What effect might the decline in bus services have on the railways?

[Ken H]

If the last bus doesn't run? If so, the bus industry deserves its decline if leaving people stranded is of such little concern.

What do you do if you have no driver?

 

[NSE]

How can we level up the country to London standard?

Yes, but as usual, it is expensive and only affordable to the rich earning multiple dozen thousands of pounds per year (using the current price level).

A) The whole country doesn’t need to be at London standard. Certain areas certainly need investment. But the West Highland Line does not need a service every 10 minutes.

B) You’ve been told so many times, cars are not a luxury in the UK. Sure, not everyone can throw money at a brand new sports car, but through the wonders of buying on finance, second hand or settling for a lesser model than you wish you could afford, owning a car in the UK is common and not for the rich.

 

[43066]

The last bus of the day not appearing will lead to people being stranded as there is no way to get home afterwards, especially when long distance is involved such as in the case of interurban buses.

It's unlikely that one will have the mean, for example, a few dozen pounds, to pay for a taxi for a long distance, or if one can even see a taxi at all deep in the rural area waiting for the last interurban bus home.

If you ring the police because a bus hasn’t turned up you’re potentially going to get into hot water for wasting police time.

 

[WAB]

What do you do if you have no driver?

Not get yourself into that situation in the first place by ensuring you have enough spares on duty until the last bus leaves service, or fork out for taxi or another company to cover the run.

 

[RT4038]

The last bus of the day not appearing will lead to people being stranded as there is no way to get home afterwards, especially when long distance is involved such as in the case of interurban buses.

It's unlikely that one will have the mean, for example, a few dozen pounds, to pay for a taxi for a long distance, or if one can even see a taxi at all deep in the rural area waiting for the last interurban bus home.

Well you need to have the means, or have a plan to call a friend or relative to come and fetch you, or risk a few miserable hours waiting overnight or walking. Most areas will have a taxi service you can call on, even if they cannot provide immediate service. This is no new thing. However, it doesn't happen that often.

Not get yourself into that situation in the first place by ensuring you have enough spares on duty until the last bus leaves service, or fork out for taxi or another company to cover the run.

Sadly, these kind of costs can no longer be borne by the bus industry (if they have ever been since the 1960s?) - the bus company will usually refund a taxi in this circumstance, but you'll be on your own to arrange it, pay up front and claim it back.

Enforcement by whom? Outside of London, unless it’s one of the very rare exceptions, bus services aren’t specified by a public authority but run on a commercial basis.
Phoning the police because your bus hasn’t turned up sounds like one of the examples the UK police give of people wasting the time of 999.

The regulatory authority have the aim that 95% of bus services must run no more than 5 minutes late or 1 minute early. The cancellation of a last bus may well fall within the 5% that are permitted to be non-compliant, and anyway punitive action is only taken in extreme cases, for various reasons.

Unfavourable comparisons with the railways are all very well, but the bus industry operates in a completely different regulatory, and particularly funding, framework.