Competition heats up between Transdev and Connexions

[robertclark125]

It's becoming the sort of thing that Stan and Jack would've done to Blakey, if ITV had made a post deregulation series of On the buses!

 

[SCH117X]

From Transdevs twitter
What does it mean to be #TheHarrogateBusCompany? It means running many of our buses 7 days a week, early til late.

BantamOfTheOpera‏ @bantammonster
@harrogatebus i suppose it could be worse, we could have filthy out of date white/green buses and run 6 days and finish at 6pm...

 

[Stan Drews]

From Transdevs twitter
What does it mean to be #TheHarrogateBusCompany? It means running many of our buses 7 days a week, early til late.

BantamOfTheOpera‏ @bantammonster
@harrogatebus i suppose it could be worse, we could have filthy out of date white/green buses and run 6 days and finish at 6pm...

I have always been curious about the obsession Connexions have with associating themselves with the town of Harrogate. They don't really serve the town, other than a couple of infrequent former tendered services, and their copycat "out of town" services on the Wetherby and Knaresborough Road corridors. They aren't even based in the town, being over in Tockwith nearer York.
They've used an elderly S reg Scania to proudly display THE Harrogate Bus Company logo. Surely the good citizens of Harrogate are intelligent people that can see through all the guff?

 

[overthewater]

I have always been curious about the obsession Connexions have with associating themselves with the town of Harrogate. They don't really serve the town, other than a couple of infrequent former tendered services, and their copycat "out of town" services on the Wetherby and Knaresborough Road corridors. They aren't even based in the town, being over in Tockwith nearer York.
They've used an elderly S reg Scania to proudly display THE Harrogate Bus Company logo. Surely the good citizens of Harrogate are intelligent people that can see through all the guff?

The people of Harrogate never wanted a Pound shop, now there have one it seem to be well used.

 

[SCH117X]

Connexions twitter account gets no better - retweeting tweets about delays Transdev are having on services which have absolutely nothing to do with them. Its no wonder that Connexions twitter feed is completely ignored by North Yorks CC as it typically serves no use for their passengers
http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/article/27597/Bus-operators-on-twitter

"The people of Harrogate never wanted a Pound shop, now there have one it seem to be well used." Do not believe what the local rag prints, with an average salary in the town of £27,000 (nationally it is into the mid £30,000s) there are stacks of low paid workers (cafes, bars, hotels, shops, admin staff...)

 

[the101]

Connexions twitter account gets no better - retweeting tweets about delays Transdev are having on services which have absolutely nothing to do with them.

One could be forgiven for thinking that Connexions are well on the way to losing the plot entirely, with their obsession with Transdev and Alex Hornby. They are doing themselves no favours and the whole thing, besides seeming exceptionally childish to those looking in, is rather embarrasing.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The people of Harrogate never wanted a Pound shop, now there have one it seem to be well used.

The town may have a Bang and Olufsen shop and be outwardly affluent but suggest you have a pop round Jenny Field or even some bits out from The Stray towards Starbeck. It isn't all double fronted Victorian Villas; there is real poverty there.

Have you actually BEEN to Harrogate?
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One could be forgiven for thinking that Connexions are well on the way to losing the plot entirely, with their obsession with Transdev and Alex Hornby. They are doing themselves no favours and the whole thing, besides seeming exceptionally childish to those looking in, is rather embarrasing.

Think you're being charitable by saying merely "rather embarrassing"

 

[Robertj21a]

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Think you're being charitable by saying merely "rather embarrassing"

I'll second that, to me it all comes over as rather immature.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Think you're being charitable by saying merely "rather embarrassing"

You're not going to be surprised at me for saying this, but I thought Connexions running strike-buster services for First Leeds yesterday was more embarrassing.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

You're not going to be surprised at me for saying this, but I thought Connexions running strike-buster services for First Leeds yesterday was more embarrassing.

I'd seen that. I guess they see it as a legitimate hire job?

