First Bus Driver admits why Busses are not showing up!

[Guest]

Why are shareholders greedy?...............

 

Of course not all shareholders are greedy, but it seems to me most workplaces seem to be focusing over zealously on ultra efficiency, running on a skeleton staff, putting real pressure on the few staff that are there. Its all about saving on wage bill and this comes from shareholders.

 

surely the whole economy would collapse if not for shareholders!

 

We all have a part to play in the economy.

[Guest busdriver1]

so its true drivers have been sent to bristol then and the new bus service is a farce can i ask who is the person at fault for not having a bus after 11pm to main place in the city ?

 

The main problem is that lots of people have been asking for local control of buses via Council / PTE involvement. You now have it.

You now have bus services being planned by people who had to go to college to learn about bus operation from other people who are not doing it. In some cases these good people could identify a bus in an I.D parade. O.K. maybe at the second or third attempt.

People wanted lower fares, that can only be achieved by running less buses with more people on them. You have got it.

PTE and Sheffield council wanted euro 4 emissions buses by 1st November.

The only way that could be done is by robbing them from other depots be they single deck or double deck. Now we have a major imbalance with other south yorkshire depots inheriting older and less environmentally friendly buses. A great many new buses have been delivered to Sheffield in the last couple of years but there is no way a major fleet purchase could be made especially when you take into account the PTE are withholding the b.s.o.g. money and lower fares being introduced.

In summary the good people of sheffield have got what they asked for but didnt realise there would be consequences.

yes, First are bearing the brunt of this because they operate a full network, or did. Stagecoach are just operating on the busy corridors and do not run on any low margin routes so have not been so badly affected. They also inherited a tired fleet from Terrier so have had to invest in new buses prior to this and as a result have a younger fleet. They also claim they were not making money running buses in Sheffield.

[stormvixen 10]

If it was true it would be bad. Unfortunately there is not a shred of truth in it.

 

 

so why was the same service (24) same time cancelled three evenings running?

Can't say it's an out of date timetable, or it's wrong any more! They're brand new!!

[Guest]

not rocket science, if a bus is late what do you think happens to it? It gets run to a point where it is back on time so therefore misses out some or all of a trip. therefore a missing bus.

 

Presumably this can only happen if the bus is empty.

[bagger 10]

It's very, very obvious that this present set of changes to the bus 'service' in Sheffield has been devised by people who never use buses.

 

Such a shame. Oh for the days when all I had to moan about was the 44 not turning up occasionally. Now it's a number 8/8a it drops me off at the bottom of the moor yet I can't pick it up to return home unless I get myself to wilkinsons or the bus station. Previously I, and all of the many pensioners who use the market, could get back on to go home exactly where it dropped us off. It's now half hourly on a Saturday and not at all to Crystal Peaks on a Sunday.

The poor drivers don't even know what they doing, where they're stopping, their own personal timetables don't seem to tally with the ones at the bus stop. The driver of the bus I was on today stopped at a stop that didn't have 8 or 8a on it because he explained that it told him to stop there on his timetable.

 

It's a <removed> shambles.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Groose
masked swearing

[Ivan Spatula 10]

I complained to firstgroup about a service 38 not running to hillsbro on the 27th oct , (the arsenal cup tie) I am disabled & waited ages & the bus never came & had to change all my plans at the last minute very distressed I might add , I got a letter from them yesterday (6th nov) stating they were sorry as buses were delayed by up to 30 mins due to the one direction concert ...... one direction were in Newcastle on the night in question & not in Sheffield till 2 days later on the 29th .... what a load of twaddle !!

[woodmally 10]

Maybe the solution to this problem is real time tracking of buses. First and Stagecoach will love it as they can keep track of drivers. The public will love it as they can see where their bus is.

 

I'm sure busdriver1 will love it as he wont have to answer the regular question as to the location of the bus that hasnt turned up. It will all be there on the app. Taxis do it so why not buses.

[smiggs 10]

First have similar problems on the trains there are many cancellations every day due to "a member of staff being unavailable". I'm not sure why the government puts up with a company that can't manage its staff running services that we subsidise.

 

If you have a smartphone there are many apps that track buses via GPS and give a countdown to the arrival at the your stop I use UK Bus Checker if it simply states a time and isn't counting down chances are it's not going to come.

[Guest busdriver1]

Maybe the solution to this problem is real time tracking of buses. First and Stagecoach will love it as they can keep track of drivers. The public will love it as they can see where their bus is.

 

I'm sure busdriver1 will love it as he wont have to answer the regular question as to the location of the bus that hasnt turned up. It will all be there on the app. Taxis do it so why not buses.

 

There is a system of tracking buses in real time, paid for and run to the specifications of SYPTE .

It also is not fit for purpose.

 

I understand First are developing their own, functional system.

This will then be made available free of charge to customers, and I would hope for a fee to SYPTE.

 

---------- Post added 08-11-2015 at 12:46 ----------

 

 

If you have a smartphone there are many apps that track buses via GPS and give a countdown to the arrival at the your stop I use UK Bus Checker if it simply states a time and isn't counting down chances are it's not going to come.

 

If its not counting down, the bus is not tracking. The area you are in has a lot to do with it. South Yorkshires system is the "aldi" system. Others use better.

 

---------- Post added 08-11-2015 at 12:54 ----------

 

Presumably this can only happen if the bus is empty.

 

Correct, so on a long cross town route like many of Sheffields routes are, it can take a long time for the bus to get empty, thus making its return to service on time even later.

[foxydebs 36]

I use apps to track my buses and said my 24 was due in 3 minute at arundel gate towards bradway, that time came and went and the 24 never showed just disappeared off app. The 53 used to do this too. The 43 showed up as 5 minutes and turned up on time, so got this and walked up from chesterfield road south. So the apps don't always work.

[Guest busdriver1]

so why was the same service (24) same time cancelled three evenings running?

Can't say it's an out of date timetable, or it's wrong any more! They're brand new!!

 

For the numerous reasons I have laid out in detail.

 

Note - No links to useless multi operator tickets. Just FACTS.

 

---------- Post added 08-11-2015 at 12:59 ----------

 

I use apps to track my buses and said my 24 was due in 3 minute at arundel gate towards bradway, that time came and went and the 24 never showed just disappeared off app. The 53 used to do this too. The 43 showed up as 5 minutes and turned up on time, so got this and walked up from chesterfield road south. So the apps don't always work.

 

For customers and operators alike.

[dutch 68]

If its not counting down, the bus is not tracking. The area you are in has a lot to do with it. South Yorkshires system is the "aldi" system. Others use better

 

We shop at waitrose and we also shop at aldi. Cannot see where a bad gps tracking system has any relationship with a supermarket.