January 2020 Bus Service Changes

[Guest busdriver1]

On 13/11/2019 at 09:09, Andy C said:

Going back to Rotherham buses, bus companies and SYPTE have struggled to find the right network in terms of where significant numbers of people actually want to travel to. In some areas there is a split between Rotherham town centre, Parkgate, Meadowhall, Sheffield City Centre and out of town industrial estates plus the challenge of new developments (including housing estates) that haven't been built with buses in mind!

Rotherham suffers from being the poor relation to Sheffield. For many years Rotherham has been crying out for a full revision to its network but instead gets fiddled with with any spare time left after the work on Sheffields network is done. If there is an opportunity to get any profitable work from Rotherham to be run by Sheffield depot then that is done. The current route network is broadly the same as it was some 40 years ago and little effort has been made to take on board the changes to the town and the people living in it. I was told that every year some 500 man hours are dedicated to Sheffield route planning and about 20 to Rotherham. SYPTE let this happen because they, likewise are not prepared to put forward any meaningful plans as Rotherham is too far down their list of priorities to matter. 

The X1 service is a perfect example of how Rotherham routes got adapted to be run from Sheffield. There was never any case for a Maltby - Sheffield service as evidenced by the  decline of Powells X7 service. It was a means of running a profitable Rotherham Route from Sheffield and no more. There was and is, a strong pro sheffield bias in First and SYPTE and as long as it exists Rotherham will be poorly served. The emergence of the Sheffield city region will only compound the problems.

Interesting fact - there are more people in Rotherham without access to a car now than 100 years ago yet fewer seats per hour are provided now than then.

[mickf 10]

You seem to think that people in Maltby only go to Sheffield to shop. Some of us do or did work and the morning and evening X7's were popular. Just as it was when it started and finished in Tickhill.  

A shopping time bus that only went through part of Maltby and missed out the largest collection of shops in the area, at Meadowhall, was never going to succeed. An X bus that went to Sunnyside and not Meadowhall and missed the motorway in favour of byroads has not had a lot of thought put into it.  

If whoever came up with the idea had asked people who may have used it, rather than 'experts' like yourself, a better offer could have been made.  

[Guest busdriver1]

1 hour ago, mickf said:

You seem to think that people in Maltby only go to Sheffield to shop. Some of us do or did work and the morning and evening X7's were popular. Just as it was when it started and finished in Tickhill.  

A shopping time bus that only went through part of Maltby and missed out the largest collection of shops in the area, at Meadowhall, was never going to succeed. An X bus that went to Sunnyside and not Meadowhall and missed the motorway in favour of byroads has not had a lot of thought put into it.  

If whoever came up with the idea had asked people who may have used it, rather than 'experts' like yourself, a better offer could have been made.  

Can I suggest you read it again? i am saying that outside commuter times there is little demand for a direct bus to Sheffield during the day.  Does that not suggest that there is little or no demand to go there for shopping? The fact that they go there for work is borne out by the continued existence of the remaining commuter timed X7's.

Your comments back this up rather than contradict it as you seem keen to do.

As for the commuter bus to Sunnyside, missing out the motorway and the parkway at that time of day is an advantage as anyone who has used those roads will confirm, a lot of thought and experience went into that.

Whilst it may not be the shortest route it is predictable and reliable, - something people want, hence the reasonable loadings on it. 

What Maltby needs now more than ever is a frequent and reliable service to Rotherham, not the pathetic service that exists now. 

As for your final attempt at an insult, I treat it with the respect it deserves - NONE, you know nothing about me or my experience. 

EXAMPLE** What if I said you need a different brush to sweep the floor with?  Any closer? Or as wide of the mark as your comments, you see I dont know so dont make silly and childish comments.

[Andy C 85]

As has been mentioned on here before, a problem bus network planners in Rotherham have is there generally aren't large flows of people travelling to the same place - demand is splintered between Sheffield City Centre, Rotherham Town Centre, Meadowhall, Parkgate and various local urban centres and business parks.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Andy C

[mickf 10]

BD1. I'm sorry you think I attempted to insult you. I thought I did. You seem to know a lot about the services provided to people in Maltby and Tickhill without knowing anything. The X1's and X10's all run through Rotherham. I would have thought you would know that. Still keep on telling us what we want. 

If I miss any of your comments I'm sure another one will be along in time. Or perhaps three at once? 

[nikki-red 307]

The bickering and personal comments end here.

