Does it not amount to fraud against public money for a bus company to claim subsidies from SYPTE to operate unprofitable routes and then quite deliberately not bother to run buses for some of those times?

This is what First are doing on at least one bus route in Sheffield (route 82 - offpeak). It is not just that individual buses fail to turn up but they consistantly don't bother to run several of these buses for whatever reason.

It may well be the same on other routes. Surley at the very least they should repay the subsidy they have recieved to provide a service on such routes.

I doubt the 82 recieves any subsidy...

Originally posted by Andy C
I doubt the 82 recieves any subsidy...

I mean the one that goes to Stannington at nights and Sundays.

If a particular service does not run, then its gets logged as not run back at the office.So it's hardly fraud. But if the driver does'nt tell the traffic office then thats another story.

The only real way to find out is to report the service failure to the PTE as they are the public body who know which journeys they are funding.
It would be better for the Public of SY to be better informed of which journeys are funded by council tax payers,in Derbyshire it very easy as all timetable state which journeys are with a DCC code and the bus should display a DCC poster on the bus window.Maybe we should ask DCC public transport unit to give lessons to our PTE!!!

I'll bloody tell you about SYPTE, First and fraud!!!


My mum gets me student-term bus pass from First, so I can get home from work safely in the evenings. Its not exactly cheap, and she pays £5 on top of this for "pass protection", so that if it gets lost or stolen, I can easily get another one.

So, yesterday, then I lost my purse, after cancelling all my bank cards, I rang up First to try and arrange a replacement.

The lady was very nice, and she told me that was not ehir department, and I should ring SYPTE, and gave me the number.

I rang SYPTE, and the lady who answered was very rude and unhelpful. Firstly she asked for my name and address, so she could look up my details on my computer. Being not-the-cleverest person in the world, she couldn't find my details (probably still stuck on trying to spell S10...).
I asked her what would be the best thing to do, and she said that actually, she wasn't sure she'd even heard of pass protection, and that they didn't provide any kind of insurance.

At this point I was getting upset, losing my purse is not the best thing ever. I half shouted/half cried at her down the phone that it was on their bloody student website, maybe she should look it up.

She still seemed to have no clue, and told me that I should ring back when I knew the exact details of the pass which I had. I had ALREADY told her that it was a First Term Student Pass, at £90 plus £5 Pass Protection, what bloody more can she want???

As I was getting increasingly upset, she took my phone number and said she would look into it, and that she would ring back in a few minutes.

Unfortuantely, I missed her call, and had an impolite message on my voicemail saying "Thats not our department, you should ring First on 01709...."


So that puts me right back to the beginning. That extra £5 (I know its not much, but I have paid for a service they aren't providing) has effectively been for nothing. I am no further in my quest for information>

FIRST ARE S***!!

Sorry, rant over! :rant:

And by the way, I did actually find my purse, it had fallen down into the lining of my bag :blush: :shakes:

But still, the principle of their shoddy service is still there....

Not really SYPTE's problem, but the operator should have known that!


http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/yorkhumber/southyorkshire/fares/FirstTermStudentPassProtec.doc

Originally posted by cgksheff
Not really SYPTE's problem, but the operator should have known that!


http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/yorkhumber/southyorkshire/fares/FirstTermStudentPassProtec.doc

Well she seemed to think that she should deal with it, that was until she couldn't find my details.

Thanks though, I think I might send them a copy and tell them to learn how to do their jobs!!

diskoheaven,

You rang First about a First product and they didn't recognise their own product? And you blame the PTE?

Hardly fair!

The woman at the PTE probably thought that you had a concessionary pass and would try and find your details on that system. The pass you have sounds like one of First's own. The PTE staff member was trying to help and it's unsurprising that she couldn't.

I'd ask First why whoever ansewred the phone knew bugger all about what they sell!

Joe

Well I'm not entirely sure who's fault it is, perhaps First's for not telling me, but the woman at SYPTE shouldn't have been so bloody rude and unsympathetic either!

Well I was standing at the 3/4 & 22 bus stop in town to be told by this chappie that they'd made loads of complaints about not being enough 22 buses and they took it up with the Council, the relevant councillor apparently agreed with their concerns took it up with First who apparently agreed to increase the service. So apparently the timetabling of 22s has been increased but the delivery of the service is still as unreliable as ever.

However on at least 2 separate occasions I've seen them travelling almost in convoy which may account for the poor service. Perhaps this is a trait imported from London where the buses are more often than not unable to travel alone for fear of carrying passengers.