Bus Fares Up Again,Why?

[Resident 1,185]

8 hours ago, taxman said:

He's lucky it bothered to tell him it was cancelled. More often than not they do the countdown thing then just start again with the next bus that is due in leaving you wondering if the previous one is just late or has in fact disappeared into a black hole.

The issue is that the system for those boards are not controlled directly by the bus companies, it's controlled by the SYPTE, who contract their staff to an irish firm Noonan. Let's be kind and say some of their staff could be the fabled missing link of human evolution. 

 

I assume bus companies communicate issues to SYPTE for the boards to be updated and I'm guessing that's where it's failing as SYPTE aren't updating the boards in a timely manner. 

[Guest busdriver1]

1 minute ago, Resident said:

The issue is that the system for those boards are not controlled directly by the bus companies, it's controlled by the SYPTE, who contract their staff to an irish firm Noonan. Let's be kind and say some of their staff could be the fabled missing link of human evolution. 

 

I assume bus companies communicate issues to SYPTE for the boards to be updated and I'm guessing that's where it's failing as SYPTE aren't updating the boards in a timely manner. 

The staff at the bus companies DO have access to the system to update cancellations etc. The major problem is that the guy who does this has a great many other things to do and whilst I appreciate the frustration of the information not being updated, there are actually more pressing things for him to do.  One of those things is adjusting buses to minimise potential further delays / cancellations, and make sure drivers are working legally. Due to the closure of Rotherham Depot there is now one guy covering ALL of Sheffield and Rotherham and basically there is enough work for about 4! 

[DerbyTup 10]

13 hours ago, taxman said:

He's lucky it bothered to tell him it was cancelled. More often than not they do the countdown thing then just start again with the next bus that is due in leaving you wondering if the previous one is just late or has in fact disappeared into a black hole.

It may well have been that!  

 

It surely can't be difficult for the company to communicate better with customers?

 

The railway station is very good at this at least.  I call the Midland Station, "The house of apologies".  Because almost every announcement is..

 

"We are SORRY that the 09.13 train to Scunthorpe is delayed due to ...."

[catmiss 12]

If we were paying for a reliable service that catered for the needs of users then an annual price rise would be justified. However in recent years price rises have accompanied loss of or increasingly reduced and unreliable service. Providing a one off buy one get one free weekly ticket does not solve the problem, neither does Clive Betts review unless someone has the clout to make changes 

[dutch 68]

15 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

The staff at the bus companies DO have access to the system to update cancellations etc. The major problem is that the guy who does this has a great many other things to do and whilst I appreciate the frustration of the information not being updated, there are actually more pressing things for him to do.  One of those things is adjusting buses to minimise potential further delays / cancellations, and make sure drivers are working legally. Due to the closure of Rotherham Depot there is now one guy covering ALL of Sheffield and Rotherham and basically there is enough work for about 4! 

 

Personally I suspect (this is only my imagination) that this is another poor way to save money on labour while making others work harder.

Edited February 8, 2020 by dutch

[Guest busdriver1]

11 hours ago, catmiss said:

If we were paying for a reliable service that catered for the needs of users then an annual price rise would be justified. 

You are paying for a cheap service and getting what you pay for.  Simple.

2 hours ago, dutch said:

 

Personally I suspect (this is only my imagination) that this is another poor way to save money on labour while making others work harder.

It is a way of delivering the service at the price the public want to pay for it.  If you want better, like most things in life you have to pay more. 

[sinic 10]

I'm lucky in that I live on the 52 bus route so I have virtually nothing to complain about service wise. 

 

Andy C was actually a big help when it came to me changing my ticket buying habits, so thanks for the info you posted earlier in this thread. 

I only use the bus for the daily commute to work and I used to buy the Stagecoach 28 day Megarider online which  was £56.

 

However Stagecoach have replaced this with the Silver Megarider Xtra which is now £62 and they've made this a repeat ticket meaning it auto renews every month . They've also removed the option to pay via Paypal. 

