52a Bus Service Very Poor

[Guest busdriver1]

8 hours ago, alexander874 said:

A tramlink  bus terminating in Hillsborough covering Widewood/Loxley would be the the best idea.

Out of the several tramlink buses that have been introduced how many still run? People dont want to change half way though their journey

[BigAl1 142]

3 hours ago, busdriver1 said:

Out of the several tramlink buses that have been introduced how many still run? People dont want to change half way though their journey

They might if the two were properly coordinated with communication between the two companies and a desire on the part of the tram operator to provide a quality seamless  service to customers - sure there would still be times when the connection would be missed but not the regular two fingers we see now

[BigAl1 142]

19 hours ago, Annie Bynnol said:

As a regular user of the 52 and 52a it is sad to see the decline of the First 52a service.

There are three issues regarding the 52a:

Punctuality along the whole route is badly affected by the addition of Loxley/Wisewood to the route as evidenced by the 52 Stagecoach service not suffering the same problems.

Cancellations and what appear to be last minute short workings are too common.

Service cuts on the 52 and 52a leading to overcrowding and resuting in delays and bunching.

 

This afternoon the following are cancelled:

52aWoodhouse Loxley13:18

52aArundel Gate Woodhouse13:43

52aWoodhouse Waingate14:33

52aLoxley Woodhouse14:45

52aHigh Street Loxley14:56

52aLoxley Arundel Gate15:45

52aHigh Street Loxley16:00

52aWoodhouse Loxley16:18

52aLoxley Woodhouse16:45

 

 

Is it the running to Loxley/Wisewood or is it staffing /sickness / fleet availability - I rather suspect the latter 

[Ms Macbeth 70]

Waited yesterday teatime at Parkers for a 52a, two showing on tracker, neither came.  Caught the hourly 57, it was heaving, but it got us up the hill.   Lots of older people don’t go anywhere near the terminus, but its a real trek up to Far Lane, especially carrying shopping.

[Resident 1,183]

On 13/05/2022 at 10:27, BigAl1 said:

Is it the running to Loxley/Wisewood or is it staffing /sickness / fleet availability - I rather suspect the latter 

The first two. I know the First Rotherham operation lost 5 drivers to other employers in 8 days recently. Simply cannot replace them at the rate they're leaving. 

Looking at Olive Grove, plenty of fleet stood on the outdoor bus park daily. 

[alexander874 17]

Why are timetables  not adjusted to the staff available . its clearly not a short term problem its been going on for months. 

 

[Guest busdriver1]

13 hours ago, alexander874 said:

Why are timetables  not adjusted to the staff available . its clearly not a short term problem its been going on for months. 

 

Timetables were adjusted recently and there was an outcry on here about it. Any timetable changes need to be registered with the traffic commissioners and are subject to 6 weeks notice.

[BigAl1 142]

15 hours ago, alexander874 said:

Why are timetables  not adjusted to the staff available . its clearly not a short term problem its been going on for months. 

 

Think about it! they don't know how many staff are going to call in sick or leave each day, and as above they need to register in advance. Then how would they communicate that the timetable has changed if they do it every week /day

 

What is unforgivable is that the dot martix /tracker is not reflecting reality and I have posted on numerous posts on this subject but the PTE simply do not care because it is sometimes right. BTW you do know if the dot matrix shows a real time  like 17.28 that means it is the timetabled time and they do not have a clue where that bus is or if it is even running

[BigAl1 142]

11 hours ago, LovePotion said:

This is my biggest problem, I don't mind if the bus is delayed, as long as I know if it is going to come or not. Some bus shelters still don't have any screens at all! At train stations, the dot matrix screens say where the train you are waiting for currently is e.g. "this train is currently at Chesterfield", I don't understand why the PTE can't do that for the buses. Sometimes the screen will say due in one minute and then just vanish! This has even happened at the Interchange before!

It is much easier for the trains and should have been for the tram if the PTE were not so incompetent (the last few times I have been to Parkgate the display has not even bothered with tram times and says for information you should contact a member of staff  not so easy at an unmanned station with no mention of how if you have not noticed the help speaker).

 

For the buses it is a bit harder but that is not an excuse it is about the PTE understanding the whole subject and designing a system that is fit for purpose not just when things are all working as they should but the inevitable times when things go wrong. It is inexcusable able that non existent buses are shown

[belperite 11]

On 12/05/2022 at 12:13, Andy C said:

I'd recommend bookmarking the bustimes.org website on your phone, the map that tracks buses live is very useful! The following link takes you to the list of areas of Sheffield https://bustimes.org/districts/263. Click on the area then you can either click on map to show you everything in the area, alternatively click on a bus stop to show scheduled times then you can click on a particular departure to show you where that bus currently is along with all the other buses on the same route.

Am a semi-regular 52/a user myself to and from Hillsborough. The tracker apps including First's own basically lie about the "live" bus times these days, but bustimes.org has always been on the money. Can be a bit depressing sometimes though when you're waiting for a timetabled peak time 52a and the map shows there are none in the whole of S6...

[Ms Macbeth 70]

I made sure I was at the stop today in plenty of time to catch the 61, its hourly and super reliable. A 52a turned up. Result! 
 

The only display in Hillsborough is at the interchange, none of the bus stops have them. 

[belperite 11]

6 minutes ago, Ms Macbeth said:

The only display in Hillsborough is at the interchange, none of the bus stops have them. 

Yes, the lack of displays after Broomhill always annoys me. Why did they stop there?