October changes

Bus and Coach operations, new or changed services and timetables for First Midland Red Buses Limited or its predecessor, Midland Red West Limited.
TimBrown
Posts: 1280
Joined: 05:59 Monday 4th July 2016
Location: Worcester

Re: October changes

Post by TimBrown » 05:41 Saturday 7th September 2019

DD12 wrote:
21:00 Friday 6th September 2019
TimBrown wrote:
10:55 Friday 6th September 2019

Here is the link detailing the cuts;

https://www.firstgroup.com/worcestershi ... tober-2019
TIM -- -- an opportunity for Diamond ??

-- Ombersley Road -- London Road -- Norton Parkway -- Pershore ??
Diamond seem to be following the same patterns of streamlining and rationalisation in Kidderminster and Redditch i.e. reduced frequency and combining two or three services into one.

I think there is something in the average person's psyche that they will willingly use the bus if there is a regular 10 minute frequency and they don't need to use a timetable or hang about in the likes of Crowngate bus station waiting for up to an hour for a return service. A car is always waiting and ready to move on demand, so infrequent buses become the last resort of the elderly, single mums and schoolchildren.

Many fit erstwhile bus passengers in my neck of the woods use 'shanks's pony' to and from the city now. You even see loads of people walking up and down Rainbow Hill/Brickfields area because of bunching and unreliability of supposed 10 minute frequency 'Nimrod' 35.

I am not convinced that Diamond vehicles are up to scratch with regards to maintenance - still getting reports of buses leaving Kidderminster failing a few hundred yards from the bus station and the same happening with the replacement with all passengers having to catch the next bus running an hour later on 303. Worried that the passenger levels on the 303 seemed to be much lower last week when I had a trip over to Kidderminster compared to say twelve months ago, so just hope Diamond maintain their hourly service when First desert the 37 for good in a few months time. What a an unspeakable mess!

The cynic in me asks the question, will the announced cuts reduce the fleet by the nine Streetlite Max buses earmarked for the Leicester CAZ in 2020 thus obviating the need for more dirty exhaust Citaros?

TimBrown
Posts: 1280
Joined: 05:59 Monday 4th July 2016
Location: Worcester

Re: October changes

Post by TimBrown » 09:10 Monday 9th September 2019

I have calmed down enough to study the revised 37 timetable from 13 October 2019, noting that this date is a Sunday and we haven't had a bus service in Bevere on a Sunday for years!

The stupid planners have moved the well loaded 0930 route 37 bus into town to an earlier 0918 thus robbing this service of a full load of pensioners who can’t use their pass until 0930, guaranteeing that this bus will be withdrawn soon even If the monday to friday 37 service survives the cull.

The running time from Crowngate bus station to Bevere Green Lane terminus has also been reduced with a bare 25 minutes for the round trip, so does this mean the bus is now running direct up the main road missing all the regulars from Northwick Green/Leabank Drive etc? If not I reckon there will be much late running and missed runs because of our wonderful City traffic hold-ups.

At present we still have an hourly 303 Diamond Bus, but I noted lower patronage last week when I went over to Kidderminster compared with say six months ago, however, it should still be safe on Saturdays picking up the discarded/abandoned First Bus passengers!

Does anyone have any good news?

DD12
Posts: 1650
Joined: 19:49 Monday 4th July 2016

Re: October changes

Post by DD12 » 11:37 Monday 9th September 2019

TimBrown wrote:
09:10 Monday 9th September 2019


Does anyone have any good news?
Nope, sorry Tim.

I have never made a proper study of how the revenue from OAP passes works, but there has been publicity over the years, about scenic services in holiday areas being withdrawn due to the fact that buses were filling-up with OAPs, and the services were said to be "losing money" (I believe).
I don't know if anything like that applies to First Worcester services, but if it does maybe First are hoping that half or a third of the passengers who currently use the 09.30 - 37, will pay to use the earlier one to town, and use their passes on their way home ??

Also, it looks to me like Diamond's 303 runs just a few minutes before the revised First timing, so how will that affect things ? (Traffic jam in my head now, - sorry).

(P.S. - I will be entitled to an OAP pass soon myself !)

TimBrown
Posts: 1280
Joined: 05:59 Monday 4th July 2016
Location: Worcester

Re: October changes

Post by TimBrown » 12:16 Monday 9th September 2019

DD12 wrote:
11:37 Monday 9th September 2019
TimBrown wrote:
09:10 Monday 9th September 2019


Does anyone have any good news?
Nope, sorry Tim.