It's off topic but sad to see a strike.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I guess they see it as a legitimate hire job?

Judging by how much they were on Twitter bragging about it, I'd say not.

Agreed that it is very sad to see strikes though. First have had big strikes at their Leeds and Bradford depots recently. I'm not convinced it will do the staff much good given how precarious First's position still seems to be, but that's probably a topic for the First thread.

 

[Bungle965]

Judging by how much they were on Twitter bragging about it, I'd say not.

Agreed that it is very sad to see strikes though. First have had big strikes at their Leeds and Bradford depots recently. I'm not convinced it will do the staff much good given how precarious First's position still seems to be, but that's probably a topic for the First thread.

There was one only a few weeks ago in Manchester, unfortunately there was not anybody that stepped in at all then. Apart from the school services.
Sam

 

[theblackwatch]

I'll second that, to me it all comes over as rather immature.

As does the registering of several new companies back in April.

 

[Deerfold]

PB1003659/17 - HARROGATE COACH TRAVEL LTD T/A Connexionsbuses, SECTION 3, SOUTHFIELD LANE, TOCKWITH, YORK, YO26 7QP
Variation Accepted: Operating between Harrogate Bus Station and Ilkley given service number X52 effective from 03-Sep-2016. To amend Route and Timetable.

PB0001748/11 - KEIGHLEY & DISTRICT TRAVEL LTD, PROSPECT PARK, BROUGHTON WAY, STARBECK, HARROGATE, HG2 7NY
Variation Accepted: Operating between Keighley and Harrogate given service number 62 effective from 04-Sep-2016. To amend Timetable.

The 762 is being renumbered as the 62 with "some timetable changes" according to Transdev's website. I suspect some of the current duplicate or near duplicate journeys may run light.

I was at Ilkley today at 1730-1740, seeing both buses come in from Harrogate. 5 passengers got off the X52. Only 2 got off the 762, but there were 10 passengers remained on the bus to travel to points beyond Ilkley.

 

[SCH117X]

The X52 change, according to NYCC
The 0725hrs from Ilkley and the 1530hrs from Harrogate operate via St Aidans
School. The 0900hrs from Weeton to Harrogate now starts at 0850hrs on a
Saturday

Last time I saw the two services leaving Harrogate it looked like the X52 was largely senior citizen pass holders and the 762 largely fare payers.

 

[SCH117X]

Apparently Transdev have won tenders from WY Metro for Otley and Ilkley local services currently held by TLC and Connexions. Needless to say Connexions staff / fans have started with their "locally owned not Frenchies" mantra.

 

[theblackwatch]

I do wonder if the passengers are really bothered if Harrogate & District is owned by a French firm, whereas Connexions (or The Tockwith Bus Company ) belongs to a local businessman.

 

[Deerfold]

I do wonder if the passengers are really bothered if Harrogate & District is owned by a French firm, whereas Connexions (or The Tockwith Bus Company ) belongs to a local businessman.

I don't think most of them care so long as they get a good service.
Good news for me if I can use a Transdev ticket on the Ilkley and Otley locals.

The changes to the 62 remove the duplicates, the first journey in each direction is withdrawn as is the last from Harrogate. The last journey from Keighley will only go as far as Otley and then it disappears. Disappointingly this makes the last journey from Keighley 1555. Very odd for a service that starts at 0655.

Transdev have got new buses for the 66. These will officially be launched next weekend when the route will be renamed Dalesway and unusually for a route relaunch the frequency will drop from 3bph to 2 bph. The buses have On Board Next Stop Signs and announcements. There is still no late Sunday evening service. I used one of the buses this evening on the 762 which has no announcements.
The 66 is being promoted to link with the Witch Way at Skipton though this is a slow way of getting to Manchester with no late journeys (later journeys are possible but even slower by changing at Burnley to the M4).

