South Yorkshire Bus Service Needs Improvement

[blackydog]

1 hour ago, HeHasRisen said:

Yes. Its not tricky to get to, if anyone is driving into any city centre blind without doing 2 mins research first then they are an idiot.

You're talking rubbish. Imagine a popular attraction at the City Hall. Dozens of people dropping off at the City Hall who have no knowledge of Sheffield, would be astonished at how difficult Sheffield road planners have (purposely) made it to to get to the City Hall.  

Reaching the City Hall and leaving it , there's distracting signs preventing you from turning right, left and going straight ahead along the route, coupled with other road signs and tram signs, including bus and tram only.

If you think what they are doing in Sheffield is beneficial, you don't need to look far for an idiot.

 

 

[HeHasRisen]

As I said, if you drive into any unfamiliar road network without doing 2 mins of research first, you are an idiot.

 

The above rant doesnt change that.

[AndrewC]

21 minutes ago, blackydog said:

You're talking rubbish. Imagine a popular attraction at the City Hall. Dozens of people dropping off at the City Hall who have no knowledge of Sheffield, would be astonished at how difficult Sheffield road planners have (purposely) made it to to get to the City Hall.  

Reaching the City Hall and leaving it , there's distracting signs preventing you from turning right, left and going straight ahead along the route, coupled with other road signs and tram signs, including bus and tram only.

If you think what they are doing in Sheffield is beneficial, you don't need to look far for an idiot.

 

 

Why imagine? There are (or at least pre-pandemic were) sold-out or near-sold-out events at the City Hall regularly, and to the best of my knowledge no persistent, major complaints about access that I know of or have ever seen raised with the City Hall or in newspapers, petitions etc.

 

The vast majority of people arrive by foot having used either public transport or parked their car in one of the many accessible car parks within a few minutes walk. Taxis will be dropping a lot of people off but will know the routes well. So that really just leaves people with mobility issues who need to be dropped off right outside, and personally, if I was dropping someone off in the city centre and needed to literally get outside the front door, I would be mortified with myself if I didn't pre-plan my journey with even just 30 seconds looking at a map.

 

Cities are big, busy and - not unsurprisingly given the pollution and safety impacts they impose - usually restrict car access as much as possible so that certain city centre streets and squares (like Barkers Pool) can remain car-free and pleasant to be in as much as possible. Most people seem to be able to navigate the city using the ring-road and the access roads that run through it without too many issues.

[HeHasRisen]

6 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

Why imagine? There are (or at least pre-pandemic were) sold-out or near-sold-out events at the City Hall regularly, and to the best of my knowledge no persistent, major complaints about access that I know of or have ever seen raised with the City Hall or in newspapers, petitions etc.

 

The vast majority of people arrive by foot having used either public transport or parked their car in one of the many accessible car parks within a few minutes walk. Taxis will be dropping a lot of people off but will know the routes well. So that really just leaves people with mobility issues who need to be dropped off right outside, and personally, if I was dropping someone off in the city centre and needed to literally get outside the front door, I would be mortified with myself if I didn't pre-plan my journey with even just 30 seconds looking at a map.

 

Cities are big, busy and - not unsurprisingly given the pollution and safety impacts they impose - usually restrict car access as much as possible so that certain city centre streets and squares (like Barkers Pool) can remain car-free and pleasant to be in as much as possible. Most people seem to be able to navigate the city using the ring-road and the access roads that run through it without too many issues.

Indeed. Imagine if Google Maps told you the exact route too, so I really dont see the issue.

 

https://ibb.co/9t1vD3f

 

Just another rant for the sake of it.

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by HeHasRisen

[Guest busdriver1]

4 hours ago, blackydog said:

That isn't true.

Errr I think you will find it is true. If you say it isnt please give some idea as to why that is the case. The national press seem to think that is the case alongside many trade publications.

[blackydog]

21 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

Errr I think you will find it is true. If you say it isnt please give some idea as to why that is the case. The national press seem to think that is the case alongside many trade publications.

