Bus Station as a terminus instead of City Square. This will give a better waiting area for you and allow easy connections to other buses. Flyer and Aireline will provide connections to City Square included in the cost of your usual fare. Do you think this is a good idea?

Yes

No


We have had suggestions of running from Oakwood to the City past St James Hospital instead of along Roseville Road to give new links for hospital workers and visitors. Do you think this is a good idea?

Yes

No



We are considering arranging the times of our buses on the 7 so it gives a connection from Boston Spa and Thorpe Arch to the fast buses to Leeds at Wetherby. Do you think this is a good idea?

Yes

No


We currently run every hour to Deighton Bar, but would two buses per hour be useful?

Yes

No

 

[Ken H]

Thay have a questionaire re improving the X98/X99

https://bit.ly/3EZj

I would run some rush hour buses down Easterley Rd to save time. There are plenty of buses from Oakwood.
There would be no need to go to city Sq., but Vicar Ln, New York St, York St, St Peters St and back to Wetherby would give decent penetration to the centre. No-one wants to go to the bus station.
And cut the number of stops between town and Harehills.

 

[Deerfold]

Thay have a questionaire re improving the X98/X99

https://bit.ly/3EZj

I'm not going to reply to their questionnaire as I don't use the service regularly, but I would worry about whether connecting fares would stay - I've known a few routes split with connecting fares that then didn't last.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Oct 2022 ==

No-one wants to go to the bus station.

Except for those connecting to another bus or coach.

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

No-one wants to go to the bus station.

Except the thousands of people who use it every day. It was rammed today at 16:30 to say nobody wants to use it!

 

[bluenoxid]

Knowing how bad it can be outside St James Hospital on Beckett Street, I think they are setting themselves up to fail unless they bopped the bus down Gledhow Road with new stops established.

What I will say is that I hope any diversion down Gledhow Road comes with spare buses due to the shocking driving down there.

 

[philthetube]

Another solution would be to use agency drivers, but that'll come at a cost. If it's cheaper to pay the Section 155 Transport Act fine than to pay the cost of agency drivers Transdev would presumably just take the fine?!!

Good luck finding them, another casualty of the weeks study needed every 5 years to maintain a licence. In the case of agency drivers to be paid for by the driver.

 

[SCH117X]

Knowing how bad it can be outside St James Hospital on Beckett Street, I think they are setting themselves up to fail unless they bopped the bus down Gledhow Road with new stops established.

What I will say is that I hope any diversion down Gledhow Road comes with spare buses due to the shocking driving down there.

Can't see them using Gledhow Road as it would be tricky right turn out of for the Wetherby bound workings .

 

[bluenoxid]

Can't see them using Gledhow Road as it would be tricky right turn out of for the Wetherby bound workings .

Wetherby bound would probably turn left on to Bayswater Road then right at the traffic lit crossroads on to Roseville Road, then on to the A58 through the traffic lights there.

 

[Ken H]

Quick question
Does The Transdev Idle depot just cover the flyers or does it have other work?

 

[Deerfold]

Quick question
Does The Transdev Idle depot just cover the flyers or does it have other work?

They run the 64 Ilkley to Skipton, too.

 

[Ken H]

They run the 64 Ilkley to Skipton, too.

Still? Because they interwork with the 62's.

Look at FJ08BZW today on Business.org. lt has been swapping between the 62 and 64 all day.

​

 

[Deerfold]

Still? Because they interwork with the 62's.

Look at FJ08BZW today on Business.org. lt has been swapping between the 62 and 64 all day.

​

As far as I know. They've interworked with the 62 since they began as the 64.

Perhaps not. Metro now shows them as run by Keighley and District.

 

[northernchris]

As far as I know. They've interworked with the 62 since they began as the 64.

Perhaps not. Metro now shows them as run by Keighley and District.

The 64 is worked by Keighley, buses do Keighley - Ilkley - Skipton - Ilkley - Keighley so believe Idle just run the Flyers

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

Flyer is the only thing out of Idle. The 64 is now run from Keighley

 

[SCH117X]

Revised timetable for the X98/X99 from Nov 20 www.transdevbus.co.uk/harrogate/changes-times-x98-x99-20-nov with longer journey times

 

[158756]

Revised timetable for the X98/X99 from Nov 20 www.transdevbus.co.uk/harrogate/changes-times-x98-x99-20-nov with longer journey times

Still using the same number of vehicles and a lot of 5/6 minute turnarounds, so how reliable this will actually be remains to be seen.

A surprising timetable enhancement coming to the 22 (Blackburn - Clitheroe) in Lancashire. Hourly evening service Mon-Sat until a 23:40 last bus from Blackburn town centre to Clitheroe, where the last bus is currently at 18:40. No mention of any funding and Lancashire County Council don't generally support evening services anyway, there are a few new developments around Whalley and Clitheroe so maybe some s106? Maybe they're hoping the £1 single will get people off the train, maybe it's partially a response to the Stagecoach competition between Blackburn Hospital and the town centre? I do question how long late evening services round Shadsworth will last.

