RustySpoons
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Two steps forward and three back! Burnley Twitter/social media team seem to be going through a phase of ignoring complaints or requests for help, but replying to praise.
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Competition heats up between Transdev and Connexions
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Two steps forward and three back! Burnley Twitter/social media team seem to be going through a phase of ignoring complaints or requests for help, but replying to praise.
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Harrogate web site has pdfs for all service routes bar 2B, 3 and X6, its possible the work needed for the UCI Cycling championships has diverted attention. As for the multinational issue its pretty obvious Transdev spend money locally and it does not all go to France - the recent radio bid day for Harrogates Christmas lights saw Transdev Blazefield promising to contribute the equivalent amount to that contributed by the Borough Council. And the squamishs between them and Connexions are somewhat similar to Wellglade and Yourbus which was pretty non multinational all round.
Connexions have published a special timetable for the X70 for this coming Saturday,
http://www.connexionsbuses.com/content/uploads/2019/09/X70-timetable-21-9-19-race-only.pdf
The direct Wetherbys terminate at Plumpton Rocks during the closure of the A661 onwards to Wetherby while those via Follifoot terminate their but judging by the timings each vehicle takes a very leisurely to the other terminal to form a working to Harrogate as the opposing journey from the terminal it has arrived at has already departed - Follifoot arr -40 dep -31 Plumpton Rocks arr -06 dep -02
http://www.connexionsbuses.com/content/uploads/2019/09/X70-timetable-21-9-19-race-only.pdf
The direct Wetherbys terminate at Plumpton Rocks during the closure of the A661 onwards to Wetherby while those via Follifoot terminate their but judging by the timings each vehicle takes a very leisurely to the other terminal to form a working to Harrogate as the opposing journey from the terminal it has arrived at has already departed - Follifoot arr -40 dep -31 Plumpton Rocks arr -06 dep -02
Statto
Established Member
I love how the revamped site has a timetable/map section, yet Transdev haven't published any maps.
There is a map for Keighley, but it's down the main page rather than on the timetable & maps page. Blackburn on the other hand I don't think has a map.
I've always thought their Twitter looked like it was just done by someone in spare moments between whatever their actual job is rather than being manned full time.
What I've heard so far of the 'improvements' (reduced frequency) they've recently made is complaints of longer waits and crowding to the extent of being unable to board.
RustySpoons
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Thing is, when they're keeping up to date with Twitter they're brilliant. Honest and quick updates regarding late/cancelled services, answering queries in a timely manner and actually acknowledging issues. When they're not keeping up to date with it they're beyond useless. If someone has a simple question about a bus fare for a journey they're wanting to take it's no good answering it a few days later, or just ignoring it as they seem to be doing recently. Only responding to praise is a pretty arrogant thing to do.
I've noticed that recently. I believe it was that person who set up an online petition to get the Mainline reverted back to it's previous operations. Got a whopping 3 signatures. It seems that person has been blocked by BurnleyBusCo anyway, which I don't think is the ideal thing to do to someone who has a complaint (or seven). Yes they can be annoying, but at the end of the day they're still paying to use your service. Blocking them just gives them more ammo to whinge with.
There do seem to be a lot of comments regarding overcrowding and full buses leaving people stranded at the Padiham end of the Mainline since the changes, especially in mornings. I think they duplicated one of the peak-AM Accrington runs for a couple of days but not sure if they still are.
I think in Burnley at least it's lucky that there isn't any competition on any of the routes. No matter how much people will complain about full/late/no show buses they've got no choice but to still catch them.
Their are maps for each route
Stan Drews
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The AM journey from Accy towards Burnley at school time has been duplicated at the start of the academic year for many years, so that isn’t really anything to do with the recent Mainline changes. In fact, I’m sure there is now an additional timetabled journey on the M1 (old M3) from Accy/Hapton.
RustySpoons
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Ahh I didn't know that. I just assumed it was a one off thing as they mentioned they were running a dupe to help loadings, then people were asking if it was going to be a permanent thing.
Sort of. There's a copy of google maps with the line of route on. But it includes sections that are rarely served with no notes about that.
Turns out Keighley has really good Network maps, but not in the maps section. To find them, scroll down 2 pages on the main screen and there's a link to Network Maps.
They've told me to find the M4 by going to the Burnley site - I thought they'd want to advertise it to Keighley customers as they have for years, but it looks like they're going down the First route of ignoring routes operated by other sections of the same company.
They've told me they are adding pdfs of routes but won't give any idea how long they expect that to take.
Yes.
After asking them (several times over several weeks) they've told me about that. Seems odd not to have it under the Timetables and Maps network menu option.
It is somewhat interesting when their is someone who disagrees with another's world view, it automatically turns into (in this case) a rant. Great label bro. My "rant" is that most of the profits will be funnelled to it's HQ in France. Yes they improve on services, however, this has more to do with the traffic commissioner, and regulation. If this is not in place, do you think services would be as good?
Statto
Established Member
That's annoying, as tried to find the 152 Preston-Burnley timetable, it's not in the Burnley bus company part of the site even though it operates to Burnley, but in the Lancashire one.