Err I think you will find it isn't.

National Express and Stagecoach MERGER

Merger not takeover.  And it still wasn't complete at the time of the article a month ago. I cannot find a later report in searches.

[Guest busdriver1]

3 hours ago, blackydog said:

Err I think you will find it isn't.

National Express and Stagecoach MERGER

Merger not takeover.  And it still wasn't complete at the time of the article a month ago. I cannot find a later report in searches.

well done, you found the only publication that describes the sale as a merger. 75% national Express and 25% Stagecoach says takeover to all and sundry (except you and one solitary journalist).

[RollingJ]

Just now, busdriver1 said:

well done, you found the only publication that describes the sale as a merger. 75% national Express and 25% Stagecoach says takeover to all and sundry (except you and one solitary journalist).

👍🤣

[Andy C]

I see Louise Haigh MP has joined Mayor Dan Jarvis in the public criticism of public transport operators and the absolute twaddle she has come out with concerns me greatly given she is the Labour Party's shadow transport secretary!

 

Buses in Sheffield currently operate as part of the Sheffield Bus Partnership which is a voluntary agreement between both private and public sector. This has been running since around 2012 when First and Travelmaster both slashed ticket prices significantly and a weekly CityWide pass valid on all buses and trams in Sheffield is still no more expensive in 2022 than a First only weekly ticket was 10 years ago despite the costs of providing the service having risen over the years -  new and refurbished buses have been invested in too! The operators have in those years also produced an all operator network map in both electronic and printed form, invested in online sales with smart card fulfilment along with mobile phone apps - and other initiatives. A new co-ordinated network was launched not long after the partnership was introduced, the network was designed by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, a public sector organisation now controlled by the SY Mayor, and that is broadly what operates now.

 

Since then SYPTE has had a big focus on making budget savings - they've axed printed publicity, closed travel information centres, cut loss making socially necessary bus services, cut back cleaning and maintenance of bus stops, introduced departure fees in bus stations, reduced Travel-Line opening hours, made it harder to apply for concessionary passes and more.

 

Meanwhile the other public sector organisation in the partnership, Sheffield City Council, came in for some criticism in the bus report produced by Clive Betts MP. They aren't delivering on infrastructure needed for a reliable bus service - ie bus priority measures and proper enforcement thereof; they aren't insisting on new build housing estates including roads suitable for running buses on, they aren't communicating with bus operators on roadworks that block bus routes, they've been making changes in the City Centre with no consideration of bus users resulting in a severely downgraded experience - and more. At the same time they've also invested in the inner ring road and given permission to the building of numerous multi-storey car parks all making bringing the car into the city more attractive and now propose a clean air zone charge that doesn't apply to cars!

 

Bus operators aren't making money in Sheffield. In fact First South Yorkshire have admitted they haven't made a profit in over 10 years - which is about when the bus partnership launched and they slashed the ticket prices....

 

The Labour (and other) politicians are blaming the bus businesses, who are on their knees after 2 years of Covid restrictions and politicians telling the public not to travel, a period where the fares have been frozen, very few passengers have travelled and the support funding has barely covered the cost of providing the service, which is now being withdrawn with patronage still well down on pre-pandemic levels. They say the service would be better if publically controlled - but for the service to be maintained as it is now the taxpayer would have to fund the losses the operators have been sustaining, for any improvement even more public funds would have to be found which frankly I don't believe will happen.

 

And of course, are more people going to try bus travel when the mayor and local MPs are shouting to the world that the service is rubbish?

 

Meanwhile they try to hold up London as the role model of publically controlled franchised bus services. Transport for London is pretty much bankrupt, begging the government for money on an almost weekly basis, their mayors have cut back on bus priority measures with the result of bus journeys becoming slower and less reliable with falling patronage and services being cut despite bargain fares being subsidised by the taxpayer.

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by Andy C

[hackey lad]

I stopped reading at Louise Haigh MP .  What a joker