 

I like to be in control of my spending habits and don't want to forced into an auto ticket renewal, There is no online option to reject this. I would have carried on buying it had the auto renewal not been forced on me.

 

After reading Andy C's post I've switched to the Citybus 28 day ticket which is £61.20.  Travelmaster don't force you to auto renew every month so it saves me a bit of money and it fits my needs much better than the Stagecoach option.

 

So well done Stagecoach; by trying to force me into what is essentially a permanent ticket whether I want it or not, you've actually lost my custom (apart from whatever %  you get from my Travelmaster ticket) 

 

 

 

 

[dutch 68]

2 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

You are paying for a cheap service and getting what you pay for.  Simple.

It is a way of delivering the service at the price the public want to pay for it.  If you want better, like most things in life you have to pay more. 

You don't know what cheap is because you live on an island.

Take off the blindfold and look at reality.

 

I will have to go somewhere later I can walk in 30 minutes but the two buses that could get me there take 40 minutes. 

You call that service?

Edited February 8, 2020 by dutch

[Guest busdriver1]

7 minutes ago, dutch said:

You don't know what cheap is because you live on an island.

Take off the blindfold and look at reality.

 

I will have to go somewhere later I can walk in 30 minutes but the two buses that could get me there take 40 minutes. 

You call that service?

So you know all about me? 

 

I like you have travelled, unlike you I understand that there are differences across various countries and some are for the better and some are not. I do not feel the need to constantly harp on about how much better a place that i left is over the place I chose to live.

We, in this country have our system. It is not perfect but it is what is in place and within that system fares in Sheffield are amongst the lowest in the country.

Fares abroad may be lower at the point of use but probably cost a lot more when taking into account the true full cost. 

I find it interesting that despite your frequent assurances that other countries are so much better than the one that puts money in your pocket you still choose to stay here. Maybe you are a closet fann of our transport system.

P.S. enjoy your walk. 😂

[dutch 68]

Hello Busdriver.

 

Even if you gave me a free car with petrol I will have to walk take trains buses or taxis and catch a ride with friends.

My GP told me not to drive. 

I lived longer in Sheffield than any other place and this has nothing to do with the public transport, not even Brexit interferes with this.

 

Like you said some places are for the better and some are for the worse. At the moment things have been getting worse in Sheffield, The only significant improvement so far is that we now rarely see three or four same buses riding bumper to bumper.

 

Sheffield is a friendly social place and I prefer the long unnecessary delays caused by bus drivers talking chatting with people getting on over the stressed out rush quicker faster mentality of places I have lived before. 

[catmiss 12]

On 08/02/2020 at 11:49, busdriver1 said:

You are paying for a cheap service and getting what you pay for.  Simple.

It is a way of delivering the service at the price the public want to pay for it.  If you want better, like most things in life you have to pay more. 

‘Cheap’ ‘Service ‘ - wrong on both counts I think. First have acknowledged poor performance on the service front by offering the BGOF weekly ticket and are using this as a sweetener for price rises

[Guest busdriver1]

8 hours ago, catmiss said:

‘Cheap’ ‘Service ‘ - wrong on both counts I think. First have acknowledged poor performance on the service front by offering the BGOF weekly ticket and are using this as a sweetener for price rises

You do not seem to understand what a cheap service is or are deliberately missing the point. I will refresh for your benefit. The service being provided is a cheap service as the fares are being held lower than the cost of delivering a RELIABLE service. What then happens is > . . . . .  You get an unreliable service.   The fact that  offers are being made has nothing to do with good or bad customer service, that is as a direct result of the traffic commissioners breathing down their necks and telling them to reduce services to a manageable level, appease the public, sort out a working maintenance regime, and get the fleet to a satisfactory state  or face further consequences. The long term fix for this would be price rises of at least 25% across the board but imagine the cardiac arrest rate if that happened. 

As usual, the good people of Sheffield want Gucci at primark prices and cant understand why things go wrong as a result.