Public Transport Vs. Heart Of The City Ii

[Andy C 86]

22 minutes ago, Andy_terrier said:

Would be quite nice to bring this back to the original topic as I am sure as fascinating it is to (and one of the reasons sometimes SF is comedy gold) let Irene off on one of her rants (BTW I am sure the cocktail bar you referenced, you "MAY" have got the name wrong 😁 ) but I don't think the gaps between bus stops in a suburb are completely relevant to how we could make the transport links for the "new " city centre better.

 

The main issue I see is.  you have shops at 1 end, the tram and majority of the transport hubs at the other - how do we sort that out?  the walk down for "Doris and Albert" from the Cathedral may not be that bad but the walk back from Atkinsons up the hill is a bit of a trek.

 

I don't see too many objections to running the Purple tram down Arundel Gate - it won't impact traffic that much really and can terminate at Moorfoot.  but what about feeding the HOTC? still not sure on that one.

 

As for the buses - the new routes we have because of Pinstone Street - dont they go down the back of Cambridge Street and then onto Charter Row anyway?

The Heart of the City Two is served by the City Hall tram stop, however the Moor where all the shops and market have been moved to, away from Fitzalan Square / Castle Square / Cathedral tram stops is less convenient.  If a new tram spur was to be built perhaps off West Street down Fitzwillam Street (past West One and the Washington pub) to a new terminus platform in the Moorfoot area. Ideally this would be on segregated track rather than on street. Tram Train and Purple route could be extended beyond Cathedral to it.

 

Should we also mention the council funded city centre minibus service no one uses? It connects with the tram at the City Hall stop and runs via Moorfoot to the bus station every 10 minutes during shopping hours and you get a free ride if you show your tram ticket, otherwise it's a £1 flat fare.

[Poll 10]

Talking of the council funded city centre minibus - I use this quite often but I cannot understand why the route does not turn left at the end of Rockingham Street to go down Furnival Street, around the roundabout and back up to Charter Square (same route as the 51).. This would allow passengers easier access to Pinstone Street and The Moor.  I also cannot understand why there isn’t a bus stop outside the back of Atkinson’s (although drivers will let you get off there) as there is quite a distance from the Rockingham Street stop to the next official stop at Moorfoot. I am sure that passengers would find this suggested route more helpful when visiting the city centre. 

[WarPig 78]

A question to any bus drivers on here..

 

If getting on a bus just a few stops prior to the terminus, but wanting to continue onwards on that busses journey, do fares reset at the terminus and you have to pay again? Or when getting on the bus would the driver charge you the fare to the terminus plus the fare to your destination?

 

When stood at the bus stop near my house to go into city centre, I often see my bus going past me in the other direction towards the terminus, then 5 mins later it comes back to my stop and then into town. If I crossed the road and got on it whilst it's on its way to the terminus would I have to pay extra fare to get into town? Would this be classed as two journeys?

[RollingJ 2,046]

2 minutes ago, WarPig said:

A question to any bus drivers on here..

 

If getting on a bus just a few stops prior to the terminus, but wanting to continue onwards on that busses journey, do fares reset at the terminus and you have to pay again? Or when getting on the bus would the driver charge you the fare to the terminus plus the fare to your destination?

 

When stood at the bus stop near my house to go into city centre, I often see my bus going past me in the other direction towards the terminus, then 5 mins later it comes back to my stop and then into town. If I crossed the road and got on it whilst it's on its way to the terminus would I have to pay extra fare to get into town? Would this be classed as two journeys?

Not a bus driver, @WarPig, but yes it would be two journeys.

[WarPig 78]

9 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

Not a bus driver, @WarPig, but yes it would be two journeys.

Thanks, so getting on just one stop prior to the terminus might incur two fares. I guess it depends on the drivers discretion?

[RollingJ 2,046]

3 minutes ago, WarPig said:

Thanks, so getting on just one stop prior to the terminus might incur two fares. I guess it depends on the drivers discretion?

I suppose it does, but I guess there's nothing to be lost by trying - just get off and wait if they say 'no'.

[Irene Swaine 1,072]

22 minutes ago, WarPig said:

A question to any bus drivers on here..

