Many thanks ‘Scousemouse’ for your response. What you highlight is that in the desire to get everybody out of their cars, the local Council’s fail to figure out end to end journeys from home to place of work - with costs being another factor that determines the mode of transport that people use. You would think that it would be obvious that a frequent bus would link Filton station directly with Airbus and the nearby Cribb’s Causeway retail area. It is First who run the buses in Bristol and it is of course First who run GWR trains. You would think that they would make every effort to run an integrated service with bus links to their rail stations?
‘HowardGWR’ - Sales of Boeing planes have virtually collapsed which is very good news for Airbus.
Councils are told by the government to find sites for lots of new houses but the government is rather less keen on providing money to link those homes with anywhere by means other than roads - or giving the power and money to regions to set and fund transport priorities for themselves.
As for the idea that First Group could integrate bus and rail services, which country have you been living in since 1987, when bus services outside London were deregulated? Thus stuffing up integrated systems such as prevailed on Tyneside linking buses and the Metro.
First would probably get taken to court for anti-competitive practices if they tried it in the current situation - and fear of rival bus operators moving in on their routes would probably mean they wouldn't even contemplate it in the first place.
I think it is generally accepted in South Wales and the Bristol area - and by GWR and TfW - that the Cardiff-Newport-Bristol axis needs looking at but until GWR can free more Turbos from the Thames Valley routes when 769s finally arrive, then any frequency/capacity increases are going to have to wait for a while.