Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?
Posted: 05:32 Saturday 21st September 2019
I had a very poor night's sleep with comments made by MD Mr Eggleton to Worcester News this week going over and over in my mind. Here is the extract which caused this concern;
(Quote) Nigel Eggleton, managing director at First Worcester said: “The upcoming adjustments we are introducing to our Worcester bus network are to meet the changing travel patterns customers are taking on each individual service across the city.
“We realise that some of the changes we are introducing may not be welcomed by the ‘small number of people’ that are using certain services at various times of the day, and they may cause some inconvenience.
“Our analysis generated from daily journeys taken by passengers across all our bus routes in Worcestershire clearly shows that the services, frequencies and timetables being introduced from 13th October will facilitate travel for the majority of people travelling by bus across the city.” (Unquote).
That 'small number of people' are your bread and butter Mr Eggleton, they look to you for a consistent service and have been the backbone of the profits made by First Bus since you took over Worcester buses in 1995, 24 years ago.
Why are you bringing in expensive to run high fuel consumption Citaros on marginal routes and transferring economical Streetlite Max, Darts and E200 buses elsewhere?
Wouldn't a few more economical newer Solos save the marginal routes, or have you given up on us altogether?
Why are you not using your marketing skills to attract passengers back on to the bus, especially in those areas with dwindling usage?
Why are you not pushing our recalcitrant local councils, especially Worcestershire County Council for more partnership deals?
Why are you and the First Bus board not taking issue with HM Government to release cash to bolster ailing services after ten years of austerity and managed decline?
Are you sure that your analysis generated from daily journeys taken across all bus routes in Worcester and the county are accurate? I ask because I don't reckon that the journeys made by passengers on day tickets are recorded after the initial ticket machine issue. How do you record all the journeys made by passengers using internet mobile phone weekly, monthly and 10 trip tickets. How about the company staff who travel by bus, I don't ever see a travel pass or the driver register on the ticket machine - they are passengers nonetheless.
Do you allocate a token value for each individual journey made using said weekly and monthly passes (and how much?), or does the issuing bus and route take the full value on day of issue?
How can you even contemplate complete withdrawal of the 37 service to Northwick and Green Lane without efforts to revive it when there is a history of public transport stretching back into the 19th Century of horse drawn trams until 1904 when electric trams ran to The Vine Inn in Ombersley Road?
From 1928 Midland Red took over from the trams with petrol engined buses to Beckett Road and a few years later to Green Lane, I just cannot believe you are about to end 91 years, repeat 91 years, of continuous bus service. Is it any wonder I am having sleepless nights when you are about to destroy part of my local history?
(Quote) Nigel Eggleton, managing director at First Worcester said: “The upcoming adjustments we are introducing to our Worcester bus network are to meet the changing travel patterns customers are taking on each individual service across the city.
“We realise that some of the changes we are introducing may not be welcomed by the ‘small number of people’ that are using certain services at various times of the day, and they may cause some inconvenience.
“Our analysis generated from daily journeys taken by passengers across all our bus routes in Worcestershire clearly shows that the services, frequencies and timetables being introduced from 13th October will facilitate travel for the majority of people travelling by bus across the city.” (Unquote).
That 'small number of people' are your bread and butter Mr Eggleton, they look to you for a consistent service and have been the backbone of the profits made by First Bus since you took over Worcester buses in 1995, 24 years ago.
Why are you bringing in expensive to run high fuel consumption Citaros on marginal routes and transferring economical Streetlite Max, Darts and E200 buses elsewhere?
Wouldn't a few more economical newer Solos save the marginal routes, or have you given up on us altogether?
Why are you not using your marketing skills to attract passengers back on to the bus, especially in those areas with dwindling usage?
Why are you not pushing our recalcitrant local councils, especially Worcestershire County Council for more partnership deals?
Why are you and the First Bus board not taking issue with HM Government to release cash to bolster ailing services after ten years of austerity and managed decline?
Are you sure that your analysis generated from daily journeys taken across all bus routes in Worcester and the county are accurate? I ask because I don't reckon that the journeys made by passengers on day tickets are recorded after the initial ticket machine issue. How do you record all the journeys made by passengers using internet mobile phone weekly, monthly and 10 trip tickets. How about the company staff who travel by bus, I don't ever see a travel pass or the driver register on the ticket machine - they are passengers nonetheless.
Do you allocate a token value for each individual journey made using said weekly and monthly passes (and how much?), or does the issuing bus and route take the full value on day of issue?
How can you even contemplate complete withdrawal of the 37 service to Northwick and Green Lane without efforts to revive it when there is a history of public transport stretching back into the 19th Century of horse drawn trams until 1904 when electric trams ran to The Vine Inn in Ombersley Road?
From 1928 Midland Red took over from the trams with petrol engined buses to Beckett Road and a few years later to Green Lane, I just cannot believe you are about to end 91 years, repeat 91 years, of continuous bus service. Is it any wonder I am having sleepless nights when you are about to destroy part of my local history?