Disappearing Bus Routes

[Anna B]

309 bus routes are being cancelled in April, leaving many people in some communities high and dry with no way of leaving their village. I don't know if it's just stage coach or other companies too, but if you don't have a car you've had it. (I believe Sheffield is trying to take the buses back into public ownership.)

 

If the government is serious in trying to encourage people to save the planet, surely public transport needs to be increased not removed. It's not just buses but services in general, like banks and post offices, which are being closed and services withdrawn, even simple cash machines in rural communities.

 

Don't ordinary people count any more? What are they supposed to do? What's happening to this country? 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Anna B

[ECCOnoob]

Do the routes have enough passenger numbers to make them viable?  Are there other alternative options in the area? Where was the funding coming from for all these routes and what has changed? What are the franchise arrangements or operator contracts? How does the provision compare to similar arrangements in similar rural low demand areas in other parts of the world?

 

For example, I can say from first-hand experience that in many areas of Spain and France buses do not venture off the primary Trunk Roads. If you live in a Tiny Village in the middle of rural Spain you have nothing.

 

For heavens sake stop taking a headline and instantly despairing and making over dramatic statements about the "state of the country".  For goodness sake, for the past few years there has been global disruption with more local disruption caused by brexit. It is clear that such impact was going to have a recession on the economy not just here but across the planet. A child of 5 will understand that things do not just stay as they were. Taxpayer monies is a finite resource and somebody has to make difficult decisions of when and what to cut.  Propping up some completely under used rural bus route to take Doris and her dog to the market once a week is ripe for such adjustment.

 

Sometimes I wonder why you still living here given you seem to be constantly ashamed or appalled or shocked or outraged or disgusted or distresed about every single government or public authority decision for the past half century.   

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by ECCOnoob

[HeHasRisen]

309 bus routes across England?  Not that many really.

[Anna B]

1 hour ago, ECCOnoob said:

Do the routes have enough passenger numbers to make them viable?  Are there other alternative options in the area? Where was the funding coming from for all these routes and what has changed? What are the franchise arrangements or operator contracts? How does the provision compare to similar arrangements in similar rural low demand areas in other parts of the world?

 

For example, I can say from first-hand experience that in many areas of Spain and France buses do not venture off the primary Trunk Roads. If you live in a Tiny Village in the middle of rural Spain you have nothing.

 

For heavens sake stop taking a headline and instantly despairing and making over dramatic statements about the "state of the country".  For goodness sake, for the past few years there has been global disruption with more local disruption caused by brexit. It is clear that such impact was going to have a recession on the economy not just here but across the planet. A child of 5 will understand that things do not just stay as they were. Taxpayer monies is a finite resource and somebody has to make difficult decisions of when and what to cut.  Propping up some completely under used rural bus route to take Doris and her dog to the market once a week is ripe for such adjustment.

 

Sometimes I wonder why you still living here given you seem to be constantly ashamed or appalled or shocked or outraged or disgusted or distresed about every single government or public authority decision for the past half century.   

 

You might not have noticed, but for the ordinary man in the street things are going from bad to worse. 

 

50 years ago a man's wage could support a family. Today it takes both adults working full time, and they still can't make ends meet. Yet there's no longer much of a safety net so we have homelessness and foodbanks instead. Where's the caring and kindness gone? What  makes it acceptable to sack workers by text or video with no notice at the drop of a hat in the name of 'business?' We are becoming horrible people who care nothing for others, and a third world country thanks to the discrepancy between rich and poor. 

 

And yes I would love to be able to run away elsewhere, but unfortunately thanks to neoliberalism and globalisation              most countries are in the same boat. The world is dividing into winners and losers - and the winners don't care who they trample on or how corrupt they are as long as they come out at the top.

 

 

What's gone wrong?  

[ECCOnoob]

1 hour ago, Anna B said:

You might not have noticed, but for the ordinary man in the street things are going from bad to worse. 

 

50 years ago a man's wage could support a family. Today it takes both adults working full time, and they still can't make ends meet. Yet there's no longer much of a safety net so we have homelessness and foodbanks instead. Where's the caring and kindness gone? What  makes it acceptable to sack workers by text or video with no notice at the drop of a hat in the name of 'business?' We are becoming horrible people who care nothing for others, and a third world country thanks to the discrepancy between rich and poor. 

 

And yes I would love to be able to run away elsewhere, but unfortunately thanks to neoliberalism and globalisation              most countries are in the same boat. The world is dividing into winners and losers - and the winners don't care who they trample on or how corrupt they are as long as they come out at the top.