I have never made a proper study of how the revenue from OAP passes works, but there has been publicity over the years, about scenic services in holiday areas being withdrawn due to the fact that buses were filling-up with OAPs, and the services were said to be "losing money" (I believe).
I don't know if anything like that applies to First Worcester services, but if it does maybe First are hoping that half or a third of the passengers who currently use the 09.30 - 37, will pay to use the earlier one to town, and use their passes on their way home ??

Also, it looks to me like Diamond's 303 runs just a few minutes before the revised First timing, so how will that affect things ? (Traffic jam in my head now, - sorry).

(P.S. - I will be entitled to an OAP pass soon myself !)
I reckon and have always reckoned that the pensioner concessionary passes keep many services running, I don't know the exact figure but seem to have heard the subsidy paid by Worcestershire C. C. is approx £1-20 per trip so a Citaro full and standing by the time it reaches Barbourne Brook would be raking in £40 or more, with a similar sum distributed over a number of return journeys.

The business about pensioners paying full fare into the City just doesn't work in practice, if you remember First pulled the 09-00 Green Lane 37 about the same time you could only buy a 10 trip ticket on line/mobile APP. Up until that point quite a number of oldies bought them off the bus, self included, to be able to do a bit of early shopping without wasting all morning doing it. As many of us don't have internet connected mobiles the game was up!

As the first 'twirley' bus will be at 09-54, I suspect many old 'uns will use their cars, especially those, like me, with blue disabled badges allowing 3 hours FREE parking in the City centre. Quite frankly I believe First are either incompetent (they keep 'shooting themselves in the foot') or deliberately making certain marginal routes uneconomical to reduce the fleet size.

(How about that, not one swear word in this rant!).

DD12
Posts: 1650
Joined: 19:49 Monday 4th July 2016

Re: October changes

Post by DD12 » 13:04 Monday 9th September 2019

Thanks Tim, that's interesting -- I shall review that when my brain restarts !

chason
Posts: 242
Joined: 14:24 Friday 22nd July 2016
Location: Bromsgrove

Re: October changes

Post by chason » 22:40 Tuesday 10th September 2019

I'd be interested to hear more about just how much Worcs CC subsidises the concessionary journeys. I seem to recall reading in Cornwall, it had dropped to less than 60p so if it is still around £1.20 in Worcestershire, they would seem to be doing quite well. Austerity is supposed to be over now, so time some of the financial cuts of recent years need to be restored.

Mind you, the BBC are now expected to bear the cost of the over 75s TV licences so let's hope some bright spark in the new government doesn't think a similar policy could apply to the concessionary bus pass scheme!

bmmoboy
Posts: 549
Joined: 20:02 Tuesday 5th July 2016

Re: October changes

Post by bmmoboy » 22:51 Tuesday 10th September 2019

Tim

Some good news (but only if you live in Warndon Villages) - the 34 is being increased from every 30 minutes, to every 20 minutes, it's pretty crap for the rest of the City!

TimBrown
Posts: 1280
Joined: 05:59 Monday 4th July 2016
Location: Worcester

Re: October changes

Post by TimBrown » 04:57 Wednesday 11th September 2019

bmmoboy wrote:
22:51 Tuesday 10th September 2019
Tim

Some good news (but only if you live in Warndon Villages) - the 34 is being increased from every 30 minutes, to every 20 minutes, it's pretty crap for the rest of the City!
But the 33 will be withdrawn from mid October. It was every 30 minutes which combined with the current 30 minute frequency 34 made for a bus every 15 minutes along Tolladine Road, so the increase of 34 to every 20 minutes is a net reduction of one bus an hour from 4 to 3. My friend who uses the bus is spitting feathers because the service is not very reliable now, so he fears the 'upgrade' will make it much worse. He says Worcester is a feral wild west town and he is looking to live somewhere that public transport hasn't been adulterated. :( :x

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AdamH
Posts: 2044
Joined: 12:17 Sunday 3rd July 2016
Location: Worcester
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Re: October changes

Post by AdamH » 07:57 Wednesday 11th September 2019

bmmoboy wrote:
22:51 Tuesday 10th September 2019
Some good news (but only if you live in Warndon Villages) - the 34 is being increased from every 30 minutes, to every 20 minutes, it's pretty crap for the rest of the City!
And I'm told it will no longer call into Tesco to save time... is this true?

Charliedaffin
Posts: 172
Joined: 08:32 Monday 29th October 2018
Location: St johns

Re: October changes

Post by Charliedaffin » 15:54 Wednesday 11th September 2019

Rediculous! Are they trying to reduce the fleet so that we can send away the streetlites and still not need the citaros!

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