They are running duplicates for social distancing purposes. It’s nothing to do with JMB who wouldn’t know what social distancing is right enough!This is definitely true as Blantyre depot doing all the extra 266 and 241 work
They are running duplicates for social distancing purposes. It’s nothing to do with JMB who wouldn’t know what social distancing is right enough!This is definitely true as Blantyre depot doing all the extra 266 and 241 work
Ok I didn’t know that thanks for the information lastbusThey are running duplicates for social distancing purposes. It’s nothing to do with JMB who wouldn’t know what social distancing is right enough!
What does Scotrail Controlled mean? Sorry if this sounds stupid I've never heard it before
Seen a petition now for the 31 and I'd imagine there's going to be ones for the X1 and 208 again somewhere. I doubt First would cave in twice over the X1 but with the others I'm not sure what could happen
The cries of "essential service" for the 31 and X1 seem to have started on social media. The 31 you could technically argue that it's essential as it's the only bus in parts of the route and they've had no warning of a cut with this unlike the X1. The X1 was mobbed at peaks but god knows what you could do with the off peak in order to keep it. It wasn't exactly busier after it was saved the last time off peak from personal experience.
Could the route in Hamilton have been changed? Probably but to what really?
High Earnock-Fairhill-Hillhouse-Burnbank-Hamilton-M74-M73-M8 then town is the only thing I can think of
Tbh is a complete redesign of the network really that bad an idea? personally my view would be rip up the current network and redesign it using a hub and spoke method I.e. have high frequency services every 5 mins between fixed points i.e. bbs partick, qeuh govan
Then from these out stations run local services that can be single deckers but less frequent say every half hour route example govan pollok
First actually communicating instead of customers having to find out from local politicians and the papers might have been a start. It's pretty shady when you look at it that way and ultimately if you treat your passengers like that you deserve to lose them
What services do we think are really under threat?
That's 3 in total for cuts now but I can see a good few more:
I can see this 4/4A timetable becoming permanent
3 and 6 frequency being cut
8 being cut back to Partick
16 going completely as it's not busy outside of peaks
32 going despite actually being busy when I've seen it
34/34A being merged into one
43 going 1 an hour
46 maybe going 1 an hour
64 frequency being dropped from every 30 mins to hourly
81 frequency dropping
89/89A/89B being kept as the current timetable with just the 89/89B
255 short workings axed
The problem is just like X23, The peak service was busy and well used but come 9am the service run around dead and its like what can first do for six hours until the Evening peak picks up again. Better Question should be why has off peak passengers stop going to Glasgow? Where are they going instead. Hamilton still have one Express service from Glasgow every hour Via X74.
Yeah it's a tough one but the X1 is definitely needed at peaks. Apparently it's been put forward as an idea to First before to run it as a peak only service and they never done it. Would make plenty of sense to do it that way plus the tech park could be potential as Stagecoach are cutting the X16 that runs through it
First actually communicating instead of customers having to find out from local politicians and the papers might have been a start. It's pretty shady when you look at it that way and ultimately if you treat your passengers like that you deserve to lose them
There is a requirement to consult with Councils 28 days before any changes are lodged with the Traffic Commissioner. First would not normally say anything until the changes are registered with the Traffic Commissioner and accepted by them after that.
That is the requirements.
If they are expecting about 80% of passengers to return in the long term, every bus company will be making cuts.
Well communicate them properly then. I mean it's really not that hard especially when you serve the public
You seem overly concerned by the loss of a bus you don’t even use. The X1 was losing money for years and was coming off before all this happened until the petition saved it short term. If only the people who signed the petition actually used the service then maybe we wouldn’t be discussing the axing of it.Not discussing things with the people who are the reason you make money isn't part of what you said. You can discuss with the public at the same time as councils. Stagecoach do it just fine outside of the X16 cut just now. It's a cop out for First
I'm probably being a bit slow here but what exactly are you expecting operators to do?
Are you expecting First to say.... we are proposing to cut service A by so much, withdraw service B and curtail service C to the general public in advance of anyone else including local authorities? And if so, what do you then expect the bus companies to do? Are you expecting a statement of fact (i.e. this is what we're doing and why)?
Or are you suggesting something interactive like a consultation? However, as we've seen with the X1, it's easy to have masses of people contributing on-line to a petition but sadly, that level of contribution isn't then reflected in ridership.
NOTE: the fact that SPT are stoking up the media with the Scottish Government https://www.transportxtra.com/publi...-as-ministers-fail-to-fund-extra-covid-costs/ might explain a bit of reluctance to get involved
You seem overly concerned by the loss of a bus you don’t even use. The X1 was losing money for years and was coming off before all this happened until the petition saved it short term. If only the people who signed the petition actually used the service then maybe we wouldn’t be discussing the axing of it.
Consultation 3 months in advance of any changes. Make the plans completely clear and get as much feedback as humanly possible. The public are the key to holding the industry together and it's time bus companies don't forget that. Treat them how they should be treated and not how they have been by First for years. There have obviously been other factors to First's decline in passenger numbers but it's definitely a case where we shouldn't ignore that First contribute to that falling passenger total on their own
Consultations are always pointless.
Tell someone the bus is coming off - what do you expect their response to be.
Politicians shouted like hell back in October, what did they do after? No further support or encouragement of people to use the service.
I can see the same kicking up at the moment about peak 68 being withdrawn next week? The bus was full - albeit a small bus, but still withdrawn.
Times are changing, this is the new reality. Anyone who thinks nothing will change needs to seek help.
Don’t think customer service is anything to do with why they are being given government support. It’s for social distancing and keeping buses on during the pandemic.Times are changing but First aren't doing themselves any favours whatsoever and is treating customers so badly going to get them government support? Let's be realistic it's really not
Don’t think customer service is anything to do with why they are being given government support. It’s for social distancing and keeping buses on during the pandemic.
Who claims they don’t get enough funding?Yeah they're getting it because of the pandemic just now but after that is a very different matter. The claim always is that they don't get enough funding in general but ultimately do First deserve it which to me is a resounding no and constantly alienating passengers won't help the government feel that First deserve anything
Who claims they don’t get enough funding?
I can see the same kicking up at the moment about peak 68 being withdrawn next week? The bus was full - albeit a small bus, but still withdrawn.
Times are changing, this is the new reality. Anyone who thinks nothing will change needs to seek help.
Again not really how many people for example use the 41 from town to the very end of the routeThen loads of people would have to change then!