Bus Fares Up Again,Why?

[ormester 11]

On 06/01/2020 at 22:18, Andy C said:

And if fares didn't go up when the cost of providing the service rises, then the service will probably close down due to losing too much money - whether the service is better, worse or just the same, its still got to at least cover its costs!

 

On the theme of the service getting worse - remember a lot of the issues are buses stuck in road traffic congestion, which increases costs - more fuel burnt and extra buses and drivers have to be sent out to provide the same level of service. That sort of thing is outside the control of bus companies - the political will needs to be there at the council and government to reduce traffic and make the buses more reliable as a result. However much of the cost increases are simply normal inflationary pressures.

 

There is also the recent issue of how many First buses were broken down of course, that was down to the manufacturer First bought most of their buses from - Wright bus of Northern Ireland - going bust and being unable to supply parts to maintain the buses - however Wright bus is now back in business under new ownership so hopefully First will be getting that issue sorted quickly now. Stagecoach hasn't faced that issue as they tend to buy buses from Alexander Dennis (ADL).

 

Rubbish Andy we get the same rubbish every year like the best one was the hills in Sheffield  mean it costs more. 

Use the tracker on the first app  it tells you if the bus is tracking abd what time its coming if its not tracking it won't come 

[Ms Macbeth 73]

11 hours ago, feargal said:

I suspect I live very close to MsMacBeth, and have also struggled with massive gaps/clumps of 52a buses.  I waited with an elderly neighbour in Hillsborough recently for a 'lift up the hill'.  She had shopping bags and it was cold and rainy. After almost 40 mins wait I persuaded her to let me carry her bags and we trudged slowly home.  She was nearly in tears by the time we arrived, very upset at being decrepit and a burden 😔. She loved the old S6 service as it stopped outside her house, and she was able to use it to get out and about almost daily. 

 

No buses passed us in almost an hour.  This was in the daytime, so shouldnt have been traffic related. 

I'm in my 70s now, and can see myself relying on the dwindling, unreliable bus services more as I become less fit.  We are an aging society, isolation and loneliness is a big issue for older people, being able to get out is so important for our mental and physical welfare.  Very sad for the lady you helped, she will be fearful of going out as often if she worries about being able to get back home.

 

The S6 service was a godsend, sadly missed.

[Guest busdriver1]

On 06/01/2020 at 22:18, Andy C said:

There is also the recent issue of how many First buses were broken down of course, that was down to the manufacturer First bought most of their buses from - Wright bus of Northern Ireland - going bust and being unable to supply parts to maintain the buses - however Wright bus is now back in business under new ownership so hopefully First will be getting that issue sorted quickly now. Stagecoach hasn't faced that issue as they tend to buy buses from Alexander Dennis (ADL).

 

When adl went bust a while ago stagecoach had issues with spares but to be fair the issues with spares these days is not a major one as most units are bought in from outside producers. So it's just a case of going to those producers instead. 

The claim made by first about the difficulty in obtaining spares was just a smokescreen to hide the major internal issues currently being experienced by that operator. 

Edited January 8, 2020 by busdriver1

[Andy C 85]

3 hours ago, Ms Macbeth said:

I'm in my 70s now, and can see myself relying on the dwindling, unreliable bus services more as I become less fit.  We are an aging society, isolation and loneliness is a big issue for older people, being able to get out is so important for our mental and physical welfare.  Very sad for the lady you helped, she will be fearful of going out as often if she worries about being able to get back home.

 

The S6 service was a godsend, sadly missed.

The problem is buses like the S6 aren't used by fare paying passengers, they are generally used by concessionary pass holders that travel for free - therefore the buses take no money - and to exist require a significant public subsidy from the taxpayer.  With the Conservative government austerity policy over recent years the money to fund such things simply no longer exists.

 

Unfortunately this seems to be a Sheffield (well British) thing - we want comprehensive public transport provision, nice food and drink, good shops in town etc etc but aren't willing to pay for it.

[driver151 27]

so we can't have everything for free? everyone seems to know and be a professional when it comes to the buses in Sheffield and perhaps the same in other cities, Other things that effect service is staff shortages and one of the main reasons for that is the attitudes of people toward us resulting in less buses, AND yeah, I know some drivers don't help but I would like to see any1 to sit in a seat in a bus that is a pain in the backside to drive and have people moan and moan over something you have no control over and stay all happy and cheery, trust me if I had the power to change the fairs or routes I wouldn't have to be sat in the driving seat taking the abuse,

 

Andy C has it spot on with the poor road layouts casuing traffic is the main issue that kills the bus services in Sheffield, and if you want new buses well you have to pay for them and insure them tax them opps licensing, mot, maintenance, upkeep, a driver all day for them, training for that driver, CPC corses, oh yeah and some fuel and add blue, oh and the tracking equipment upkeep, cleaning, somewhere to park them when unused, so £2.10 from one end of the city to the other well not to bad really, but what do i know i only have driven them for the last 10 years and still going now

 

if you feel you could improve services there are plenty of jobs going so come on down to one of the depots and get an application form, according to one passenger I had we get paid £25 an hour so we are quids in.........................

