Christmas/New Year public transport 2015

[alexander874]

I suspect loadings on buses on Boxing Day and New Years Day will be down due to the lack of printed timetables , good to see Supertram have free holiday time tables on all the trams and also details on all tram stops .

[AlexRaybould]

Thanks for the information, Andy.

[dutch]

I have spoken with four people at Cineworld last night who were not aware and shocked to hear the system was frozen for 50 hrs from 6pm.

To call it 7PM is not fair because that was the time most buses arrived at the last final stop.

 

---------- Post added 25-12-2015 at 15:43 ----------

 

Ironically there are many places in Netherlands where shops are closed on most but not all Sundays and shops usually close a lot earlier than here.

But the trains and buses keep running a reasonable decent adjusted holiday schedule on Christmas eve, day, and boxing day.

 

It appears a little hypocritical to me that in a society where some shops are open 24hrs and 7 days a week almost all year round. Suddenly Christmas is supposed to some sort of holy religious excuse to stop all public transport completely flat out.

Edited December 25, 2015 by dutch

[CheekyBandit]

The problem in Sheffield is everyone says they want nightbuses etc but when they are provided no one actually uses them and not enough tickets are sold to cover the cost of operation. Both TM Travel and Stagecoach have made attempts to launch a trial network that has failed.

 

I wasn't referring to really late night services, but to the 7 pm 'curfew' on Christmas and New Years' Eves. My New Year will be kicking off with Bryan Adams's gig on the Beeb and a bottle of Prosecco!

 

The 1900 'curfew' is pretty rubbish. There was an event on Christmas Eve starting at 2000, which if buses ran to usual end of service (like in 1997 IIRC) I could have easily got home - no need for nightbus services.

[Andy C]

There is a general view of lack of demand on the eves - compared to about 10-15 years ago, the City Centre is dead - people are in their local pubs, house parties or at home with the family.

 

I was in Sheffield on Christmas Eve until the last 43 bus left at 19:15 and by that point it was a ghost town, in Dronfield the pubs were packed.

 

---------- Post added 26-12-2015 at 09:28 ----------

 

I have spoken with four people at Cineworld last night who were not aware and shocked to hear the system was frozen for 50 hrs from 6pm.

To call it 7PM is not fair because that was the time most buses arrived at the last final stop.

 

---------- Post added 25-12-2015 at 15:43 ----------

 

Ironically there are many places in Netherlands where shops are closed on most but not all Sundays and shops usually close a lot earlier than here.

But the trains and buses keep running a reasonable decent adjusted holiday schedule on Christmas eve, day, and boxing day.

 

It appears a little hypocritical to me that in a society where some shops are open 24hrs and 7 days a week almost all year round. Suddenly Christmas is supposed to some sort of holy religious excuse to stop all public transport completely flat out.

 

All those you spoke to drive to Cineworld presumably.

 

If people don't use the evening buses and trams then they aren't viable.

[dutch]

There is a general view of lack of demand on the eves - compared to about 10-15 years ago, the City Centre is dead - people are in their local pubs, house parties or at home with the family.

 

I was in Sheffield on Christmas Eve until the last 43 bus left at 19:15 and by that point it was a ghost town, in Dronfield the pubs were packed.

 

---------- Post added 26-12-2015 at 09:28 ----------

 

 

All those you spoke to drive to Cineworld presumably.

 

If people don't use the evening buses and trams then they aren't viable.

 

Yes but they almost had decided to come by tram and all screamed happily that they would have been stuck if they would have done that.

 

Maybe if transport were available some people would use it. I would have used it Christmas eve at 10PM but had to arrange a ride.

Friday it was raining hard but if it would have been dry I would have used it.

Todays (boxing day) service is a total joke and insulting to the dead to call it a skeleton service. What is running today is not even half a skeleton, the skull is definitely missing.

I cannot drive safely due to medical issues and totally depend on friends and taxis when the system stops.

Edited December 26, 2015 by dutch

[kaytie]

There is a general view of lack of demand on the eves - compared to about 10-15 years ago, the City Centre is dead - people are in their local pubs, house parties or at home with the family.

 

I was in Sheffield on Christmas Eve until the last 43 bus left at 19:15 and by that point it was a ghost town, in Dronfield the pubs were packed.

 

---------- Post added 26-12-2015 at 09:28 ----------

 

 

All those you spoke to drive to Cineworld presumably.

 

If people don't use the evening buses and trams then they aren't viable.

 

Which comes first - chicken or egg? Maybe the city centre is dead because there is no transport home! I would have gone there Christmas Eve if there had been a normal (ish) bus service home and surely I can't be the only person thinking along these lines.

[Andy C]

Which comes first - chicken or egg? Maybe the city centre is dead because there is no transport home! I would have gone there Christmas Eve if there had been a normal (ish) bus service home and surely I can't be the only person thinking along these lines.

 

On a normal weekend most people get a bus or tram into town then a taxi back for a night out. This is still possible.

 

The supply of taxis has increased dramatically in recent years, although that isn't a bad thing it has taken a lot of business away from evening bus services

[stormvixen]

Re: The comments about the night buses - IIRC the trials failed because they simply didn't go where the demand actually was.... (they assumed it was students who wanted it predominantly!)

 

Sounds shockingly familiar to a more recent shake up!!

 

However Christmas Eve was an absolute farce. I've never seen so much traffic on the road in the evening on this date, which I'm sure is down to the fact that the buses stopped so early. As someone else has said - saying the service is til 7pm is not right - in reality services were starting to drop off from 4.30. I know, I was trying to get home.

It's another example of not thinking things through.

 

I totally agree there should be a reduced service on Christmas Eve, don't get me wrong, but it needs to take into account what's going on in the city.

[Andy C]

Re: The comments about the night buses - IIRC the trials failed because they simply didn't go where the demand actually was.... (they assumed it was students who wanted it predominantly!)

 

Sounds shockingly familiar to a more recent shake up!!

 

However Christmas Eve was an absolute farce. I've never seen so much traffic on the road in the evening on this date, which I'm sure is down to the fact that the buses stopped so early. As someone else has said - saying the service is til 7pm is not right - in reality services were starting to drop off from 4.30. I know, I was trying to get home.

It's another example of not thinking things through.

 

I totally agree there should be a reduced service on Christmas Eve, don't get me wrong, but it needs to take into account what's going on in the city.

 

The TM Travel Night buses had 3 routes - Batemoor via Carter Knowle and Woodseats, Handsworth via Crystal Peaks and Chapeltown via Crookes and Hillsborough. The Stagecoach Night buses also had 3 routes - N25 to Low Edges via Woodseats, N52 to Woodhouse and N88 to Chapeltown. Not entirely catering for students!

 

As for Christmas Eve, last buses on Stagecoach and TM Travel were leaving around 6:30pm to 7pm. Download the Stagecoach list here: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/yorkshire/stagecoach-yorkshire-festive-services and TM Travel list here: http://www.tmtravel.co.uk/christmas-2015/

 

I travelled on the last 43 from Sheffield City Centre to Dronfield on Christmas Eve - 19:15 from Flat Street, 19:18 from Arundel Gate, there were only a handful of passengers on it and that side of town was dead, in contrast to the afternoon when town was really busy with shoppers - however the shops shut around 4pm.

 

First seem to have decide to chuck the towel in a little earlier with last departures around 5:30-6pm. List here: http://www.firstgroup.com/south-yorkshire/news-and-service-updates/planned-changes/christmas-and-new-year-buses-1#lb

Edited December 27, 2015 by Andy C