 

 

What's gone wrong?  

Blah blah blah neoliberalism blah blah blah blah greedy bankers blah blah blah blame Thatcher blah blah blah evil corporations blah blah blah Tory governments....

 

So.  Nothing actually to do with with reductions in bus services just another vague thread to be used as an excuse for you to keep playing that same old broken record.

 

Nothing has "gone wrong" Anna. It's called life.  50 years ago there were still plenty of people destitute and struggling to survive, just the same as there was plenty of rich, elite and privileged.  50 years ago employers and corporations were just as ruthless and profit hungry as they are now.  50 years ago there were just as many critics about working practices, with lots of tales about those downtrodden low paid shop floor grafters battling against those sat in their ivory towers with their well paid cushy white collar desk jobs.

 

Good god you could say exactly the same thing 100 + years ago.   Your rose-tinted nostalgic and ridiculously inaccurate view of the past times being this wonderful utopia is almost laughable.

 

Now we were supposed to be talking about buses......

Edited March 18, 2022 by ECCOnoob

[hackey lad]

1 hour ago, Anna B said:

You might not have noticed, but for the ordinary man in the street things are going from bad to worse. 

 

50 years ago a man's wage could support a family. Today it takes both adults working full time, and they still can't make ends meet. Yet there's no longer much of a safety net so we have homelessness and foodbanks instead. Where's the caring and kindness gone? What  makes it acceptable to sack workers by text or video with no notice at the drop of a hat in the name of 'business?' We are becoming horrible people who care nothing for others, and a third world country thanks to the discrepancy between rich and poor. 

 

And yes I would love to be able to run away elsewhere, but unfortunately thanks to neoliberalism and globalisation              most countries are in the same boat. The world is dividing into winners and losers - and the winners don't care who they trample on or how corrupt they are as long as they come out at the top.

 

 

What's gone wrong?  

Thanks Anna 

[Delayed]

8 hours ago, Anna B said:

You might not have noticed, but for the ordinary man in the street things are going from bad to worse. 

 

50 years ago a man's wage could support a family. Today it takes both adults working full time, and they still can't make ends meet. Yet there's no longer much of a safety net so we have homelessness and foodbanks instead. Where's the caring and kindness gone? What  makes it acceptable to sack workers by text or video with no notice at the drop of a hat in the name of 'business?' We are becoming horrible people who care nothing for others, and a third world country thanks to the discrepancy between rich and poor. 

 

And yes I would love to be able to run away elsewhere, but unfortunately thanks to neoliberalism and globalisation              most countries are in the same boat. The world is dividing into winners and losers - and the winners don't care who they trample on or how corrupt they are as long as they come out at the top.

 

 

What's gone wrong?  

Boris Johnson bad

Jeremy Corbyn good

[HeHasRisen]

7 hours ago, ECCOnoob said:

Blah blah blah neoliberalism blah blah blah blah greedy bankers blah blah blah blame Thatcher blah blah blah evil corporations blah blah blah Tory governments....

 

So.  Nothing actually to do with with reductions in bus services just another vague thread to be used as an excuse for you to keep playing that same old broken record.

 

Nothing has "gone wrong" Anna. It's called life.  50 years ago there were still plenty of people destitute and struggling to survive, just the same as there was plenty of rich, elite and privileged.  50 years ago employers and corporations were just as ruthless and profit hungry as they are now.  50 years ago there were just as many critics about working practices, with lots of tales about those downtrodden low paid shop floor grafters battling against those sat in their ivory towers with their well paid cushy white collar desk jobs.

 

Good god you could say exactly the same thing 100 + years ago.   Your rose-tinted nostalgic and ridiculously inaccurate view of the past times being this wonderful utopia is almost laughable.

 

Now we were supposed to be talking about buses......

Yes yes yes but 50 years ago you could park outside the Lyceum so life was immediately better. Or something. 

[Delayed]

"We are becoming horrible people who care nothing for others, and a third world country thanks to the discrepancy between rich and poor. "

 

Can you tell that to the thousands of people that are opening up their homes for Ukrainian refugees please?

[Anna B]

53 minutes ago, Delayed said:

"We are becoming horrible people who care nothing for others, and a third world country thanks to the discrepancy between rich and poor. "

 

Can you tell that to the thousands of people that are opening up their homes for Ukrainian refugees please?

You can tell from this thread how little people care about others. Yes there are still good people, but they are generally not the ones in control of things.