 

[Guest busdriver1]

1 hour ago, mickf said:

BD1. I'm sorry you think I attempted to insult you. I thought I did. You seem to know a lot about the services provided to people in Maltby and Tickhill without knowing anything. The X1's and X10's all run through Rotherham. I would have thought you would know that. Still keep on telling us what we want. 

If I miss any of your comments I'm sure another one will be along in time. Or perhaps three at once? 

The point I made was that the X1 and X10 are totally unreliable because they get stuck at Meadowhall and Sheffield and as a result either miss out Maltby altogether or arrive in 3s and 4s 

I was trying to point out that a RELIABLE service to Rotherham would be a hit.

i have personally waited over an hour for one when they are supposed to be every 10 minutes or more.

THAT I KNOW

[mickf 10]

Possibly, but apart from people who work there, I don't think that many people 'just' want to go to Rotherham. They may pass through but not many stay. 

[Retro Queen 1]

Back to the same old topic I know but just seen a poster on my bus stop saying 'high frequency buses in Sheffield'. What a laugh.

 

My bus, the 98 to Hillsborough from town, is missing again and they only run every half an hour as it is. Reducing the service is  bad enough but when the bus doesn't even turn up its beyond a joke.

 

I don't drive. How am I supposed to get home from work without waiting for another bus for ages - horse and cart, taxi, walk?

[Andy C 85]

6 hours ago, Retro Queen said:

Back to the same old topic I know but just seen a poster on my bus stop saying 'high frequency buses in Sheffield'. What a laugh.

 

My bus, the 98 to Hillsborough from town, is missing again and they only run every half an hour as it is. Reducing the service is  bad enough but when the bus doesn't even turn up its beyond a joke.

 

I don't drive. How am I supposed to get home from work without waiting for another bus for ages - horse and cart, taxi, walk?

Not relating to the Rotherham/Chesterfield bus consultation this thread is about but on the frequent service map it refers to the 97/98 which jointly provides a bus every 15 minutes on the core route.

 

This is another route that suffers badly from traffic congestion. 

Edited November 27, 2019 by Andy C

[RollingJ 1,993]

6 hours ago, Andy C said:

Not relating to the Rotherham/Chesterfield bus consultation this thread is about but on the frequent service map it refers to the 97/98 which jointly provides a bus every 15 minutes on the core route.

 

This is another route that suffers badly from traffic congestion. 

This was moved here by a mod.  I agree is has no relation to the topic, and the move miffed me slightly - I composed a long answer to  Retro Queens post, only to totally loose it as the topic was merged before I had chance to post, and a much shorter reply was deleted for some unknown reason almost as soon as it had appeared.

 

Unfortunately, this route  suffers as you say from severe congestion - especially on the southern end between Woodseats Road and Moorfoot, and although I don't use it much beyond Arundel Gate going north, also from Spital Hill to NGH - in both cases because of stupidly (and in many cases illegally) parked cars/vans). Many years ago when the 97 ran up Shirecliffe Road, it was a reasonable service although a bit slow round the estate roads which were clearly not really designed for 33ft. long buses.

[Andy C 85]

5 hours ago, RollingJ said:

This was moved here by a mod.  I agree is has no relation to the topic, and the move miffed me slightly - I composed a long answer to  Retro Queens post, only to totally loose it as the topic was merged before I had chance to post, and a much shorter reply was deleted for some unknown reason almost as soon as it had appeared.

 

Unfortunately, this route  suffers as you say from severe congestion - especially on the southern end between Woodseats Road and Moorfoot, and although I don't use it much beyond Arundel Gate going north, also from Spital Hill to NGH - in both cases because of stupidly (and in many cases illegally) parked cars/vans). Many years ago when the 97 ran up Shirecliffe Road, it was a reasonable service although a bit slow round the estate roads which were clearly not really designed for 33ft. long buses.

On the South West side of the City it is interesting to compare perceived reliability of services

97/98 to Totley/Totley Brook - very poor. Suffers disruption on Abbeydale Road and on the North side of the City around NGH and Hillsborough.

218 to Bakewell via Totley - Has had a route change to avoid traffic on Abbeydale Road. Still sometimes hits traffic on Cemetery Road and/or Bakewell but generally not too bad

25 to Bradway via Woodseats - There is a perception of good if slow service. Quite long journey times are scheduled to allow for traffic but also behind the scenes I get the impression that when there is significant traffic problems Stagecoach cancel alternate buses and send them out of service fast to Bradway to pick up their next Woodhouse bound trip on time. As a result you often find one is missing but the next one is on time. They can get away with this when buses are every 12-15 minutes and run alongside the  First 24 which runs similar route as far as Lowedges to the same frequency.