South Yorkshire Bus Service Needs Improvement

[The_DADDY]

12 minutes ago, Resident said:

You need to know that RMBC are currently removing a perfectly sound and frequently used (X1/X10) bus lane on Sheffield Roadin order to install segregated cycle path. 

 

The stupidity is unbound with this council. 

My bold

Crazy but typical 

[Irene Swaine]

21 hours ago, Resident said:

Passenger numbers for those services would denote that the current service level is appropriate. 

 

The 73 struggles to get round the estate at the best of times (Lescar Rd) due to the new rabbit hutches only providing one parking space so most households park their 2nd car on the road. 

Oh dear. What a conundrum. One should be able to expect one's cheap housing to come with space for one's second car. I am off to make a Go Fund Me page right away.

[Guest busdriver1]

23 hours ago, Resident said:

Passenger numbers for those services would denote that the current service level is appropriate. 

 

The 73 struggles to get round the estate at the best of times (Lescar Rd) due to the new rabbit hutches only providing one parking space so most households park their 2nd car on the road. 

Ever since the first bus ran round Waverley there has never been a demand for it and TBH I doubt there ever will be.

When buying a house, a potential purchaser will look at the level of bus service being provided AT THAT TIME,  not what may or may not be planned for the future. More so in the area covered by SYMCA / SYPTE who have previous for failing to deliver. Therefore most, if not all, residents of that area will have a minimum of one car and in many cases 2 or even 3 cars at an address. 

The only thing that is achieved by running buses round there is to delay the journeys for passengers from other areas. 

[Resident]

On 12/08/2023 at 16:49, busdriver1 said:

Ever since the first bus ran round Waverley there has never been a demand for it and TBH I doubt there ever will be.

When buying a house, a potential purchaser will look at the level of bus service being provided AT THAT TIME,  not what may or may not be planned for the future. More so in the area covered by SYMCA / SYPTE who have previous for failing to deliver. Therefore most, if not all, residents of that area will have a minimum of one car and in many cases 2 or even 3 cars at an address. 

The only thing that is achieved by running buses round there is to delay the journeys for passengers from other areas. 

One of the new "improvements" coming in November is the addition of Service 207. Which is a 208 that continues to Rotherham from Worrygoose RA via Spinneyfield and RDGH. Apparently a councillor demanded a service on Spinneyfield (which was lost when the 26 was cancelled) and SYMCA have caved despite ALL data from both First (26) & Stagecoach (21) showing less than 1 passenger per week average gets on or off and only at the broom lane side where there's a stop on broom lane within 20 yrd of turning off/on to Spinneyfield.

 

 

Anyway people are already moaning about the impending changes. 

My view is South Yorkshire gets the service is pays for. Almost 70% of passengers are OAP/Disabled. The subsidy paid to operators for this is dire and less than half of a full paying adult. 

Which leaves 30% of passengers to pay for the shortfalls.  Imagine how much services could be improved if 100% of service users actually paid...

Edited October 10, 2023 by Resident

[Irene Swaine]

On 10/10/2023 at 17:23, Resident said:

One of the new "improvements" coming in November is the addition of Service 207. Which is a 208 that continues to Rotherham from Worrygoose RA via Spinneyfield and RDGH. Apparently a councillor demanded a service on Spinneyfield (which was lost when the 26 was cancelled) and SYMCA have caved despite ALL data from both First (26) & Stagecoach (21) showing less than 1 passenger per week average gets on or off and only at the broom lane side where there's a stop on broom lane within 20 yrd of turning off/on to Spinneyfield.

 

 

Anyway people are already moaning about the impending changes. 

My view is South Yorkshire gets the service is pays for. Almost 70% of passengers are OAP/Disabled. The subsidy paid to operators for this is dire and less than half of a full paying adult. 

Which leaves 30% of passengers to pay for the shortfalls.  Imagine how much services could be improved if 100% of service users actually paid...

The subsidy for concessions needs to be increased to match the full adult fare. Whiston is a place I like to visit and recently was shocked at how atrocious the service there has become. The 21 is an unreliable service, it's often late or missing. I do think that a reliable service that takes people as close to their destination as possible is the key.  We don't see advertising for buses as we do with other new business ventures. For example, I only found out about the X57 Manchester Airport service from seeing it on the streets. Get advertising on billboards, local radio, let people know that the service is there. I have also noticed that TSY have stopped issuing timetables at their travel centres. This is a big mistake. If a customer has something in their bag that shows where the bus goes and when, rather than just arriving at the bus stop and hoping for the best, they can incorporate it in to their plans for the day/evening. 

[Findlay]

We need to develop public transport into mini hubs. Of course need to put buses where people are so there should be a bus route close to the cente of every population of 1000 people. A town of 2,000 people needs 2 bus routes to neighbouring transport hubs.

Car parks and bike parks like train stations and the same for extended routes of the tram if they ever go ahead.

[Resident]

5 hours ago, Findlay said:

We need to develop public transport into mini hubs. Of course need to put buses where people are so there should be a bus route close to the cente of every population of 1000 people. A town of 2,000 people needs 2 bus routes to neighbouring transport hubs.

Car parks and bike parks like train stations and the same for extended routes of the tram if they ever go ahead.

Interchanges used to be well used but then people wanted to go from one end of the greater city area to the other and not have to change buses. It's those cross-city routes that suffer the most delays and cancellations to traffic

[hackey lad]

3 minutes ago, Resident said:

Interchanges used to be well used but then people wanted to go from one end of the greater city area to the other and not have to change buses. It's those cross-city routes that suffer the most delays and cancellations to traffic

My mate said the same about the trams . If there’s a delay at Hillsborough it impacts all the through to Halfway. Why not have Halfway to town and Hillsborough to town .

[Irene Swaine]

If Interchanges worked like Underground stations, perhaps people would be more inclined to use them. Hillsborough, for example has no indoor seating when the information desk is closed only one real time departure screen and nowhere to get something to eat or drink. Crystal Peaks is just as bad, there aren't even any staff there at any time of the day. With the little thugs that hang around there, it's not somewhere I would feel comfortable changing buses of an evening. I understand that bus companies are chargeda substantial amount to use the Interchage, which is why the main one doesn't see as much use as planned when built. 

[Andy C]

On 12/10/2023 at 15:44, Irene Swaine said:

If Interchanges worked like Underground stations, perhaps people would be more inclined to use them. Hillsborough, for example has no indoor seating when the information desk is closed only one real time departure screen and nowhere to get something to eat or drink. Crystal Peaks is just as bad, there aren't even any staff there at any time of the day. With the little thugs that hang around there, it's not somewhere I would feel comfortable changing buses of an evening. I understand that bus companies are chargeda substantial amount to use the Interchage, which is why the main one doesn't see as much use as planned when built. 

I would say the main reason Sheffield Interchange isn't well used is the location not being where passengers want to travel to/from - it is fine for connecting with National Express coaches or trains but it isn't anywhere near most of the shops, offices, nightlife etc.

 

As for refreshments at Hillsborough, around the tram stop area there are 3 pubs, a coffee shop and a chippy! I'd also argue that London Underground stations are less pleasant places and have less facilities! You also don't see many staff on an Underground station other than someone supervising the ticket gates. 

 

The difference is, in London the service frequency is generally quite high so you are just turning up and getting on an imminent departure, whereas using a Hillsborough or Crystal Peaks example you might get on one of the regular trams from Sheffield Centre out to Hillsborough or Crystal Peaks but then find a long wait for a bus which might be a rural service that operates hourly or less.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Andy C