 

If getting on a bus just a few stops prior to the terminus, but wanting to continue onwards on that busses journey, do fares reset at the terminus and you have to pay again? Or when getting on the bus would the driver charge you the fare to the terminus plus the fare to your destination?

 

Unfortunately, you would have to re-approach the driver for a new ticket at the terminus. There are tickets which allow more freedom, such as a South Yorkshire Travel Master and I am sure some drivers would allow you to remain onboard for the turn around period if you asked their permission.

[RollingJ 2,046]

2 minutes ago, Irene Swaine said:

Unfortunately, you would have to re-approach the driver for a new ticket at the terminus. There are tickets which allow more freedom, such as a South Yorkshire Travel Master and I am sure some drivers would allow you to remain onboard for the turn around period if you asked their permission.

If you had a Travel Master, or any daily/weekly/monthly ticket, you just re-present it before the bus leaves the terminus - simple. And yes, I've done it.

[Irene Swaine 1,072]

4 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

If you had a Travel Master, or any daily/weekly/monthly ticket, you just re-present it before the bus leaves the terminus - simple. And yes, I've done it.

I dare say you have. And it would be perfectly valid. Some drivers may get uppity about their break period though and require the customer to disembark. 

[RollingJ 2,046]

2 minutes ago, Irene Swaine said:

I dare say you have. And it would be perfectly valid. Some drivers may get uppity about their break period though and require the customer to disembark. 

If you ask nicely, and don't disturb them, I don't think they'd mind. Having said that, I've usually found they are glad of the company, and are happy to engage in conversation.

[Resident 1,193]

31 minutes ago, WarPig said:

A question to any bus drivers on here..

 

If getting on a bus just a few stops prior to the terminus, but wanting to continue onwards on that busses journey, do fares reset at the terminus and you have to pay again? Or when getting on the bus would the driver charge you the fare to the terminus plus the fare to your destination?

 

When stood at the bus stop near my house to go into city centre, I often see my bus going past me in the other direction towards the terminus, then 5 mins later it comes back to my stop and then into town. If I crossed the road and got on it whilst it's on its way to the terminus would I have to pay extra fare to get into town? Would this be classed as two journeys?

Once a bus reaches it's terminus that's the end of the journey and any tickets for that journey are now invalid. Drivers will end the journey on their ticket machines & then start a new journey for the return. 

If you have a multi-journey ticket or pass then you can rescan it to revalidate but drivers I've spoken to say they regularly have issues when they allow this because once they've sat down people don't want to get back up meaning they don't have a valid ticket and it is classed as over travelling (fare evasion)

I do know that there's a route in Rotherham where the company actually sent out ticket inspectors because large numbers of people were doing it, particularly OAPs.

1 minute ago, Irene Swaine said:

I dare say you have. And it would be perfectly valid. Some drivers may get uppity about their break period though and require the customer to disembark. 

They don't get 'uppity'. They're adhering to the operational rules. Whilst the driver is on a break the bus is classified as 'unattended'. Drivers cannot leave passengers on an 'unattended' vehicle for safety & liability purposes

[RollingJ 2,046]

2 minutes ago, Resident said:

Once a bus reaches it's terminus that's the end of the journey and any tickets for that journey are now invalid. Drivers will end the journey on their ticket machines & then start a new journey for the return. 

If you have a multi-journey ticket or pass then you can rescan it to revalidate but drivers I've spoken to say they regularly have issues when they allow this because once they've sat down people don't want to get back up meaning they don't have a valid ticket and it is classed as over travelling (fare evasion)

I do know that there's a route in Rotherham where the company actually sent out ticket inspectors because large numbers of people were doing it, particularly OAPs.

They don't get 'uppity'. They're adhering to the operational rules. Whilst the driver is on a break the bus is classified as 'unattended'. Drivers cannot leave passengers on an 'unattended' vehicle for safety & liability purposes

I understand the first comment, @Resident - it obviously makes sense.

 

Re the second paragraph - I am talking personally here - I have no problem walking the short distance to the front of the bus and re-scanning, but I see your point with regards to some individuals.

 

The last bit - suppose that depends on the driver, but the simple answer there is to get off, although I've not had to.