Sheffield Bus Changes

[ham7moe 10]

Relied on the 20A from Graves Park to Doctors and city centre. TAKEN OFF.

 

12minute walk to catch the 20 with INCREASED service every 15 mins. rather than 20 mins as before.

 

Waited 55 minutes on Tuesday NO BUS finally hailed a taxi and spent £10 to get home.

 

What happens when we get a hint of snow and ice??

 

According to "MAN FROM AMEY" Derbyshire Lane is NOT a priority for gritting (despite school etc) but we can TWEET to get a git (sorry) grit bin refilled if we have the strength because we cannot get to the shops to buy food. A COMPLETE SHAMBLES is the most polite description.

 

Rang 01709515151 Traveline after 45 mins.reaching 3rd in the queue call disconnected oh dear!!

[MZ2832 10]

...the reliability of the 97 has been rubbish for years. What needs to happen is for Stagecoach to run a parallel service and provide more options for my multi operator pass I've bought.

 

Yes, I think this would be an excellent idea.

[Andy C 86]

Nope. Ive logged 200+ problems with them (not for late buses...for missing buses) for over the last two years and have over 160 apology letters...nothing changes and I'm extremely weary of the associated admin involved. They don't even run the Customer Promise policy they used to anymore so there's no penalty for them when they mess up. They ignore emails now and force you to fill in their extremely tedious online form...the reliability of the 97 has been rubbish for years. What needs to happen is for Stagecoach to run a parallel service and provide more options for my multi operator pass I've bought.

 

You need to take the complaints to the next level - escalate it to Bus Users UK, the consumer organisation that champions bus passengers in a similar fashion that Transport Focus does for rail passengers. http://www.bususers.org. If they build up a big file of evidence of First not running the 97 properly, Bus Users UK may take that to the government traffic commissioner who can take First to a tribunal or public enquiry which can lead to disciplinary action from fines right through to withdrawing their operating licence.

 

As for Stagecoach, that is unlikely to happen in the current climate, however there is an operator running to Totley that isn't First - TM Travel, service 218. I wonder if TM Travel would listen to suggestions of putting a more regular service on between Sheffield and Totley.... Phil Stockley is the man to give the hint to, his blog is here: http://philstockley.blogspot.co.uk/

 

---------- Post added 12-11-2015 at 10:02 ----------

 

consultation what was that even a bus driver said to me it was decided before

 

---------- Post added 12-11-2015 at 00:53 ----------

 

another thing is the queueing of buses causing big distruptions at high street and peace gardens

 

An initial proposal was published for consultation, survey forms were filled in online and at consultation events then a revised proposal was implemented at the end of the consultation.

 

---------- Post added 12-11-2015 at 10:06 ----------

 

Relied on the 20A from Graves Park to Doctors and city centre. TAKEN OFF.

 

12minute walk to catch the 20 with INCREASED service every 15 mins. rather than 20 mins as before.

 

Waited 55 minutes on Tuesday NO BUS finally hailed a taxi and spent £10 to get home.

 

What happens when we get a hint of snow and ice??

 

According to "MAN FROM AMEY" Derbyshire Lane is NOT a priority for gritting (despite school etc) but we can TWEET to get a git (sorry) grit bin refilled if we have the strength because we cannot get to the shops to buy food. A COMPLETE SHAMBLES is the most polite description.

 

Rang 01709515151 Traveline after 45 mins.reaching 3rd in the queue call disconnected oh dear!!

 

The 20/20A have been merged into one standard more frequent route using the busier corridor. There is a replacement for the 20A though in the form of the new route 18. http://www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/timetables/sheffield/532.htm

 

---------- Post added 12-11-2015 at 10:10 ----------

 

Yesterday got the number 8 to town and the driver stopped at the stop outside Sainsburys just before the Lyceum. That stop isn't a designated stop for the number 8, it used to be when the the number 8 was a 44 but not any more. Twice this week the driver has pulled in to let people off when they pressed the bell, don't think they realised that the bus doesn't stop there anymore. I asked the driver why he stopped when that stop wasn't served by the number 8 any more and he said he was just being helpful. I pointed out that he wasn't being helpful to a lot of the people on the bus who now thought that the number 8 DOES stop there after all and that the subsequent drivers who DON'T stop there will probably be nagged by annoyed passengers.

 

Went into the interchange on Arundel Gate to complain about this and the bloke in there said it was up to the driver if he wanted to stop and let passengers off!!! Pointed out that drivers choosing when and where to stop is NOT how a bus route works and there' no wonder it's all a complete shambles. Here we are 12 days in to the new 'service' and the number 8/8a is still as unreliable as ever, late, buses missing etc. Best get used to it because I can't seem them changing anything.

 

The 8/8a has exactly the same problems the old 53 suffered - traffic congestion on the Penistone Road corridor.

 

Is there an alternative service that may be better - tram from Birley Lane for example?

[frankster 10]

I've already involved the BusUsers entity before when I was getting a more than usually terrible level service for a period of over 2 weeks - no apparent use/help at all.

