First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)

Busaholic · 3 Mar 2017

FSW Official said:
Not sure of your logic
If someone contracts us they pay us to operate them.

The same logic that led me to think when Tesco, then breaking all sorts of records for profitability, market share, etc, and expanding as if there was no tomorrow, it would end in tears. And lo.....

I'm not comparing your situation to Tesco's and I am sure your sums add up, I am just suggesting that if expansion was generally confined to adding more school/college contract services there might come a point when it would be better to decline the opportunity: I don't expect you to agree, because it is obviously working well for you presently.

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KendalKing · 3 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
The same logic that led me to think when Tesco, then breaking all sorts of records for profitability, market share, etc, and expanding as if there was no tomorrow, it would end in tears. And lo.....

I'm not comparing your situation to Tesco's and I am sure your sums add up, I am just suggesting that if expansion was generally confined to adding more school/college contract services there might come a point when it would be better to decline the opportunity: I don't expect you to agree, because it is obviously working well for you presently.

Having worked with-in the Bus industry for 23-years, I can assure you that NO bus/Coach company would ever decline work. Some companies have been known to buy secondhand buses/coaches and employ extra drivers for short term contracts, some only lasting approx 3-months.

richw · 4 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
I'm sure you could. I would wonder about long-term viability, though, of so many extra buses just providing two journeys a day, basically, during school and college term. Driver cover might or might not be a factor, but the main one would surely be the cost of running, taxing, insuring and garaging these 'extras'. Accountants can write down the cost of ten and fifteen year old buses as much as they like, but the rest isn't so easily accounted for. You can, of course, leave all the buses out in the open guarded by a man in a van with an alsatian appearing for twenty minutes during the night, but there is plenty of experience, especially in Cornwall, of the folly of such a policy!

P.S. Hope Cofnwall was a Freudian slip!

The tender bid would be greater than 100% of all of those expenses. Likely making the bid more expensive for someone with specific vehicles for the job than someone else who can utilise the vehicles between 9 and 3,

philthetube · 4 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
I'm sure you could. I would wonder about long-term viability, though, of so many extra buses just providing two journeys a day, basically, during school and college term. Driver cover might or might not be a factor, but the main one would surely be the cost of running, taxing, insuring and garaging these 'extras'. Accountants can write down the cost of ten and fifteen year old buses as much as they like, but the rest isn't so easily accounted for. You can, of course, leave all the buses out in the open guarded by a man in a van with an alsatian appearing for twenty minutes during the night, but there is plenty of experience, especially in Cornwall, of the folly of such a policy!

P.S. Hope Cofnwall was a Freudian slip!

Whoever operates these services has the same issues.

SWTH · 4 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
The same logic that led me to think when Tesco, then breaking all sorts of records for profitability, market share, etc, and expanding as if there was no tomorrow, it would end in tears. And lo.....

I'm not comparing your situation to Tesco's and I am sure your sums add up, I am just suggesting that if expansion was generally confined to adding more school/college contract services there might come a point when it would be better to decline the opportunity: I don't expect you to agree, because it is obviously working well for you presently.

But who says FSW are only interested in or are confining expansion of school/college contracts? As part of bidding everything will be costed, from daily running costs, wages, storage etc to vehicle depreciation. It should all be accounted for in the tender, therefore the long term viability doesn't come into it.

FSW Official · 4 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
The same logic that led me to think when Tesco, then breaking all sorts of records for profitability, market share, etc, and expanding as if there was no tomorrow, it would end in tears. And lo.....

I'm not comparing your situation to Tesco's and I am sure your sums add up, I am just suggesting that if expansion was generally confined to adding more school/college contract services there might come a point when it would be better to decline the opportunity: I don't expect you to agree, because it is obviously working well for you presently.

I still can't follow your logic

Busaholic · 5 Mar 2017

FSW Official said:
I still can't follow your logic

Fair enough, I certainly don't want to prolong the argument, so will leave it there.

FSW Official · 5 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
Fair enough, I certainly don't want to prolong the argument, so will leave it there.

Tesco operates in a highly competitive market. It has no guaranteed sales. It relies on customers who can change where they shop at will at any time. It sells individual products that can be bought elsewhere in any mix. So it invests in multi million pound stores with no guarantee of any revenue.

A bus contract is just that. A guaranteed purchase of a tightly defined service, over a set and generally long period. It is one we can very accurately cost. In those costings we can reflect the potential operational variables - like availability of part time staff (we've become quite adept at understanding them over the years as you'd expect for an industry that is so well developed).

Tesco is probably one of the least relevant comparators you could choose!

MrKnow · 5 Mar 2017

GWR Dart TT03TRU was seen in Redruth tonight doing a U2 to Falmouth

philthetube · 6 Mar 2017

Apologies if this has been asked but I have gone quite a long way back on this thread.

When will the 300 start running for the season.

Westnat · 6 Mar 2017

philthetube said:
Apologies if this has been asked but I have gone quite a long way back on this thread.

When will the 300 start running for the season.

The last Sunday in May, according to their Facebook page.

THarris123 · 6 Mar 2017

SWTH said:
53108 became the latest Solo to leave the active fleet yesterday.

Sold? Scrapped? Or transfer?

Busaholic · 6 Mar 2017

A 'Tinner' made it onto the 17A at lunchtime today : the Trident on the 17 half an hour later was blinded as a 10, the first time I've seen that for a while. I hope intending passengers had their wits about them!

