53 - Ecclesfield - Low Edges/Bradway

[Shelob 10]

It also wouldn't explain the non-existence of the 53 late at night when there is very little traffic around. With reduced frequency it should be easier, and more important, to run to schedule but First can't seem to do that on a regular basis!

[madowl 10]

What i hate about the 53s is, where i catch the bus... chaucer school wordsworth ave... sometimes or should i say 3-4 times a week... you see 3-4-5, 53s go down to Ecclesfield.... but after about 30-40 mins.... your still stood there waiting... then 3 come at once.... this offten happens in the evening around 6pm ish... but the weekend b4 last i wast stood there for 55mins... on a saturday morning... 4 went down to Ecclesfield.... where do the rest go??

[bus man 10]

SMALL BUSES

 

The comment was made above that the buses are small remember that the FSY depot in sheffield as lost more than 1,000 seats since the low floor buses have arrived you can not have room for buggies and wheel chairs AND seats for able bodied passangers you can not have it both ways

[Ghozer 113]

all this technology today, and we cant organise busses, through traffic better...

 

personally, I see the trafic excuse as well, an excuse... I did read what you said "the front one picks up the stops, the others catch up" -- but then, the time differences between the busses, people will go to the stops AFTER the first one has already been, and get on the second, or third one... which are STILL crunching through traffic so they would all end up late, but evenly late. .. it doesnt explain how 3 end up together..

 

Its like the route were on, 51's, and 48's... the 48's come from the top (Herdings park) and we end up with 2 some times 3 arriving at the same time.. now they cant tell me its traffic as there's minimal traffic on the route from there to my stop, even at peak times (yes, I have been and looked and watched) - I went to the terminus once, and one 48 diddnt even think about leaving till the other had arrived, however, the drivers stood and had a cig and a chat first... then left 2 minutes apart.

[northernboy 13]

SMALL BUSES

The comment was made above that the buses are small remember that the FSY depot in sheffield as lost more than 1,000 seats since the low floor buses have arrived you can not have room for buggies and wheel chairs AND seats for able bodied passangers you can not have it both ways

 

Any reason why they couldn't design a double decker with a low floor - space for buggies and wheelchairs downstairs plus some seats, then plenty of seats upstairs for those who can get up there?

[Shelob 10]

It has already been done - there is only room for one buggy/wheelchair though.

[silverknight 10]

Any reason why they couldn't design a double decker with a low floor - space for buggies and wheelchairs downstairs plus some seats, then plenty of seats upstairs for those who can get up there?

 

You will find them more are less exculsive on routes 40/41/42 and x78!!

[Andy C 86]

well , 53's are part of my duties ....... why do you just see whats in front of your eyes ..... go to lowedges/bradway & get on a 53 ...... & see how absolutely utterley crap the traffic in woodseats is ..... can set off on time from there & be up to 30 mins late once u got thro woodseats . its a pain in the jacksie , just try that once during the daytime (not just rush hour) then u may appreciate why they are late instead of having a "masked" go at bus drivers again ..... traffic often backed up to norton rbt ...... so b4 havin a go ........ get the whole picture!!!!

 

To be fair Wizzard, the original post's main complaints seemed to be about the clientele rather than the service itself, which I'm sure you probably agree with. The comment about the buses being too small are fair, deckers are needed on this route really, again you will probably agree with this too from your own experience.

 

Living in Bradway I only have real experience of the evening 53s which I try to avoid as often as I can - whilst they generally run on time sometimes they simply don't turn up, and when they do the buses are slow, dirty, uncomfortable, often full of chavs/scummers and inconvenient (they don't stop in the city centre proper and there aren't any stops whatsoever in the Kelham Island area even though it passes through). And more than once the 53 has left me stranded in either Hillsborough, town or Lowedges at night after the last Bradway bound bus either hasn't turned up at all or turned up half an hour late and the driver has declared that he is only going to LowEdges.

 

So now I more often get the last 98 to Totley Rise and walk up the steep hill to Bradway as it's more reliable and also quicker (and also picks up in the city centre rather than the interchange)

[wizzardofODD 10]

yeah ok Andy C ..... but we have to drive the bus allocated to that duty (single deck / double or midi bus), which is determined by management & as for unruly queues that is beyond any first employees control lol or stagecoach for that matter .

plus as for busses missing , i know of many MANY occasions where this service has had windows put thro (including a bus i was driving) the vehicle has to come out of service & this happens regular !!!!!! someone somewhere knows who the culprits are ...... 1 day i hope the brick they throw thro hits their own mother/father/sister etc as u state they are often dirty & can you see who is sat there exactly ????

[Andy C 86]

Woodseats is a big problem and congested all day. Problem is you have a busy suburb and shopping area which is served by one of the main A roads into Sheffield, with traffic that has come off the M1 at Chesterfield coming into the city this way as well as traffic originating in the outer suburbs and Dronfield.

 

What is really needed is one of two things

> ban parking on the road in Woodseats and create a free off road car park instead, allowing two lanes of traffic to pass through Woodseats

> encourage traffic to take a different route into town

 

Redesigning the pavements, traffic islands, traffic lights etc hasn't really helped, it's just spread the traffic jam up Meadowhead and made the road in Woodseats look prettier.

 

All the buses, not just the 53 and not just those operated by First face delays on Woodseats, and in fact buses like TM Travel's 293 which bypass Woodseats are probably getting more popular as a result, although unfortunatly more and more motorists are also discovering such alternative routes which means the previously quiet Woodseats avoiding routes are also now a little bit congested at peak times.

[wizzardofODD 10]

glad someone realises that woodseats is a major headache !!!! .... not all excuses at last !!!! its an absolute nightmare ..... can take over 30 mins to get the short distance from norton rbt to the lights at scarsdale road !!!

[Andy C 86]

yeah ok Andy C ..... but we have to drive the bus allocated to that duty (single deck / double or midi bus), which is determined by management & as for unruly queues that is beyond any first employees control lol or stagecoach for that matter .

plus as for busses missing , i know of many MANY occasions where this service has had windows put thro (including a bus i was driving) the vehicle has to come out of service & this happens regular !!!!!! someone somewhere knows who the culprits are ...... 1 day i hope the brick they throw thro hits their own mother/father/sister etc as u state they are often dirty & can you see who is sat there exactly ????

 

No one on this thread have made any comment about the 53's drivers - except my mention of the last bus to Bradway only going to Low Edges when it's late.

 

I accept that traffic, vandalism etc is beyond the control of the bus company and even bad management of recovery from service distruption isn't the drivers fault, and whilst I don't like it, I will accept a bit of a delay when I know this is what is wrong.

 

However, provision of information must be improved, and management really should make it easier for the drivers to have information about service disruption to hand for customers (as the driver is the only customer facing staff that First have), and when you are talking the last bus at night all the stops should be pulled out to operate this journey, as to cancel it and leave everyone stranded for the night is NOT ACCEPTABLE. If a bus really cannot run, alternatives should be arranged, and the drivers of other buses that do turn up for other destinations on being approached by stranded passengers should be given the ability to contact the depot and make such arrangements.

 

For example - last 53 to Bradway cancelled - an alternative might be to modify the last 75 or 76 to go to Bradway - rather than being told to pay for a taxi and complain on Monday morning to customer services, only to be fobbed off with a free daily bus ticket worth £3 rather than a cheque for the £12 cost of the taxi. (and that's if they bother replying).