 

[Andyh82]

You fail to point out that the 66 was only relatively recently increased from 2 to 3 buses an a hour, so it isn't a cut to a long established frequency rather an improvement which didn't work out.

It also means it will coordinate with the M4 every 15 mins for half the route rather than a 20 and 30 min frequency being on top of each other as now.

 

[Deerfold]

You fail to point out that the 66 was only relatively recently increased from 2 to 3 buses an a hour, so it isn't a cut to a long established frequency rather an improvement which didn't work out.

It also means it will coordinate with the M4 every 15 mins for half the route rather than a 20 and 30 min frequency being on top of each other as now.

It's true that the increase in frequency is new, but it's still unusual to have a frequency decrease at the same time as a route relaunch. I'm surprised that the new buses have fewer seats given this decrease especially as we've seen a few double deckers on the route recently.

The two routes will coordinate better during the day with a 14/16 minute frequency but in the evening the two hourly routes will still be 11 minutes apart.

 

[90sWereBetter]

There is this photo on Flickr which has a nice argument about the name "Harrogate Bus Company", and also a link to this thread. Interesting...

 

[SCH117X]

Wonder if Connexions will do what they have done virtually every other time they have lost tendered services and register them commercially so as to stick two fingers up at Transdev yet again.

 

[AB93]

There is this photo on Flickr which has a nice argument about the name "Harrogate Bus Company", and also a link to this thread. Interesting...

Some 'interesting' comments there. Since when were the children of staff of one company more important than children of another's?!

The simple fact is, both companies need to be sustainable to be successful going forwards, so it's not 'evil' to pay a bus fare to Transdev. Its success pays the wages of all the locally employed staff too.

 

[SCH117X]

And quite how "local" are Connexions staff as they need people who can access their Tockwith depot (ie using a car) - suspect a large number do not live in Harrogate District which Connexions owner makes such a racket about. Meanwhile most if not all Transdev staff live in Harrogate (or Knaresborough) - its quite common to find off duty drivers on the local buses going home or to work and they run Staff Buses around the town.

 

[theblackwatch]

Some 'interesting' comments there. Since when were the children of staff of one company more important than children of a.

It was nice to see our forum get some publicity on there too.

 

[Tetchytyke]

It was nice to see our forum get some publicity on there too.

Yeah, but we were wrong for calling Connexions scabs for, er, scabbing on the X98 during the First Leeds strike

It's all rather embarrassing. I'd want to see both companies do well, but the point-scoring about "local not French" is just ridiculous. Regardless of who owns them these days, Transdev Harrogate is the same historical company as Harrogate Road Car, the precursor to West Yorkshire Road Car, who have been serving the town for 110 years. Trying to pull the we're local they're not card is just pathetic.

 

[SCH117X]

In response to Transdevs promotion of usb sockets and free wifi on a number of buses now (in addition to the 36s) Connexions are tweeting about not having gimmicks and then promptly referring to their M&S Loyalty card - bit of doublespeak their me thinks.

 

[Stan Drews]

Latest comical tweet from Connexions...
@connexionsbuses
Amazingly @WestYorkshireCA continue to waste taxpayers money on tendered service when theres commercial one there! @AJonesMP @JamesLewisLab
7 Sep 2016, 7:05 pm

I assume this relates to the suggestion that they plan to continue running some of their recently lost tenders, on a commercial basis.
Sadly the fact that WYCA have presumably been wasting taxpayers for many years whilst they have been running this "commercial" service with WYCA support, appears to have completely passed them by!!
....unless of course the services only become commercially viable at the end of October??

 

[ChrisPJ]

That's bizarre and smacks of desperation. Wonder if they're about to go to the wall

 

[SCH117X]

That's bizarre and smacks of desperation. Wonder if they're about to go to the wall

Normal tatic they have. Lose 142 to Arriva, register commercial journeys, lose 412 to Eddie Brown, register commercial journeys, get told NYCC is stopping to fund Harrogate local routes, register two of them commercially.