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Stocksbridge bus service. Why so dire?

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Wow once again we seem to be using the very late introduction of the tram train as an excuse for the last few years - this is not a recent issue but at least Stagecoach bus have now decided it is important and are trying to do something about it even if their colleagues on the tram side are not interested.

 

I am in this case not a fan of general fines for punctuality because too much is outside the control of the operators. However if arriving bus passenger can see the departing then there should perhaps be a financial penalty

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Wow once again we seem to be using the very late introduction of the tram train as an excuse for the last few years - this is not a recent issue but at least Stagecoach bus have now decided it is important and are trying to do something about it even if their colleagues on the tram side are not interested.

 

I am in this case not a fan of general fines for punctuality because too much is outside the control of the operators. However if arriving bus passenger can see the departing then there should perhaps be a financial penalty

 

The main problem is the SL1 and Tram is not a guaranteed connection. You should wait no more than 10 minutes, but with traffic and the way the buses seem to run around in pairs it is never the case.

 

This is why we need a more direct through service to Sheffield and Hillsborough which was my point all along.

 

A 15 minute combined 57/58 like we used to have, instead of the pointless 10 minute SL1/Tram combination with increased waiting at Middlewood.

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I am sure things may be better with a change but at the moment we have something that is called tram link and was launched with a great fanfare by Stagecoach many years ago.

 

I think that the concept is great but ever since it's inception it has been an all to familiar thing for arriving tram passengers seeing the empty bus pulling out with out them or the arriving bus passengers seeing the tram pulling away.

 

of course few transport system can be 100% reliable and no one is suggesting that the connection should be guaranteed but the above situations should not be happening. I can accept that occasionally there will be a valid operational reason for the tram to leave the bus passengers behind but this should not be the norm.

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Understand there will be a new timetable in January when I'm sure an extra tram will be added on yellow and possibly blue giving longer journey times , these are virtually unchanged from the late 90s when there were less passengers and much less congestion .

 

There will be a new timetable on the 28th January, but there will not be an extra service on any routes. However there will be greater layover time built into the timetable to allow improved service recovery. Extra trams will be used to provide an increased 'stepping up' service to help further recover any service disruptions.

 

I don't think the new route will be red as it is illegal to display a red light at the front of a vehicle , SYT fell into that trap with the FASTLINE destination which couldn't use for this reason .

 

It will definitely NOT be either the red or green route, but she keeps referring to it as such.

 

Simple - trams are allowed around 6 minutes at the terminus between arrival and departure.

 

No change since early 00s that really says it all Stagecoach have sat back and done nothing. Most transport companies adjust their timetables to meet consumer needs/operational needs periodically

 

can not help feeling that Annie Bynnol and pushtotalk are Stagecoach employees as this sounds just like an operator led response trying to pull the wool

 

The idea that it will take 4-5 minutes extra if the tram waits for passengers when the bus is already in view is laughable

The yellow tram usually has 4 minutes not to loose it path at Hillsborough to the blue tram

 

A new development has been the early departure of trams (that is if they arrived on time) and Stagecoach have told me their trams are allowed to leave up to a minute early which only adds to customers anger when the driver can not be bothered to wait for them

 

It has often been said on the railway that they could provide a better service if their were no passengers and it would appear to be the same thinking here - lets run the trams for the benefit of the operator not the passengers

 

perhaps you should both head down to Middlewood and watch what happens and talk to regular travelers. Alternatively why not re brand and then no one would expect the bus and tram to link up with each other

 

I have a feeling we may have had this conversation on Twitter ^_^. As I said there, while trams might be permitted to leave up 60seconds early in the contract between the PTE and SYSL this information is not communicated to staff and drivers are NOT allowed to leave early. In addition the chance during peak hours of actually being able to leave early is fairly remote.

 

I am sure things may be better with a change but at the moment we have something that is called tram link and was launched with a great fanfare by Stagecoach many years ago.

 

I think that the concept is great but ever since it's inception it has been an all to familiar thing for arriving tram passengers seeing the empty bus pulling out with out them or the arriving bus passengers seeing the tram pulling away.

 

of course few transport system can be 100% reliable and no one is suggesting that the connection should be guaranteed but the above situations should not be happening. I can accept that occasionally there will be a valid operational reason for the tram to leave the bus passengers behind but this should not be the norm.

 

When the buslink service was originally introduced it was actually controlled by Supertram, and this gave them greater flexibility on ensuring they linked up. However it's now run by Stagecoach Bus and this creates further problems. Both Bus and & Tram have to provide punctuality figures etc (Supertram ran 95% of services on time last period) and if you start delaying the Tram to wait for the Bus and vice/versa this has an impact on those figures and particularly for the Bus could result in sanctions from the Traffic Commissioner.

