Nothing to stop Connexions putting up their own timetable cases but that would mean spending some money on some which most operators other than Transdev seem unwilling to do so. Some goes for bus stop signs - when First for example ran the 653/654 as a commercial service to Harrogate the bus stops along the A658 in North Yorkshire had Harrogate & District signs due to them running the evening service to Otley; when they lost that tender they removed the signs and the bus stops remained unmarked until NYCC put some signs up.
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Competition heats up between Transdev and Connexions
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Don’t know about timetables but I’ve seen some quite questionable driving from both parties along the (X)1 route recently trying to beat each other to the bus stops!
I also saw a bright red Connexions bus that had clearly been done up to try and look as much like a Transdev as possible
I also saw a bright red Connexions bus that had clearly been done up to try and look as much like a Transdev as possible
backontrack
Established Member
Do you have a photo? If so, please could you show us? I'd love to see that.I also saw a bright red Connexions bus that had clearly been done up to try and look as much like a Transdev as possible
Bantamzen
Established Member
Good grief, what next in the great Harrogate bus war? Is one of them going to go around turning road signs around as in the cartoons of old in an attempt to confuse the other company's drivers? Or paint fake roads / tunnels onto walls, or hang anvils over bus stops....??
Seriously both these companies need their collective heads banging together, and as with the President of The United States of America, someone needs their phone taking off them & Twitter account suspended until they can play nice!!!
Seriously both these companies need their collective heads banging together, and as with the President of The United States of America, someone needs their phone taking off them & Twitter account suspended until they can play nice!!!
theblackwatch
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Do you have a photo? If so, please could you show us? I'd love to see that.
The bus he is referring to is in National Bus Company red (with a white stripe, NBC logo and 'WEST YORKSHIRE' lettering).
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
That’s evidence enough for me of wrongdoing......
Some of Trent Barton's behaviour was...interesting...under Alex. To say the least.
Do leopards change their spots?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
I’m glad we’ve satisfied the burden of proof there....
To be strictly accurate its D&G red in which it was acquired.
Theres a couple of very simple solutions to relationships improving -
1. either the X6/X6a or the 6 retimed by 15 minutes . In the case of the former there would be a knock on with the X4 and X12 in which it interworks, in the case of the latter the 2A,2B and 3 would be affected. The lesser impact would be Connexions retiming their services. Actually find it strange that either operator can make much money on those services given commercially a few years back Transdev considered a 40/45 minute service only to be viable, albeit that was a time the 6 was self contained and did not interwork.
2. Transdev are sold at cost price the company names.
The X1 is more difficult to see a solution - it does nothing to assist traffic flow in Knaresbrough and long suffering motorists would no doubt be delighted if it were to be withdrawn. Due to Transdevs high use, the tiny bus station has no capacity to cope with the X1 so it stops on street (in one direction unmarked, in the other using the outer side of a bus station stand) causing significant tail backs jamming a traffic light controlled crossroads in one direction and the High Street in the other.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
I'm still going for cock up not conspiracy, just that I wouldn't put it past them.
Yeah this is my view too, I would like to think Transev wouldn't do it but if it turned out they have then quite honestly I wouldn't be surprised.
theblackwatch
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I hadn't realised that - a nice cheap 'repaint' then!
They did use it as acquired which fooled me when I passed it wondering when had Transdev acquired an Omnicity. The faint almost invisible display in direct sunlight gives away from a distance that its a Connexions vehicle given that Transdev displays are bright enough almost not to need street lights on.
Transdev are introducing contaactless and Apple/Andriod Pay from next year, something which has surprisingly missing from all but one route. One wonders if they are going to be going down the 36 style solution which was an external card reader or with new ticket machines from Ticketer for example.
Sam
Sam
About time! Looking forward to this very much so.
They’re being quite optimistic based on the seemingly poor reliability of the contactless on the 36!
I just tried to pay on the 36 and got told it was out of order, the driver kindly let me on for nowt! Not the first time it has been out of order, far from it...
I just tried to pay on the 36 and got told it was out of order, the driver kindly let me on for nowt! Not the first time it has been out of order, far from it...
Zxwii
Member
Heard it'll be new ticket machines.
Statement from Connexions Buses
"Owing to competiton from another operator (timing their service 5 minutes in front of our bus), we are having to cease operation of our 965 Wharfedale Hospital/ Newall and Weston Service as of 9th January 2018.
We are sorry to have to do this, as we had originally started the service unaware that the other operator were starting a service, with the support of Metro (which the other operator didn’t have) but in order to avoid a wasteful bus war, we are taking the mature approach and withdrawing from it.
We do still operate our 940 to Holt Park and X52 to Harrogate and Ilkley from Otley – and look forward to seeing you on those services"
"Owing to competiton from another operator (timing their service 5 minutes in front of our bus), we are having to cease operation of our 965 Wharfedale Hospital/ Newall and Weston Service as of 9th January 2018.
We are sorry to have to do this, as we had originally started the service unaware that the other operator were starting a service, with the support of Metro (which the other operator didn’t have) but in order to avoid a wasteful bus war, we are taking the mature approach and withdrawing from it.
We do still operate our 940 to Holt Park and X52 to Harrogate and Ilkley from Otley – and look forward to seeing you on those services"
Well that's blatantly untrue. They may well have been unaware of Transdev's service when they registered theirs, but they certainly knew a couple of days later, well in advance of the start date. Curious how their buses were usually between 1 and 5 minutes earlier than Transdev's before the change.