GBM · 7 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
I hope intending passengers had their wits about them!

Does rarely happen when a driver forgets to change the blind at the far end. Most passengers (I've heard) will get on if it's facing the right way regardless of what the blind is showing!

Busaholic · 7 Mar 2017

GBM said:
Does rarely happen when a driver forgets to change the blind at the far end. Most passengers (I've heard) will get on if it's facing the right way regardless of what the blind is showing!

The 10/A got subsumed into the 17/A a few months ago.

Goldfish62 · 8 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
The 10/A got subsumed into the 17/A a few months ago.

Exactly. Can't understand why it would have been showing a non existent route number. Will we see the return of the 14 and 18 occasionally, I wonder!!!

richw · 8 Mar 2017

Goldfish62 said:
Exactly. Can't understand why it would have been showing a non existent route number. Will we see the return of the 14 and 18 occasionally, I wonder!!!

We've already seen the return of the 18. A Dart was working it on Sunday displaying 18. Presumably the Darts blind wasn't set up for T1/2

GBM · 9 Mar 2017

richw said:
We've already seen the return of the 18. A Dart was working it on Sunday displaying 18. Presumably the Darts blind wasn't set up for T1/2

Blind updating for the older busses seems to take a very, very long time in Cornwall. Some busses I see still have inoperative blinds and going around with a printed piece of paper in the front screen!

richw · 9 Mar 2017

Just seen a Falmouth MMC through Hayle on the 236. The blue got my attention!

richw · 9 Mar 2017

SN05DZV will be resurrecting the 18 route at 2056 off Penzance this evening and then the last journey back from Truro.

Busaholic · 9 Mar 2017

richw said:
SN05DZV will be resurrecting the 18 route at 2056 off Penzance this evening and then the last journey back from Truro.

Just spotted this at 20.49 and it's a 10-12 minute walk for me to Pz bus station, so shan't witness it.

richw · 9 Mar 2017

I caught the 1952, operated by W732DWX, and that was also an 18.
I'd the tip off that the Dart would be an 18 as I rode it to lands end and back earlier in the evening, and had a chat with my driver whilst waiting time at Lands End, as that was his next working after his break. The trip to lands end was pretty much a private taxi for me, with no other passengers after St Buryan outbound until we got back to Newlyn inbound to Penzance!

Pretty much none of the buses except the MMCs have T routes programmed.

richw · 10 Mar 2017

I caught the T1 0924 from west cornwall retail park. Just left Redruth, and no empty seats upstairs, downstairs has no seats and some standees. Can see why deckers were needed. In single decker days some of these people would be left behind.

Penwithian · 10 Mar 2017

richw said:
I caught the 1952, operated by W732DWX, and that was also an 18.
I'd the tip off that the Dart would be an 18 as I rode it to lands end and back earlier in the evening, and had a chat with my driver whilst waiting time at Lands End, as that was his next working after his break. The trip to lands end was pretty much a private taxi for me, with no other passengers after St Buryan outbound until we got back to Newlyn inbound to Penzance!

Pretty much none of the buses except the MMCs have T routes programmed.

Volvo B7TL 30877 (W732DWX) was in Pendeen this morning on the 17, again blinded as a 10. The case of incorrect route numbers may start causing some confusion to some overseas visitors shortly!

mic · 10 Mar 2017

is the 17 now running from st ives all the way though and not changing to 10 at Penzance

richw · 10 Mar 2017

mic said:
is the 17 now running from st ives all the way though and not changing to 10 at Penzance

Yes it's 17 all the way from St Ives to Pendeen now

mic · 10 Mar 2017

richw said:
Yes it's 17 all the way from St Ives to Pendeen now

thanks good to hear as will be off to Cape cornwall in June

Busaholic · 10 Mar 2017

mic said:
thanks good to hear as will be off to Cape cornwall in June

A word of caution from an oldtimer. The 10/17 marriage was also attempted a few years ago, though at the onset of the summer timetable, and congestion, mainly at the St Ives end, quickly put an end to it, in practice before in theory i.e. although the public timetable wasn't altered, you had in the daytime to change bus at PZ bus station, not always with an immediate onward connection. An extra bus was allocated for this purpose I believe in July and August at least. It went back to two separate routes either with the autumn timetable or the following summer - can't remember which, but my timetable collection can be found should anyone want to know.

GBM · 11 Mar 2017

Busaholic said:
A word of caution from an oldtimer. The 10/17 marriage was also attempted a few years ago, though at the onset of the summer timetable, and congestion, mainly at the St Ives end, quickly put an end to it, in practice before in theory i.e. although the public timetable wasn't altered, you had in the daytime to change bus at PZ bus station, not always with an immediate onward connection. An extra bus was allocated for this purpose I believe in July and August at least. It went back to two separate routes either with the autumn timetable or the following summer - can't remember which, but my timetable collection can be found should anyone want to know.

Was it because when a breakdown occurred on one leg, then the whole run was lost. If two separate vehicles are on the run & one fails, only one section is lost and less payment to the Council for a missed run; also the other section will still run.

Goldfish62 · 11 Mar 2017

Penwithian said:
Volvo B7TL 30877 (W732DWX) was in Pendeen this morning on the 17, again blinded as a 10. The case of incorrect route numbers may start causing some confusion to some overseas visitors shortly!

It's just not acceptable!

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