South Yorkshire Bus Service Needs Improvement

[Guest busdriver1]

1 hour ago, Andy C said:

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.

 

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.

 

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 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.

 

But if they told the truth about the state of the bus services and how they have got there they would not win the votes of gullible people and that is what this is all about.  The one MAJOR difference in the last few years is the amount of staff saying enough is enough and walking away from the industry, some after very long periods of service. Nobody wants to drive buses in Sheffield. No prizes for guessing why.

[Findlay]

There does need an almighty change of attitudes to get people back on buses and that can only be done by making car journeys less convenient by whatever means with supply and disabled access carefully thought through, designed and tested.

With the cost of fuel rising, some people will not be able to afford running a car and will be looking to public transport.

I would like to see the tram network extended into a figure 8 with smaller buses serving tram stops to the wider areas as some tram stops are still too far away.

I have seen new roads built with no consideration for buses that simply cannot get around the corners created.

[BigAl1]

14 hours ago, hackey lad said:

I stopped reading at Louise Haigh MP .  What a joker 

perhaps a good idea to stop posting then

[blackydog]

16 hours ago, 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).

I also said that was the most recent report I could find, so as to be a fair representation of the current situation. It's not like it's an unreliable source.  

I must be seeing things re these too.

BBC

Stagecoach and National Express agree to merge

Insider

National Express and Stagecoach agree to £437 million merger

Passenger Transport

Stagecoach and National Express agree merger

Sky

Regulator investigates £1.9bn National Express-Stagecoach merger

 

Fancy me thinking there might be a merger,  doh!

Edited February 18, 2022 by blackydog

[blackydog]

13 hours ago, Findlay said:

There does need an almighty change of attitudes to get people back on buses and that can only be done by making car journeys less convenient by whatever means with supply and disabled access carefully thought through, designed and tested.

With the cost of fuel rising, some people will not be able to afford running a car and will be looking to public transport.

I would like to see the tram network extended into a figure 8 with smaller buses serving tram stops to the wider areas as some tram stops are still too far away.

I have seen new roads built with no consideration for buses that simply cannot get around the corners created.

Not only attitudes, the finances have to be attractive. Some of the shorter bus / tram journeys must be close to private taxi money.   

I can go by car to Meadowhell and park for free. It has all the catering options Sheffield town centre can dream of, and it's warm and dry.

Sheffield council look to compete by making travel into Sheffield difficult, high parking charges and forcing shops out of business.

Oh hang on though, maybe they are not trying to compete, but have a single agenda of preventing motorists to enter the town centre or at least make it expensive and stressful. 

[BigAl1]

12 minutes ago, blackydog said:

Not only attitudes, the finances have to be attractive. Some of the shorter bus / tram journeys must be close to private taxi money.   

I can go by car to Meadowhell and park for free. It has all the catering options Sheffield town centre can dream of, and it's warm and dry.

Sheffield council look to compete by making travel into Sheffield difficult, high parking charges and forcing shops out of business.

Oh hang on though, maybe they are not trying to compete, but have a single agenda of preventing motorists to enter the town centre or at least make it expensive and stressful. 

Was unaware I could get a taxi to anywhere for £1.90 what company do you use

Now Sheffield may not be a gourmets delight but I have to say that I have never been tempted to consider going out for a meal at Meadowhell (yes a good description of the place even if unitended)

[max]

On 16/02/2022 at 13:08, blackydog said:

Have you tried dropping anyone off at the City Hall lately? 

Yes, simplicity itself.

[Guest busdriver1]

6 hours ago, blackydog said:

I also said that was the most recent report I could find, so as to be a fair representation of the current situation. It's not like it's an unreliable source.  

I must be seeing things re these too.

BBC

Stagecoach and National Express agree to merge

Insider

National Express and Stagecoach agree to £437 million merger

Passenger Transport

Stagecoach and National Express agree merger

Sky

Regulator investigates £1.9bn National Express-Stagecoach merger

 

Fancy me thinking there might be a merger,  doh!

First line of First link -  The deal, which involves an all-share takeover by National Express

First line of second link - National Express has agreed an all-share takeover of rival Stagecoach,

It often pays to read beyond the attention grabbing headlines

[Resident]

14 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

First line of First link -  The deal, which involves an all-share takeover by National Express

First line of second link - National Express has agreed an all-share takeover of rival Stagecoach,

It often pays to read beyond the attention grabbing headlines

Not to mention, as a business you don't MERGE with a failed/failing business. You take it over in order to capture it's assets at a cheap rate before it goes into insolvency and everyone has a crack at the auctions....

 

[blackydog]

17 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

First line of First link -  The deal, which involves an all-share takeover by National Express

First line of second link - National Express has agreed an all-share takeover of rival Stagecoach,

It often pays to read beyond the attention grabbing headlines

Why is talking of a merger headline grabbing? A headline of a takeover is more dramatic.

But you've put me right now anyway. I won't refer to professional journalists writing for a financial website, such as "thisismoney"  I'll just come on here and ask a bus driver.