Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Bus and Coach operations, new or changed services and timetables for First Midland Red Buses Limited or its predecessor, Midland Red West Limited.
TimBrown
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Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by TimBrown » 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?

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AdamH
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by AdamH » 12:13 Saturday 21st September 2019

BMMO started running buses up Ombersley Road on Wednesday 4th November 1914, to Kidderminster and Stourbridge, on Service 37. Yes, same route number! That route was later the 315/6 and now the 303.

OK, this is not a local route like the original W1 from 1928 or today’s 37, and before 1928 they were banned from taking local trade so no to compete with the trams, but it still makes for almost 105 years of continuous service on that road.

TimBrown
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by TimBrown » 12:28 Saturday 21st September 2019

AdamH wrote:
12:13 Saturday 21st September 2019
BMMO started running buses up Ombersley Road on Wednesday 4th November 1914, to Kidderminster and Stourbridge, on Service 37. Yes, same route number! That route was later the 315/6 and now the 303.

OK, this is not a local route like the original W1 from 1928 or today’s 37, and before 1928 they were banned from taking local trade so no to compete with the trams, but it still makes for almost 105 years of continuous service on that road.
Thanks for the information Adam, how on earth did we get to this sorry position?
I have tried to get into contact with Diamond to hopefully pre-empt any service cuts they might be considering on what will be our only lifeline, the 303, without success. So far they haven't bothered to reply to my written request on their website and its a week since I posted the message.

TimBrown
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by TimBrown » 12:54 Saturday 21st September 2019

Just been checking, the horse trams commenced working in 1881 so that puts City service public transport along Ombersley Road in operation one way and another for 138 years - must not kill it now!
https://www.google.com/search?q=worcest ... 0089j0j4&s

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AdamH
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by AdamH » 17:00 Saturday 21st September 2019

The very early Ombersley Road BMMO services were run out of the same depot as the trams... http://midlandred.net/depots/index.php?depot=wr_sj

DD12
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by DD12 » 21:01 Saturday 21st September 2019

Is the "threat" to withdraw (or reduce) the 37 actually just a ploy to get the council to cough-up the money from the housing developers at the top of the Ombersley Road ??

I don't know how these things work, and the last time I tried to get information via google about possible payments to the bus companies for services for new housing at Malvern Vale and Kempsey, I couldn't find anything.

I used the 37 on Thursday, and rode on 33404 ("MIDLAND RED")
past a certain gentleman's house (he was doing his weeding, I think) -- I got back on the 37 later at the New Inn bus stop at c.16.00, but ironically DIAMOND came first on the 303 and picked up a young (fare-paying) passenger !

-- First cannot do anything about the timing because the same DD had just completed the 32S (schools), and is needed back at Crowngate for the late afternoon peak.

DD12
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by DD12 » 21:23 Saturday 21st September 2019

AdamH wrote:
12:13 Saturday 21st September 2019
BMMO started running buses up Ombersley Road on Wednesday 4th November 1914, to Kidderminster and Stourbridge, on Service 37. Yes, same route number! That route was later the 315/6 and now the 303.

OK, this is not a local route like the original W1 from 1928 or today’s 37, and before 1928 they were banned from taking local trade so no to compete with the trams, but it still makes for almost 105 years of continuous service on that road.
That's a fascinating bit of info (for me, having grown-up along the Ombersley Road !) --
Thanks very much !

TimBrown
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by TimBrown » 09:54 Sunday 22nd September 2019

DD12 wrote:
21:01 Saturday 21st September 2019
Is the "threat" to withdraw (or reduce) the 37 actually just a ploy to get the council to cough-up the money from the housing developers at the top of the Ombersley Road ??
My guess would be that the developers have been paying their dues to First Bus for some time now and the contract ended sometime recently i.e. in the summer this year, hence the cuts this October and threat of complete withdrawal at start of the new year. I say this because the development looks more or less complete now. As for the promised re-routing of the 37 along Bevere Close and into the estate via an access road at junction of Bevere Close and Green Lane, I would say this move is well and truly 'dead in the water'.

TimBrown
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by TimBrown » 05:37 Monday 23rd September 2019

Just as we are getting used to the idea of no 37 bus service whatsoever on Saturday around Northwick and Bevere, we are presented with the joyous news in the weekly Worcester Observer newspaper of a new half-hourly 31N night bus service from Tramps Nightclub no less to the University on Saturdays and other days of the week! I realise that the University is covering the cost, but look at the £1 fare. A single almost anywhere on day time City services over 1.5 miles is £2-80 for an adult which leaves me thinking our public transport is in a dire topsy-turvy condition in Worcester. Who wrote the script?
https://worcesterobserver.co.uk/news/al ... night-out/

DD12
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Re: Inaccurate passenger analysis Mr Eggleton?

Post by DD12 » 12:10 Monday 23rd September 2019

Tim, I have "copied" you in getting in contact with Diamond, to alert them about the possible withdrawal (/ reduction) of the 37.

Like most "enthusiasts", I am not a fan of Diamond, but I have admired their sustained 303 timetable, and their lowest cost operation -- -- they have only manageable debt, and no "black hole" rail and foreign operations.

Like yourself, I felt it necessary to alert Diamond in case they are thinking of reducing the 303, and because of the unwillingness of the county council to help our bus services (despite all the"fancy" stuff they say !) - and because of the risk of a "less-than-minimum" service along the Ombersley Road.

http://wmbusphotos.com/forum/index.php?topic=2074.2100

- see page 141.

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