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Reduced Frequency On Supertram

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1 hour ago, Bigal1 said:

You should not need to make repeated calls to any organisation to get something done and certainly not when you have contacted the head of that organisation. The PTE and Supertram could not even understand the stupidity of showing (fictional) tram times when the service was suspended

Try calling sheffield council. They are all like that. Every time I call with same issue I get connected with a different person in another department who redirect's me to another different department.

That is how life is today.

I called eight times to get them to actually really help last time instead of giving empty promises comments.

 

The main reason you get angry/upset about the tram not running at perfect times is cause you keep telling yourself how the world around you should be perfect. 

You better be careful that could cause depression at later age and can be easily avoided if you are more careful. 

Next time two trams are bumber to bumper take a deep breath and use it as an opportunity to relax that the world is not and never will be perfect.

Edited by dutch

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Guest busdriver1
5 hours ago, Bigal1 said:

The PTE and Supertram could not even understand the stupidity of showing (fictional) tram times when the service was suspended

I am the last person in the world to defend either Sheffield Council, the PTE or even Supertram, but they have little control over the information displayed on the monitors. That has been outsourced to an organisation in West Yorkshire that covers nearly all buses in all of Yorkshire. The tram info would have been on the list to be done but with most staff working from home for obvious reasons and buses changing on a frequent basis they simply got snowed under with approx. the equivalent of 2 years of updates needing to be done in 2 weeks.

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my friend bus driver, I am not talking about the bus dot matrix  but certainly the tram matrix are the responsibility of the PTE and even if sub contracted one would expect them to set out the spec for the service and ensure that the contractor delivers to spec. However even though the tram dot matrix is still far from perfect (100% the fault of the PTE) I was referring to the way the PTE ignored the customer and was happy for rubbish to be displayed - the suggestion that one should bombard them with complains will eventually result in you being told not to waste their time

 

It was interesting that Stagecoach supertram were quite relaxed about the monitors preferring to sit and lick the toes of their lords and masters and simply rely on the fact that this was not their responsibility (true) and if the PTE was happy to display wrong info then they were happy

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Guest busdriver1
39 minutes ago, Bigal1 said:

my friend bus driver, I am not talking about the bus dot matrix  but certainly the tram matrix are the responsibility of the PTE and even if sub contracted one would expect them to set out the spec for the service and ensure that the contractor delivers to spec. However even though the tram dot matrix is still far from perfect (100% the fault of the PTE) I was referring to the way the PTE ignored the customer and was happy for rubbish to be displayed - the suggestion that one should bombard them with complains will eventually result in you being told not to waste their time

 

It was interesting that Stagecoach supertram were quite relaxed about the monitors preferring to sit and lick the toes of their lords and masters and simply rely on the fact that this was not their responsibility (true) and if the PTE was happy to display wrong info then they were happy

The point I was trying to make is that those displays are outsourced to the same company that does the bus displays as they use the same system, so they just end up in the same queue waiting to be done. SYPTE for once actually accepted that the management of them was way beyond their abilities. 

This system is in use in all of South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and other areas close by. The bus companies were put in a position where virtually daily changes were happening because of covid19 and like I said the volume of work this company was given was roughly equal to 2 years of normal work every 2 weeks. ALL systems were delayed in being kept up to date, not just Supertram. Any contract for timely delivery would not get met in those very unique circumstances and no challenge over non compliance would not be entertained by any authority even a court in these unique times.

 

The slight advantage the bus companies had was they have their own apps that they manage and are  easier to update hence my previous recommendations to use them rather then the PTE based systems as they were more likely to be up to date. Because of the way the bus companies get the information for their apps (via the ticket machines) it is unlikely that Supertram could do the same as their machines are much more basic due to being hand held.

Just to make it clear, the bus companies were not particularly clever here, they just found themselves in a position where they had ticket machines they had bought for other reasons had a capability they could easily use and accepting the limitations of the PTE tracking system chose to use them that way to keep passengers updated in these difficult times.

The real credit here needs to go to TICKETER transport systems who worked hard to provide the bus companies with useful tools in these difficult times especially the bus capacity feature used by First Bus on their app where you can see if an arriving bus has seats available. 

Sadly, Stagecoach use ticket machines made by the same company that provide the tracking system to SYPTE so are not able  to offer that facility but I believe they are attempting to get their system somewhere near firsts who are currently way ahead.

 

Stagecoach only hold a franchise for Supertram and that is nearing its end. Investment there is not likely to be forthcoming from Stagecoach as the future of the systems operation is unclear with a return to SYPTE operation looking the most likely outcome.

 

 

In short, if you are travelling by bus, use that operators app. 

If you are travelling by tram Guess

Either way, forget the PTE tracking system for either (your next bus etc.)

Also third party systems are not to be trusted currently as many of them use the PTE system

Edited by busdriver1

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Don't know about covid situation and repeat not talking about buses cause I know little about them

 

The thing I am talking about the dot matrix on the tram stops SHOULD have been specified and designed to cope with exactly the problem when ever there is disruption to the system and it is a disgrace that it does not

 

Most users do not appreciate that whenever it shows a time (rather than countdown) what this means that is the timetable and we have no idea where the tram is or if it is running

 

The PTE can not duck out of the fact that they are responsible for the farce

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Guest busdriver1
1 hour ago, Bigal1 said:

Don't know about covid situation and repeat not talking about buses cause I know little about them

 

The thing I am talking about the dot matrix on the tram stops SHOULD have been specified and designed to cope with exactly the problem when ever there is disruption to the system and it is a disgrace that it does not

 

Most users do not appreciate that whenever it shows a time (rather than countdown) what this means that is the timetable and we have no idea where the tram is or if it is running

 

The PTE can not duck out of the fact that they are responsible for the farce

Whilst I appreciate you are not interested in the bus situation it is relevant here. The system in normal times can cope ok with the demands put on it. There is however a national emergency that is causing greater problems then tram times not being accurate. The system in use is far from the Rolls Royce system but a better system would cost many thousands more and with the limited use the tram system gets in comparison to others it would in no way be cost effective and as it happens probably no more or less reliable. 

Maybe it would be better just to turn it off until the updates are done.

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Bus driver, sorry but we are way off the topic now. I. Commented on Dutch’s post about the bombarding the PTE with complaints pointing out is was futile and illustrated with the example of the tram dot matrix. I was referrering to from the time they were installed and how numerous complaints to the PTE had not been addressed. I was not commenting on their performance today under Covid issues.

 

I would say though that had the PTE known what it was doing when they bought the dot matrix for the trams then we could have had a system that would have coped with any disruption not just in Covid times. No there is little that can be done now  and the PTE are happy because they are sometimes right so that is OK then

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You have a brilliant transport system in South Yorkshire ... well almost ... they all need to take the business model from TFL

 

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All 4 routes finish around 8pm from tomorrow,  passes valid on most bus services adjacent to tram routes.

 

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Guest busdriver1
13 hours ago, sedith said:

You have a brilliant transport system in South Yorkshire ... well almost ... they all need to take the business model from TFL

 

Only if you want the bills as well

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13 hours ago, sedith said:

You have a brilliant transport system in South Yorkshire ... well almost ... they all need to take the business model from TFL

 

what world are you living in?

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Asked a conductor this morning if timetables are going to change soon as trams are getting a little busier with schools going back. Answer was no idea however he did say that trams would be closing for 2 days on the 4th/5th April with no trams running anywhere because of Rail Replacement in town centre. Wasn’t these only done 3/4 years ago? Where do they get these rails from a kids train set. Useless!!

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