I've described it as a rant. You've not told me what your problems with the company are, even though I've asked you. I'm a fan of better bus services and information. When Transdev achieve that I praise them, when they don't I criticise then. There's plenty of my criticising them in this thread.
The profits will go to shareholders. As I've already pointed out, they're international (and as they operate in 20 countries the money is coming in from all over the world too) so the money will be going to many different places.
I'm not sure how the Traffic Commissioner has forced them to improve services.
Might be worth tweeting them (or contacting them another way) - they seem to have changed their mind on the M4 and have told me it should be returning to the Keighley site too.
Stan Drews
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When you look at some of the excellent websites produced by the same people (Passenger), it’s astonishing that the new Transdev ones are so lacking in some of the basic details used to such good effect on the likes of the Reading, Cardiff sites.
TheGrandWazoo
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RustySpoons
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You'd have thought with the amount of hype they were giving the website in the run up to launch it'd be the best of the best. But route maps hidden deep down in different pages, PDF timetables missing, whole timetables missing (152 on Burnley's page for example - despite it making up part of the Mainline route, M4 on Keighleys - which I believe makes up the 15 minute frequency between Keighley and Airedale Hospital, or at least did at one point) as well the other issues raised. It's just amateurish, especially when the same basic issues still haven't been resolved after so long.
It might look good, but it's pretty irrelevant when you can't use it properly.
It might look good, but it's pretty irrelevant when you can't use it properly.
Alexbus12
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Does anyone know how long has this website been in the planning for before it went live?
It has to be said a lot of recent publicity had gone way beyond the reality, the web site has been admitted as being based on the use of the old one. Promos of extra buses usually turn out to accurate but limited in their extent - the cycling championships about to start focussed on Harrogate have received such but it transpires the extra buses are pre bookable / buy ticket before boarding "express" workings from Harrrogate to York and Leeds on the 28th and 29th (presumably being run as private hire workings) - about half way down https://worlds.yorkshire.com/spectator-guide/transport-travel/
Stan Drews
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Well, they’ve certainly been talking about it for a long time!
I was expecting something really special, perhaps even amazing, particularly after coming in with such a good app at a relatively late stage of that particular party. However, the fact that it appears to be a very poor attempt at what is effectively an identikit version of the excellent Passenger offering, is quite bizarre!!
Past experience suggests that they will just continue with the poorly thought out layout, as they’re not great at taking criticism.
Is this thread just a constant moan on a loop now. “They haven’t immediately actioned my very precise request, so let’s have the whole discussion again, every week, until they do”
People need to remember that the travelling public are not bus industry experts, they won’t have seen this website template before, they won’t know it already exists elsewhere. They won’t know that some elements seen elsewhere haven’t been used here.
At the end of the day, although the website hasn’t hit some people’s ridiculously high, often pedantic standards, it is still better than many.
People need to remember that the travelling public are not bus industry experts, they won’t have seen this website template before, they won’t know it already exists elsewhere. They won’t know that some elements seen elsewhere haven’t been used here.
At the end of the day, although the website hasn’t hit some people’s ridiculously high, often pedantic standards, it is still better than many.
RustySpoons
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I don't think that's the issue to be honest. It's more to do with the fact that basic features are missing and not in sensible places. It's not very straightforward to use if you don't know exactly where to look.
PDF timetables are still missing, despite being available on the old site and requested from day 1 of the new site launching. It's one of the few things that have been acknowledged, but as of yet nothing has been done about it.
Is having a downloadable timetable a ridiculously high standard?
Is having the most useful maps under the maps heading on the menu a ridiculously high standard?
Is having the timetables for all the routes on their network maps a ridiculously high standard?
Is having a note showing that a route is not available to the public because it's a school route a ridiculously high standard? When it's just listed numerically on the website.
What things that people are asking for do you think are pedantic or expecting a ridiculously high standard?
I'll agree that it's better than many, but in some ways it's worse than what we had before. Should we just be grateful for what we're given?
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njlawley
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As for the website, it is possible to show other OpCos on a timetable page, as they are a simple TransXchange file (the same type of file that powers bus stop real-time, as it is a DfT mandated format). If you went on one of the Go South Coast websites, you'd see files for Bluestar 6 on the More site, Reds X5 on the Swindon site, Reds X7 on the Bluestar site, and More X3/Damory 20 on the Reds site. Even Stagecoach journeys on some Reds services are shown!
Just a reminder this thread is to discuss Competition heats up between Transdev and Connexions.
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So do we need separate threads for comments not re the Transdev/Connexions war then? seems a bit odd if so since the Nottingham Bus War thread openly discusses matters in Derby which last I looked was still some 16 miles to the west with the M1 between.
RustySpoons
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Here's one I created earlier.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/transdev-blazefield.192373/
I suppose it would make it easier to follow certain Transdev related topics instead of them being spread across two separate, and in some cases irrelevant, threads (this one and the Rosso buyout one)
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/transdev-blazefield.192373/
I suppose it would make it easier to follow certain Transdev related topics instead of them being spread across two separate, and in some cases irrelevant, threads (this one and the Rosso buyout one)
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