Buses running 5 minutes early.

[Dentonian]

Which is utterly ridiculous however you look at it.

True, but what is the solution? That's only partly rhetorical because I think that all transport related policing that does not involve suspected serious crime (eg. drink/drunk driving) should be taken over the Mayor's office, as far too many LA's and Police Forces have proven incompetent (and that's the least letigious word I can come up with), in this respect over the decades.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The solution is a timing point about every 5 minutes and proper provision for waiting, and no such utterly stupid ticketing of a bus for waiting in a bus stop.

 

[Dentonian]

The solution is a timing point about every 5 minutes and proper provision for waiting, and no such utterly stupid ticketing of a bus for waiting in a bus stop.

I think every 5 minutes is a bit OTT. Modern traffic conditions mean it can take 5+ minutes between stops in a minority of cases anyway. And how do you provide proper waiting provision at maybe 10 times as many stops as now? It would cost a fortune in money and disruption. The pre-existing 10-15 minute guide lines seems sensible, but waiting provision should be provided at all central locations such as shopping precincts and historically used crossroads, NOT moved half a mile up the road to a relatively underused location. Mind you, it would help if Operators were consistent in using the same timing points for parallel services on the same corridor. On my local route, the "trunk" route is timed at sensible locations. However, a partially parallel route is timed one stop before the central road junction/Superstore stop in each direction. Indeed, in one direction it is timed at a Tory club so, naturally the stop is often obstructed anyway!

 

[Busaholic]

Indeed, in one direction it is timed at a Tory club so, naturally the stop is often obstructed anyway!

The Manchester branch of the Bullingdon? (I've mislaid my emojis, better than mislaying my mojo, I guess!)

 

[Dentonian]

The Manchester branch of the Bullingdon? (I've mislaid my emojis, better than mislaying my mojo, I guess!)

Stockport actually - and very much Labour territory.

 

[_toommm_]

I think we'd already established that in your case you are not boarding at a registered timing point. It's also just occured to me that some services have registered arrival times as well as departure times for journeys running through Bus Stations, and its a problem for computers to understand the concept of "arrival" times. Could it be that your service has (say) four minutes stand time at Pond Street built in? I am, of course, assuming that the paper public timetable doesn't show any stand time.

It’s certainly not a problem for me to grasp the concept of arrival and departure times. IF there is that much slack built into the timetable leaving that much early running then it can reasonably be deemed excessive. Take a look at some of my other posts and replies, I’m definitely not just an average commuter with a bone to pick. Regardless, a bus running 5 minute early regularly is excessive.

Quote of the thread: ‘There’s an excuse for late running, but no excuse for early running’