Sheffield Bus Changes

[Mozilla 10]

Last week evening peak time city centre to Ecclesall road NO 80s for about 40 minutes. Only standing room when one arrived. No joke for the old ladies let alone office workers. So whats changed? Cost cutting or miss management running the show.

 

http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Interviews/Page-4/how-austerity-is-hitting-public-transport-users-in-south-yorkshire

 

David Young, SYPTE deputy interim director general, discusses how the transport executive aims to deliver savings of £7.6m for 2015-16 and the difficulty in shielding customers from the cuts. SYPTE deputy interim director general, told PSE in an interview at the organisation’s Sheffield city centre headquarters: “Our approach, first and foremost, is to minimise the impact on customers....Doing all this generates £2m in savings, but it will also mean the SYPTE workforce will be down 45% from 2010-11 levels, affecting up to 50 jobs.

 

Feedback to [email protected]

https://www.sypte.co.uk/content.aspx?id=152

 

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/south_yorkshire/help_contact/customer_care/

Feedback to firstbus CEO Tim.O'[email protected]

 

Show runners :

Cllr [email protected] - Sheffield City Region Combined Authority Transport

Cllr [email protected] - Vice-Chair of the SCR CA Transport Committee

[email protected] - Director of Transport - SCR

Edited November 8, 2015 by Mozilla

[Andy C 86]

Last week evening peak time city centre to Ecclesall road NO 80s for about 40 minutes. Only standing room when one arrived. No joke for the old ladies let alone office workers. So whats changed? Cost cutting or miss management running the show.

 

http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Interviews/Page-4/how-austerity-is-hitting-public-transport-users-in-south-yorkshire

 

David Young, SYPTE deputy interim director general, discusses how the transport executive aims to deliver savings of £7.6m for 2015-16 and the difficulty in shielding customers from the cuts. SYPTE deputy interim director general, told PSE in an interview at the organisation’s Sheffield city centre headquarters: “Our approach, first and foremost, is to minimise the impact on customers....Doing all this generates £2m in savings, but it will also mean the SYPTE workforce will be down 45% from 2010-11 levels, affecting up to 50 jobs.

 

Feedback to [email protected]

https://www.sypte.co.uk/content.aspx?id=152

 

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/south_yorkshire/help_contact/customer_care/

Feedback to firstbus CEO Tim.O'[email protected]

 

You present two seperate issues there.

 

One is the wider issue of the impact on society of public sector spending cuts as part of the Conservative government austerity policy.

 

The specific case of the 80 series buses to Ecclesall Road can probably be explained by the fact they all come through via Snig Hill and were stuck in gridlocked traffic diverted around the road closure at West Bar. Buses were taking almost an hour to get from Shalesmoor into the City Centre.

 

I wonder if the other buses to the Ecclesall Road area performed better such as the 4,6,65,181,271,272 and 505?

[Mozilla 10]

You present two seperate issues there.

 

One is the wider issue of the impact on society of public sector spending cuts as part of the Conservative government austerity policy.

 

The specific case of the 80 series buses to Ecclesall Road can probably be explained by the fact they all come through via Snig Hill and were stuck in gridlocked traffic diverted around the road closure at West Bar. Buses were taking almost an hour to get from Shalesmoor into the City Centre.

 

I wonder if the other buses to the Ecclesall Road area performed better such as the 4,6,65,181,271,272 and 505?

 

Maybe so but one major thing is clear - most of the time they not running a time table bus service. Its now common for a bus not to turn up nevermind 20 mins late and standing room only. Big time screw up - someone should get the sack for this...

[Andy C 86]

Maybe so but one major thing is clear - most of the time they not running a time table bus service. Its now common for a bus not to turn up nevermind 20 mins late and standing room only. Big time screw up - someone should get the sack for this...

 

the obvious thing to me on a busy corridor like that, if you are running less buses you need bigger buses. Simple maths really.

[ormester101 10]

You present two seperate issues there.

 

One is the wider issue of the impact on society of public sector spending cuts as part of the Conservative government austerity policy.

 

The specific case of the 80 series buses to Ecclesall Road can probably be explained by the fact they all come through via Snig Hill and were stuck in gridlocked traffic diverted around the road closure at West Bar. Buses were taking almost an hour to get from Shalesmoor into the City Centre.

 

I wonder if the other buses to the Ecclesall Road area performed better such as the 4,6,65,181,271,272 and 505?

 

nothing to do with cuts first stagecoach tm are all private companies arent they what these changes have done mades sheffield a 3rd rate city

[Annie Bynnol 612]

Andy C has consistently and regularly provided information on this forum on how the voluntary agreement between bus operators an SYPTE will affect users.

As he has explained the starting point is how SYPTE can influence the operators to provide decent coverage and frequency throughout South Yorkshire.

SYPTE has less money to do this:

- government cuts.

- legal agreements with operators which have to be stuck to eg. concessions on Supertram and train services.

- child fares.

- requirement for the introduction of smart cards.

SYPTE could have controlled this by "tendering"- a legal and financial nightmare which government are belatedly addressing.

The only other option is the current agreement, which is widely accepted in transport journals as good practice.

 

As customers are obviously unhappy with some of the changes they should do what is normal ie provide solutions, evidence and write to, protest to, complain to and petition the operators, councillors and SYPTE.

Andy C has informed you for months about the plans, the consultation and changes. He should be thanked not attacked. He is not defending the SYPTE or operators he is explain the reasoning for the changes.