 

[RustySpoons]

Still using the same number of vehicles and a lot of 5/6 minute turnarounds, so how reliable this will actually be remains to be seen.

A surprising timetable enhancement coming to the 22 (Blackburn - Clitheroe) in Lancashire. Hourly evening service Mon-Sat until a 23:40 last bus from Blackburn town centre to Clitheroe, where the last bus is currently at 18:40. No mention of any funding and Lancashire County Council don't generally support evening services anyway, there are a few new developments around Whalley and Clitheroe so maybe some s106? Maybe they're hoping the £1 single will get people off the train, maybe it's partially a response to the Stagecoach competition between Blackburn Hospital and the town centre? I do question how long late evening services round Shadsworth will last.

Interesting! I do hope it is S106 funding (or similar) that's allowing these late services, and not just an attempt to try and get one over on Stagecoach as the only people that lose out in those situations is the passengers.

Although with S106 funding does it still not need to be put out to tender?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Still using the same number of vehicles and a lot of 5/6 minute turnarounds, so how reliable this will actually be remains to be seen.

If the off-peak timings are ok, and it's the peaks that are the issue, and they've added in additional running time by starting journeys earlier, then the turnaround time is less of an issue?

Although with S106 funding does it still not need to be put out to tender?

Is it being administered via a council tender?

Nothing to stop a developer going direct to an operator although, in practice, it doesn't happen.

 

[markymark2000]

Is it being administered via a council tender?

Nothing to stop a developer going direct to an operator although, in practice, it doesn't happen.

So much budget can be spent deminims and not have to go out to tender, if S106 funds form part of that overall budget, the council could get away with it on that basis.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

So much budget can be spent deminims and not have to go out to tender, if S106 funds form part of that overall budget, the council could get away with it on that basis.

Any firm can get a max of 60 grand p.a.

 

[markymark2000]

Any firm can get a max of 60 grand p.a.

Ahh, I thought it was councils could only issue a percentage of their budget as deminims, I didn't think it was done by firm.

Thank you.

 

[Deerfold]

Ahh, I thought it was councils could only issue a percentage of their budget as deminims, I didn't think it was done by firm.

Thank you.

It's £30,000 for authorities who spend up to £600,000 a year on tenders. For those spending more, it's up to 25% of the budget.

Tendering: In-depth | Croner-i

This topic is concerned with the use of powers by local authorities to secure public transport services by entering into service agreements with bus operators. They may only do so where there is, in their opinion, a public transport requirement not being satisfied by the free market and which...

app.croneri.co.uk

The exemption of a tendering authority’s requirement to go to tender does not in any way prevent it from doing so if it sees fit. Nor does it remove the responsibility of the authority to consider the benefits when set against any reduction in competition, or to act fairly.

Examples of where an Authority may use de minimis agreements are:

to enhance frequencies on an otherwise commercial route, eg two-hourly to hourly, hourly to half-hourly, etc

to provide off-peak journeys on a route that otherwise operates commercially; this can avoid ticketing issues for passengers should another operator win the contract; this also ensures that where a high quality vehicle is used on the service during the daytime it is also used off peak

to procure small amounts of work up to £12,000 per annum where it might not be cost effective to go through the tendering process

to procure emergency replacements for withdrawn services until they can go through the tendering process

to divert an existing commercial service to serve a settlement/area — the alternative being to provide a separate contract in order to provide the facility

to protect overall service provision within the corridor and maintain/improve links with other corridors.

An authority may also negotiate an agreement for the provision of a service where it does not receive an acceptable tender, or where no tender at all is received. The resultant agreement should be for the period specified in the invitation to tender. The reasons for entering into such an agreement must be published.

 

[SCH117X]

Far less cancellations at Harrogate this week, presumbly the reduction in the 7 has helped.

 

[Bayum]

Quite an interesting journey to Harrogate A&E this afternoon. Got to Harewood Bank to be greeted by two Leeds 36 services behind each other. As I rounded the curve and drove across Harewood Bridge, there was yet another bus there.

 

[SCH117X]

Quite an interesting journey to Harrogate A&E this afternoon. Got to Harewood Bank to be greeted by two Leeds 36 services behind each other. As I rounded the curve and drove across Harewood Bridge, there was yet another bus there.

Roadworks on Ripon Road in Harrogate are delaying the Ripon workings, along with the 3, 24 and 59, so bunching is quite likely (and their might be some in Killinghall which is pretty notorious for roadworks)

 

[RustySpoons]

CityZap was withdrawn today with very little fanfare. The monochromatic Sky Class ADL (2019 I believe) and a similarly coloured B7RLE (no idea of the fleet number) were the last two vehicles to run the service.

 

[dodecahedron67]

Wonder how many were on it - had a few spotters getting bendys in central York today whilst I was working and one mentioned they were going for the last cityzap.

I believe the B7RLE is 1861 - FJ09 KNV

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

Wonder how many were on it - had a few spotters getting bendys in central York today whilst I was working and one mentioned they were going for the last cityzap.

I believe the B7RLE is 1861 - FJ09 KNV

I had a trip to York earlier to try and snap the final journeys, but I saw neither of the vehicles, and traffic was horrendous so I went home