[dutch 68]

You need to take the complaints to the next level - escalate it to Bus Users UK, the consumer organisation that champions bus passengers in a similar fashion that Transport Focus does for rail passengers. http://www.bususers.org. If they build up a big file of evidence of First not running the 97 properly, Bus Users UK may take that to the government traffic commissioner who can take First to a tribunal or public enquiry which can lead to disciplinary action from fines right through to withdrawing their operating licence.

 

Send First a letter claiming that if they don't clean up their 97 service you will charge them £20 for every time they are late for your lost time and taxi costs.

how to get your money.

[frankster 10]

Send First a letter claiming that if they don't clean up their 97 service you will charge them £20 for every time they are late for your lost time and taxi costs.

how to get your money.

 

No way am I spending my money willy-nilly in the vain hope that I could realistically claim it back - the small man never wins. There's no need for any of this admin/action - just need a reliable service so I can get my £78 a month's worth without all of the hassle.

 

---------- Post added 12-11-2015 at 10:33 ----------

 

p.s. with regards to using their online form to report missing buses etc - the last two times I did it were on the 22nd and 26th October respectively. No reply from either query. 21 days and 17 days later respectively...they don't care. I'm not filling it in ever again.

[InigoMontoya 10]

The problem is if we want the buses back the way they were we wil have to pay for it. Our fares are really cheap in Sheffield compared to other places. That's reality unfortunately...

 

Not really.

 

They're on a similar level with similar services in similar areas. (e.g. large cities)

 

We do have some cheap(er) routes where competition is driving down service levels, sorry, fares on those routes, but it's not significantly cheaper than, say, Nottingham or Leeds.

[dutch 68]

No way am I spending my money willy-nilly in the vain hope that I could realistically claim it back - the small man never wins. There's no need for any of this admin/action - just need a reliable service so I can get my £78 a month's worth without all of the hassle.

 

---------- Post added 12-11-2015 at 10:33 ----------

 

p.s. with regards to using their online form to report missing buses etc - the last two times I did it were on the 22nd and 26th October respectively. No reply from either query. 21 days and 17 days later respectively...they don't care. I'm not filling it in ever again.

 

 

Its, your choice. With 160 apology letters (see post #263) and proof that you have tried to resolve the problem with first before. (you do need to try to solve problems yourself before going to small claims court)

I would have done it if my service were that bad and with all these apology letters without any improvements, but we happen to live on a route that has been and stayed at a reasonable frequency.

Edited November 12, 2015 by dutch

[InigoMontoya 10]

Thanks Andy

 

I don't think a non cash system would go down well here I mean you still have people complaining they can't even get the internet ! but personally I agree with dutch would totally support it the amount of time people spend faffing around for change or expecting the drivers to change large notes is real rediculous at times

 

The "halfway house" system here is to use the one pioneered in Darlington and York back in the 1970s, and is currently in use on the (Nottingham City Transport) buses in Nottingham.

 

Put your cash into a hopper - no change given. (York didn't even provide a ticket.)

[spilldig 188]

I wasn't especially unhappy when I heard about the changes. Living in the north, it didn't seem too bad to me. A bus every six minutes. Seemed OK. I couldn't have accounted for the whole idea being put together by people who at best don't have an understanding of the service and the customers, or worse, seemingly despise them.

 

I am absolutely fed to the back teeth of waiting interminable lengths of time only for a single decker bus to show up rammed, leaving paying customers constantly having to stand up. And many people are taking this out on each other instead of blaming the companies involved. Coming home from town the queues for the 1/1a are just unbelievable. It used to be that a bus got into town from the other end and people alighted, leaving room for new passengers. But in the brave new "joined up services" world, this now means more people crammed onto fewer services going farther distances. It doesn't matter which shift I'm on, the journey either to work or coming home is a horrific experience.

 

It seems to me too that there are way too many different services accessing Barnsley Road. The beauty of the 87 service was it avoiding this traffic hotspot going into Burngreave. Better for customers, drivers and the service generally. Now, Barnsley road is a constant crawl no matter what time you hit it. It seems the north, yet again, pays the price but doesn't get the service.

 

I'll happily pay more to have the old 87 back. It might be pointless, but I'm signing the petition. Gotta do something.

The South is suffering too. From Norton Lees, one bus an hour instead of two.

[Andy C 86]

Not really.

 

They're on a similar level with similar services in similar areas. (e.g. large cities)

 

We do have some cheap(er) routes where competition is driving down service levels, sorry, fares on those routes, but it's not significantly cheaper than, say, Nottingham or Leeds.

 

No - Sheffield is actually very cheap and customer focused compared to other areas and the level of services in many parts of Sheffield was before the changes way above that provided in some other towns and cities.

 

In Sheffield you can get a weekly ticket for one operator for £12.50 or a weekly ticket for any bus or tram for £15. You can buy tickets from bus drivers or online/ticket agents, whichever is most convenient for you.

 

In Nottingham, the cheapest weekly ticket for Nottingham City Transport buses (only) is £14 and that has to be ordered in advance online - or you can buy it from a travel shop for £15. This ticket is limited to the fairly small City zone, if you want to include the further flung villages and suburbs it costs more.

 

In Leeds, a weekly ticket for First buses is £14.50

In Manchester, a weekly ticket for First buses is £14.00

[Martin C 82]

It costs me £2.30 in Bradford (also First) to travel a shorter distance than £1.80 covers here.