 

You might have noticed there has been an inspector based at Middlewood for the last two weeks or so monitoring the bus times etc. Supertram and Stagecoach Bus have been working closely on the new timetable, both bus and tram timetables will be introduced on the 28th January to try and improve the reliability of bus and tram linking up. This is partly some of the rationale behind reducing the frequency of the 57 route and making more vehicles available for SL1/1A.

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No I have never ever used Twitter in my life

 

When the buslink service was originally introduced it was actually controlled by Supertram, and this gave them greater flexibility on ensuring they linked up. However it's now run by Stagecoach Bus and this creates further problems. Both Bus and & Tram have to provide punctuality figures etc (Supertram ran 95% of services on time last period) and if you start delaying the Tram to wait for the Bus and vice/versa this has an impact on those figures and particularly for the Bus could result in sanctions from the Traffic Commissioner.

 

This lack of coordination has not been something new and by far predates any organizational changes

 

yes I have noticed the new inspector at Middlewood who is able to co ordinate the buses so that they are not leaving just as the tram is arriving - he however has not authority to ask the tram to wait in similar circumstances and unless there has been a change the only way he has of knowing when the tram is arriving is to look and see if the traffic lights have turned to red to allow the arriving tram to cross over Middlewood Road

 

There will be a new timetable on the 28th January, but there will not be an extra service on any routes. However there will be greater layover time built into the timetable to allow improved service recovery. Extra trams will be used to provide an increased 'stepping up' service to help further recover any service disruptions.

 

One might have hoped that they could strengthen the service in the rush hour to relieve some of the overcrowded services or when Wednesday are playing at home. Seems to be an awful waste of money buying 4 expensive trams just to use when there is disruption

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Rural bus services should be subsidised. A healthy society would value cross community communications. Run for profit companies dont see this as financially prudent.

Sadly, this is the modern world !

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Is it true that we are not going to see extra trams - already the purple trams have stopped serving meadowhall on weekdays to allow the trams that were so carelessly crashed to be repaired but no sign of this route being re-instated with the surplus train trams

 

We were also told when the 7 tram trains were ordered that the three trams not needed for the Rotherham service were to help meet demand during peak operating times - more lies?

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Is it true that we are not going to see extra trams - already the purple trams have stopped serving meadowhall on weekdays to allow the trams that were so carelessly crashed to be repaired but no sign of this route being re-instated with the surplus train trams

 

We were also told when the 7 tram trains were ordered that the three trams not needed for the Rotherham service were to help meet demand during peak operating times - more lies?

 

 

 

The city link trams are out and about in passenger service including on the purple route

 

‘Carelessly crashed’ jeez!

 

You really do come across as to have some kind of personal axe to grind against Supertram and despite reasonable , rational responses on this thread just dismiss them and their authors in a very bigoted way.

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We were led to believe that the new trams as well as providing the new service were going to be used to enhance the tram service with extra trams to relieve overcrowding.

 

What we get is in fact a reduction in tram frequency during the day with the new timetable giving us 5 trams an hour instead of the six we are used to. yes I know the reason is to get an extra tram into and out of the City center but if I had been a planner I would have run a Herdings Park /Rotherham service simply extending the Purple route and avoided the need to run the extra tram over the rails in the center - sure might have needed an extra tram

 

yes I am negative towards Supertram for their lack of customer focus

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We were led to believe that the new trams as well as providing the new service were going to be used to enhance the tram service with extra trams to relieve overcrowding.

 

What we get is in fact a reduction in tram frequency during the day with the new timetable giving us 5 trams an hour instead of the six we are used to. yes I know the reason is to get an extra tram into and out of the City center but if I had been a planner I would have run a Herdings Park /Rotherham service simply extending the Purple route and avoided the need to run the extra tram over the rails in the center - sure might have needed an extra tram

 

yes I am negative towards Supertram for their lack of customer focus

 

 

But you're NOT the planner and presumably don't have access to information ,operational issues and passenger loadings that the actual planners use and therefore are just making continually negative assumptions and grinding that axe of yours.

 

Customer satisfaction remains very high for the tram in the last results of customer surveys i recall.. though clearly not with yourself ( and tbf I doubt anything they did would please you)

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The new timetable on yellow in January I think will remain at 6 trams per hour but with an extra tram in service to give longer journey times with longer layovers at termini . The problem at the moment is because the trams are delayed by congestion they lose time on route and sometimes terminate at Malin Bridge and Middlewood loses out , the ten minute frequency is good enough if all 6 timetable trams per hour operate as they should do .

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The new timetable on yellow in January I think will remain at 6 trams per hour but with an extra tram in service to give longer journey times with longer layovers at termini . The problem at the moment is because the trams are delayed by congestion they lose time on route and sometimes terminate at Malin Bridge and Middlewood loses out , the ten minute frequency is good enough if all 6 timetable trams per hour operate as they should do .

 

It will be a twenty minute service early morning and late evening, ten minute during peak hours and 12 minutes during the day.

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