It's not clear who they're saying had support from Metro.
Stan Drews
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So, the latest news from Connexions is indeed a little bit light on facts!!
I assume, as anticipated, that somehow the reduced timetable which had been registered to start last Tuesday (2nd), has just been ignored and the 'old' timetable appears to be running longer - but only until the 9th, ...rather than the 16th???
Still, I suppose we should all look forward to the new mature Connexions, although I suspect we'll all miss the comedy value of the immature tweets!!
More chance of a flying pig passing the window I suspect. Still if they are against unnecessary bus wars can a timetable change be expected to the X6/X6a?...... thought not.
Worked fine the other couple of times I used it last week, nice and fast too the ticket was almost printing before the payment had been fully 'confirmed' by my phone!
Looks like other operators are starting to get on board too, wonder if the same company is providing all the 'new' kit
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co....s_payment_to_be_introduced_on_Bradford_buses/
From Thursday, January 18, all First services in Bradford and around West Yorkshire will be be kitted out with contactless payment systems, providing more payment options for bus travel easier.
A few days off work and some interesting observations of Connexions services in Harrogate which might interest VOSA
Wednesday afternoon and the ex Dublin Solo suddenly went off route NIS (it was empty on a X6) to try to avoid a queue of traffic at a set of traffic lights only then for a right turn into a queue of traffic approaching the same set of lights from another direction to be attempted...
Thursday morning c ten to nine and three Harrogate bound X1s were only a short distance apart (presumably the 750 (running 50 minutes late), 815 and 830 from St James); the Dublin Solo had extracted itself from the previous afternoons exploits as it was sat at the top of Starbeck waiting to work the 0900 short working. 35 minutes later a pair of the X1s headed east off Knaresborough High Street moments apart. EDIT Additional comment: Those two X1s appeared to be empty; the three seen earlier appeared to have a combined handful of passengers compared to two pretty full Transdev vehicles, and a third that on its own had at least as many passengers as the three X1s.
Wednesday afternoon and the ex Dublin Solo suddenly went off route NIS (it was empty on a X6) to try to avoid a queue of traffic at a set of traffic lights only then for a right turn into a queue of traffic approaching the same set of lights from another direction to be attempted...
Thursday morning c ten to nine and three Harrogate bound X1s were only a short distance apart (presumably the 750 (running 50 minutes late), 815 and 830 from St James); the Dublin Solo had extracted itself from the previous afternoons exploits as it was sat at the top of Starbeck waiting to work the 0900 short working. 35 minutes later a pair of the X1s headed east off Knaresborough High Street moments apart. EDIT Additional comment: Those two X1s appeared to be empty; the three seen earlier appeared to have a combined handful of passengers compared to two pretty full Transdev vehicles, and a third that on its own had at least as many passengers as the three X1s.
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It is indeed Ticketer they are choosing for their new ticket machines as seen by a tweet from Alex Hornby yesterday.
https://twitter.com/alextransdev/status/961607331497824259
https://twitter.com/alextransdev/status/961607331497824259
Sam
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Looks like Transdev have just shared there first photo of the new zero emission Volvo buses running on 2a, 2b, 3 & 6 routes. Very smart
https://www.facebook.com/harrogatebus/posts/2054663168112157
https://www.facebook.com/harrogatebus/posts/2054663168112157
Heres a vehicle Connexions could respond with - its diesel free after all and will only need a slight tweaking of its livery
http://www.stevedent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/128-Steam-Bus.jpg
http://www.stevedent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/128-Steam-Bus.jpg
Well the competition is certainly 'heating up'!
Passengers were evacuated from a bus that caught fire at the top of Cheltenham Parade this afternoon.
https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/video-bus-on-fire-in-harrogate-1-9050360
Think those fumes probably outweigh the emission benefits from the new ones coming in, but suppose it is a quick way to dispose of the existing units
Passengers were evacuated from a bus that caught fire at the top of Cheltenham Parade this afternoon.
https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/video-bus-on-fire-in-harrogate-1-9050360
Think those fumes probably outweigh the emission benefits from the new ones coming in, but suppose it is a quick way to dispose of the existing units
philthetube
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love the this bus is comfortable and "RELIABLE"
Comfortable, reliable...and toasty warm!
These things happen every now and then sadly with the amount of miles they do, I think Transdev has a pretty good record for maintenance.
So far Connexions haven't jumped on the incident for a dig at the opposition....maybe and hopefully they are sticking to their current more mature approach.
These things happen every now and then sadly with the amount of miles they do, I think Transdev has a pretty good record for maintenance.
So far Connexions haven't jumped on the incident for a dig at the opposition....maybe and hopefully they are sticking to their current more mature approach.
Another B10BLE went up a year or two back, and was completely burnt out - Connexions did tweet about that IIRC but only on lines of hoping all on board were okay. We will see shortly if they are keeping mature as NYCC have I understand awarded the 70 route between Harrogate and Wetherby via Follfoot to them. Connexions having previously complained that Transdev were overbusing by running the 70 and two direct 71s are simply going to divert a X70 to operate the route - in one direction it will be the service to Tadcaster and in the other that from York. I wonder how little they bid!
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