South Yorkshire Bus Service Needs Improvement

[Resident 1,185]

4 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

On Oh so many occasions there have been consultations with the public over what they want. On a great many occasions tis was then provided only to be withdrawn a short while later because the public who said they wanted and needed the service did not materialise. One such example was when over 200 people signed a petition saying they wanted and would use a service from High Green to Rotherham. The service was provided and soon after withdrawn with average passenger loadings of 5 per day. Just one example of the gulf between what the passenger wants and what they will use.

 

Any customer will claim they want this that and the other but they need to remember that a bus service ( Omnibus - for all) is not a personal taxi but a public service that is run reaching compromises.

The bus companies pay large sums of money to the PTE in return for them disseminating information to the public and maintaining bus stops and shelters. Any comments or complaints about inadequate public information should be directed at them. 

 

I find it tiresome that the constant desire for cheaper bus fares and more frequent buses keeps coming up, often with suggestions that drivers should be paid more. The basic maths of that argument seems to get lost on the way. Both major operators in Sheffield are not making money as it is so how would massively increasing their costs improve things? 

Then we get people who want the council to take over. They have said they would do all of the above ( remember councils always carry out their promises) SO guess who is going to pay for it if that happens. US

The 135 still runs at the moment and most, if not all the High Green boardings alight in Chapeltown. Beyond Chapeltown there maybe 1, 2 at most that travel onwards to Rotherham

 

On many occasions PTE staff, or rather Noonan, the sub-contractor hired by PTE are beyond woeful. I have heard them tell passengers completely incorrect information (like ALL X1s go to Sheffield all day, they don't a good number terminate at Meadowhall) or even tell them to board services that go nowhere near their intended destination. I suspect it's just to get rid so they can go back to playing Solitare on the computer.

[RollingJ 1,999]

39 minutes ago, Resident said:

The 135 still runs at the moment and most, if not all the High Green boardings alight in Chapeltown. Beyond Chapeltown there maybe 1, 2 at most that travel onwards to Rotherham

 

On many occasions PTE staff, or rather Noonan, the sub-contractor hired by PTE are beyond woeful. I have heard them tell passengers completely incorrect information (like ALL X1s go to Sheffield all day, they don't a good number terminate at Meadowhall) or even tell them to board services that go nowhere near their intended destination. I suspect it's just to get rid so they can go back to playing Solitare on the computer.

I don't bother asking at Pond Street for that reason - IF I'm really stuck, I usually pop into the First 'offices' there, where I kind of know a couple of the staff.

[BigAl1 143]

21 hours ago, Baron99 said:

You've also got to consider that many 'consultations' are also just a PR, box ticking exercise that are non-binding & carried out when decisions have in fact, already been made between large organisations & local authorities. 

 

The last thing such groups want is the general public offering their views.

Indeed I agree. Worse still they are sometimes designed to produce the answer they want

[Guest busdriver1]

1 minute ago, Bigal1 said:

Indeed I agree. Worse still they are sometimes designed to produce the answer they want

The consultation I referred to was a genuine and open one. It was acted on to the requests of those concerned and the result was as I said. It is little wonder then that some are just run to tick the box as when done genuinely the result is often a disaster. Most bus companies do have staff that are very experienced and on some occasions listen to them and act on it.  PTE's have staff who went to college to learn about planning bus services and did case studies in various areas then follow through trying to make a system that worked in Bognor Regis* work in Sheffield. On a few occasions these people have been on a bus, normally when at college though.

* Random example

[BigAl1 143]

20 minutes ago, busdriver1 said:

The consultation I referred to was a genuine and open one. It was acted on to the requests of those concerned and the result was as I said. It is little wonder then that some are just run to tick the box as when done genuinely the result is often a disaster. Most bus companies do have staff that are very experienced and on some occasions listen to them and act on it.  PTE's have staff who went to college to learn about planning bus services and did case studies in various areas then follow through trying to make a system that worked in Bognor Regis* work in Sheffield. On a few occasions these people have been on a bus, normally when at college though.

* Random example

I can only provide specific comment on that consultation if I have access to all the paperwork.

[Resident 1,185]

https://www.myrotherham.co.uk/80p-fares-for-everyone-aged-21-and-under/

 

Get ready for fare hikes courtesy of Jarvis. 

[Michael_N 36]

Just now, Resident said:

https://www.myrotherham.co.uk/80p-fares-for-everyone-aged-21-and-under/

 

Get ready for fare hikes courtesy of Jarvis. 

You'd have thought with this costing the tax payer even more money, they would've rounded it up to £1 for all under 21s single fare.

[Resident 1,185]

9 minutes ago, Michael_N said:

You'd have thought with this costing the tax payer even more money, they would've rounded it up to £1 for all under 21s single fare.

The industry is currently on its knees and cannot afford this. 

 

There will be those that say 'well they're subsidised fares'. They barely cover costs if at all. 

 

This will lead to fare rises and reductions in services. 

[RollingJ 1,999]

That piece reads like a Press Release from his office, dressed up to look like news, and includes a load of fluff - which we have come to expect from that source.

[Annie Bynnol 612]

It is a press release -The source is from Sheffield City Region(SCR) news published on 15th March

Each area of England has a share of Government funds to help our young people. SCR is explaining that some of the funding  is to enable mobility amongst those young people who have lost so much  during the lockdowns in terms of training, work and education. Lasts one year.

 

The subsidy that everybody pays (including the under 21)  so that the over 66s  can travel free will cost the country far more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest busdriver1]

So despite having some of the lowest fares in the country they want to artificially hold them down for 18 to 21 year olds. 

If they must do this it should only be for the unemployed as that is their justification for doing this. 

Try going to Nottinghamshire where the lowest single fare is £ 2 and for example Worksop to Doncaster is over £5.50. 

Day ticket I believe is about £10. 

Child fares are 66% of adult fares. 

We are so hard done by. 

Edited March 22, 2021 by busdriver1

[Resident 1,185]

11 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

So despite having some of the lowest fares in the country they want to artificially hold them down for 18 to 21 year olds. 

If they must do this it should only be for the unemployed as that is their justification for doing this. 

Try going to Nottinghamshire where the lowest single fare is £ 2 and for example Worksop to Doncaster is over £5.50. 

Day ticket I believe is about £10. 

Child fares are 66% of adult fares. 

We are so hard done by. 

Spoken to a few drivers and they're dreading it because it's gonna cause conflicts. 

 

It's already been said that the new fares are going to require the pass to be scanned in order for the subsidy to be paid so they reckon bosses will be hard on no pass no cheap fare.