 

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by driver151

[Guest busdriver1]

5 minutes ago, driver151 said:

so we can't have everything for free? everyone seems to know and be a professional when it comes to the buses in Sheffield and perhaps the same in other cities, Other things that effect service is staff shortages and one of the main reasons for that is the attitudes of people toward us resulting in less buses, AND yeah, I know some drivers don't help but I would like to see any1 to sit in a seat in a bus that is a pain in the backside to drive and have people moan and moan over something you have no control over and stay all happy and cheery, trust me if I had the power to change the fairs or routes I wouldn't have to be sat in the driving seat taking the abuse,

 

Andy C has it spot on with the poor road layouts casuing traffic is the main issue that kills the bus services in Sheffield, and if you want new buses well you have to pay for them and insure them tax them opps licensing, mot, maintenance, upkeep, a driver all day for them, training for that driver, CPC corses, oh yeah and some fuel and add blue, oh and the tracking equipment upkeep, cleaning, somewhere to park them when unused, so £2.10 from one end of the city to the other well not to bad really, but what do i know i only have driven them for the last 10 years and still going now

 

if you feel you could improve services there are plenty of jobs going so come on down to one of the depots and get an application form, according to one passenger I had we get paid £25 an hour so we are quids in.........................

 

 

Nail on the head there.The public in Sheffield are one of the main reasons companies can not attract or retain staff. I for certain would never drive a bus there.

[driver151 27]

1 minute ago, busdriver1 said:

Nail on the head there.The public in Sheffield are one of the main reasons companies can not attract or retain staff. I for certain would never drive a bus there.

its fustraiting for the drivers as we are just told what to do, and i am guessing any1 that wants to stay in a job and get paid so u can live u need to do what u are told, i am sure i will get told i am talking rubbish by someone with no experance of been on the buses, the normal quote been "i catch them all the time"...so that make them a expert pls come and drive them u will see a whole new world lol,

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, driver151 said:

its fustraiting for the drivers as we are just told what to do, and i am guessing any1 that wants to stay in a job and get paid so u can live u need to do what u are told, i am sure i will get told i am talking rubbish by someone with no experance of been on the buses, the normal quote been "i catch them all the time"...so that make them a expert pls come and drive them u will see a whole new world lol,

I honestly don't know how you deal with it all  I've caught buses for most of my life and I get annoyed by people that I can see have been waiting for a bus to arrive but don't bother to get out their fare until they are standing in front of the bus driver. I also don't understand why people won't sit next to each other any more? You can see 10 spare seats and people will stand up because otherwise it means they have to sit next to someone. Then there are drivers that don't seem to understand the size of buses or how you manoeuvre large vehicles. As usual people will blame everything except themselves. I'm glad for people like yourself because it's not a job I'd like to do!

[Guest busdriver1]

34 minutes ago, driver151 said:

its fustraiting for the drivers as we are just told what to do, and i am guessing any1 that wants to stay in a job and get paid so u can live u need to do what u are told, i am sure i will get told i am talking rubbish by someone with no experance of been on the buses, the normal quote been "i catch them all the time"...so that make them a expert pls come and drive them u will see a whole new world lol,

Couldnt agree more . I have driven buses in the past all over the country including London and the worst place by far for the bad attitude of passengers is Sheffield. Like you say some of these "Experts" should try it. I would give them half a day at most.

[Temuchin 13]

12 hours ago, ormester said:

Use the tracker on the first app  it tells you if the bus is tracking abd what time its coming if its not tracking it won't come 

The tracker is not 100% reliable, as we found to our cost on Monday. Went to catch the midday inbound 135 which was tracking OK all the way from Rotherham; it turned up, but showing SNIS... Similar instances with other services.

 

And, even if a bus is not showing as tracking, it does not necessarily mean it won't turn up: all pot luck in my experience.

[ormester 11]

Never had a problem 

5 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

Couldnt agree more . I have driven buses in the past all over the country including London and the worst place by far for the bad attitude of passengers is Sheffield. Like you say some of these "Experts" should try it. I would give them half a day at most.

Bad attitude of the Sheffield public lol maybe there fed up of putting up with a terrible service and who pays your wages   bus dryer you have lost respect blaming Sheffielders 

[driver151 27]

36 minutes ago, ormester said:

Never had a problem 

Bad attitude of the Sheffield public lol maybe there fed up of putting up with a terrible service and who pays your wages   bus dryer you have lost respect blaming Sheffielders 

The old saying of we pay your wages... that's how the economy works I bought a red bull today that pays the red bull employees wages I bought a ford that pays the wages of ford employees, like I said if u know how to fix it pls apply for any of the bus companies

 

Plus you dont even know me so how can u say I have lost respect?

 

Maybe that's the attitude we are talking about

Edited January 8, 2020 by driver151