[Andy C 86]

nothing to do with cuts first stagecoach tm are all private companies arent they what these changes have done mades sheffield a 3rd rate city

 

The new network was not devised by the private companies though. It was consultants employed by SYPTE, the public sector organisation responsible for public transport.

 

The funding cuts are affecting provision of otherwise commercially unviable but socially or economically important bus services - for example rural buses, evening buses and minibuses that run into housing estates. The cuts also affect concessionary travel, information provision, specialist community transport provision and more.

 

Operators are being expected to pick up some of the slack commercially at their own loss as well as keep fares cheap and introduce expensive smartcard facilities and other technology.

 

The only way this can happen is through network efficiencies, which I suppose in some cases could also be described as cuts.

[Mozilla 10]

the obvious thing to me on a busy corridor like that, if you are running less buses you need bigger buses. Simple maths really.

 

If you look at the last accounts (35 millions grant) - £77 million spent on what? Its obvious if you cut the dead wood and spend on things you need...you provide a service rather then what you got now 'Not fit for purpose' quango

 

https://www.sypte.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Corporate/Freedom_of_Information/Publication_Scheme/class_2/SYPTE%20statement%20of%20accounts%202015.pdf

[Andy C 86]

Andy C has consistently and regularly provided information on this forum on how the voluntary agreement between bus operators an SYPTE will affect users.

As he has explained the starting point is how SYPTE can influence the operators to provide decent coverage and frequency throughout South Yorkshire.

SYPTE has less money to do this:

- government cuts.

- legal agreements with operators which have to be stuck to eg. concessions on Supertram and train services.

- child fares.

- requirement for the introduction of smart cards.

SYPTE could have controlled this by "tendering"- a legal and financial nightmare which government are belatedly addressing.

The only other option is the current agreement, which is widely accepted in transport journals as good practice.

 

As customers are obviously unhappy with some of the changes they should do what is normal ie provide solutions, evidence and write to, protest to, complain to and petition the operators, councillors and SYPTE.

Andy C has informed you for months about the plans, the consultation and changes. He should be thanked not attacked. He is not defending the SYPTE or operators he is explain the reasoning for the changes.

 

Thanks Annie.

 

Of course it doesn't help that many of Sheffield's bus services have been an absolute shambles operationally this week!

 

The First bus on the tram tracks at Birley Lane was probably one of the low points. Those that had given up on the bus and got the tram instead were still disrupted in that example!

 

---------- Post added 08-11-2015 at 23:58 ----------

 

If you look at the last accounts (35 millions grant) - £77 million spent on what? Its obvious if you cut the dead wood and spend on things you need...you provide a service rather then what you got now 'Not fit for purpose' quango

 

https://www.sypte.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Corporate/Freedom_of_Information/Publication_Scheme/class_2/SYPTE%20statement%20of%20accounts%202015.pdf

 

Well, some of the things the PTE are responsible for:

- funding free travel for Senior Citizens and the disabled

- funding discounted travel for children

- Travel information services including Traveline, TSY website etc

- providing and maintaing bus stops and shelters

- funding tendered bus services that aren't commercially viable where necessary

- Community Transport services including door2door buses for the disabled

- Managing the local rail and tram network

- Research and development

- Park & Ride facilities

- bus interchanges

- YourNextBus live departure/tracker information.

 

There are lots of other things I cannot think of right now too.

 

Plus - don't forget, whenever vandals attack a bus shelter, thats taxpayers money that has to be spent to repair it!

[bagger 10]

Waited with my daughter for the 7.21 number 8 to turn up to take her to school on Granville Road. It didn't turn up until 7.31.

Now she's text me to say everyone on the bus complaining and getting off, seems that the bus is terminating at the bottom of the moor.

 

This service is SO unreliable that she gets a bus at 7.21 rather than the 7.43 and risk being late for school.

As a passenger you need to set off on your journey WAY before you should to account for the shocking unreliability of our buses.

 

Just rang travel line and complained about the lateness of the bus. At this time in the morning the driver hasn't had time to lose time on the route.:mad:

[verydull 10]

I have a multiple operator ticket, and live where buses have improved frequency. However, when I track them now to decide tram or bus. half track now if iim lucky. if there are buses tracking in good time (and they are usually 3 minutes apart rather thsn 7) I go up to the bus stop. most of the time theyll go straight past full, not even stopping. If they are stopping the number of passengers means I cant get on with my child. I use either sling or pram, but both are impossible. I am lucky that I only have a five minute walk to the tram, but if I do try a bus I usually end up giviing up and going home

[dutch 68]

I don't work for a bus company, nor do I work for SYPTE, I do care about travel and transport though. Having worked in rail most of my working life I do understand to some degree how things work. On here I try to offer an impartial public service of information to ensure people make the best of what services there are.

 

If people are asking questions about things I think I know the answer to I will answer them.

 

When the new network proposals came out for public consultation I was quite active to make comments about things I thought could be better and made every effort to encourage everyone else to do the same.

 

Now as I say, I do not work for a bus company so don't have any personal motive to defend poor service and there has been some very poor service this week - although we have to be fair given SOME has been due to traffic congestion etc that are out of the control of bus operators.

 

 

You got me there. I was almost 100% certain you were being paid some wages to represent the bus companies on the internet forums. There are many companies now who pay someone to do this for them and I am of the opinion you are doing a very good respectable job at it.

 

Now you say that all of this is voluntary.

Let me tell you if I worked for SYPTE I would send you a beautifull cheque for all the work you have done explaining, justifying and telling everyone to accept the bad sides and live with it. Your posts are very informative, providing information and sushing things down for upset people.

Edited November 9, 2015 by dutch