Connexions keeping up their usual professional behaviour on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/connexionsbuses/status/988719250616578048
https://twitter.com/connexionsbuses/status/988719250616578048
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Competition heats up between Transdev and Connexions
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Problem is its not really used as a Connexions company twitter account but Craig Temple offering his personal (largely anti Transdev) views. Notable that NYCC do not list the Connexions twitter account in their list of Bus and train operator twitter feeds https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/bus-and-train-operator-twitter-feeds due to its limited benefit if any to the travelling passengers
Strikes me as fair comment - However the pro Transdev tribe on here will not agree.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
The initial tweet is fair enough.
However, then deciding to retweet it to a school who has chosen another firm?? I assume I’m reading this right.
The vehicles used have had vinyls applied dedicating them to the Schools and the service. Think its reasonable to tweet them in the circumstances.
I don't think anyone is going to defend Transdev not running scheduled buses. However, I'm not sure why it seems fine for another operator to take such a public swipe, aiming it at a customer. Would you think it similarly fine if Transdev publicly commented on any delayed or non-running Connexions services?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
I’m sorry but I don’t agree.
As I say, I hope I’m reading this right but...one different operation has a couple of failures on a service miles away (Malton to York) so you decide to highlight this to two schools in Harrogate?
I don’t the circumstances do support that.
Transdevs York depot for some reason has a vehicle shortage - there is an additional B10BLE from Harrogate there now along with a Dart from Keighley while there was a Harrogate B7RLE over there last week. Presumably Reliance taking over the 29 will help to ease the pressure. Suspect the electrics when they arrive at Harrogate will cause a vehicle reshuffle unless the displaced Versas are going off lease.
Stan Drews
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I’m sure if you look a little further back on Connexions twitter, you’ll find a tweet about a school journey running very late because of a..... breakdown!
I think it needs to be remembered that when Stephenson's ceased operating Connexions stepped in and ran the 181 service for NYCC who then awarded the contract to Transdev! This is not the first time the ex Stephenson's services have had reliability issues since operated by Transdev.
As you are aware from the other forums (which you are a member of) Transdev are currently having reported reliability problems across their whole Northern operations, particularly at Rosso and Keighley so it strikes me as fair comment to highlight the problem to a school in Harrogate where Transdev have their 'Head Office' and a large depot.
And there have been plenty of swipes in the opposite direction from Transdev in the past.
Not suggesting that Connexions are perfect!
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Sorry, still do not agree.
Irrespective of whichever firm is involved, you don’t slag the opposition in such a manner. If First dropped some journeys in Halifax, I’d not expect Arriva Selby to be contacting local schools.
First and Yorkshire Tiger are currently involved in some competition in Huddersfield. Both parties on Twitter just tweet promotions, frequencies, fare deals etc to explain why their service is better. They don’t retweet breakdowns and complaints about the other company taking place 20 miles away!
So, sour grapes, then?
Do you have any links to similar swipes from Transdev? Did they copy in Connexions's corporate customers?
If they have, I'd also describe that as unprofessional - being professional often involves behaving better than the opposition.
Odd how different their views are when First are criticised.
https://twitter.com/connexionsbuses/status/989831462575845376
https://twitter.com/connexionsbuses/status/989831462575845376
Transdev do very openly tweet about breakdowns and service cancellations - I've seen a number of broken down Connexions vehicles, for example on the X70 (outside Sainsburys at Harrogate and by Church Square Harrogate) and on the X52 at Pool yet any tweet to that effect is noticeable by its absence, probably because the tweeter (Mr Temple) is out driving a service. The tweets you do see from passengers complaining of a lack of service are invariably met by a response by Mr Temple that according to GPS the service ran to time.
AJW12
Member
Transdev does seem to be the land of "technical issues" at the moment. There were some yesterday they cancelled but in their defence they do (75% of the time) tell passengers when they're cancelled. Rare for an operator, to be honest.
I guess, as a small business, it matters when a contract like that for a school bus is given to somewhere else. Connexions certainly made an effort with their contracts - purchasing buses, WiFi etc. But such is the nature of contract work - it's only guaranteed for the length of time you've got it for and then it could be anyone's.
Whilst I do agree there's a lot of Connexions bashing out there, there's not really an excuse for a tweet like this. Their twitter feed isn't massively professional and some of the replies to customers can be a bit brusque sometimes which I don't think is deliberate, but doesn't look great.
I guess, as a small business, it matters when a contract like that for a school bus is given to somewhere else. Connexions certainly made an effort with their contracts - purchasing buses, WiFi etc. But such is the nature of contract work - it's only guaranteed for the length of time you've got it for and then it could be anyone's.
Whilst I do agree there's a lot of Connexions bashing out there, there's not really an excuse for a tweet like this. Their twitter feed isn't massively professional and some of the replies to customers can be a bit brusque sometimes which I don't think is deliberate, but doesn't look great.
One thing I will say is their real time tracking is rubbish when it comes to delays, it didn't take too long to work out if your bus is supposed to be 10 or so minutes away and the app/stop display shows the actual scheduled time of the bus e.g. 15:20 rather than 10mins, 9mins etc then it ain't turning up for a while, certainly not on time if at all!
AJW12
Member
Yeah, their real time systems don't seem to integrate properly. Like in York, the departure screens only ever show scheduled times for their services rather than live ones.
That said though, they have a very good bus tracking app. Lets you see the location live on a map which is rather handy - better than the Transdev Go app which to be honest, doesn't do anything new.
That said though, they have a very good bus tracking app. Lets you see the location live on a map which is rather handy - better than the Transdev Go app which to be honest, doesn't do anything new.
Presume you are talking about Transdev Harrogate - I would agree, think there are two problems with it. Firstly their is the odd vehicle that is not transmitting a signal (for example one at least of the Versas which often turns up after the scheduled time has vanished from the display), secondly the timings are based on interworking occurring as scheduled. If vehicles get reallocated by the bus station staff the whole tracking seems to go pear shaped. It might be best if the real time tracking did not kick in until the bus was actually on the service. One reallocation they seem be keen on at present is ensuring 7s depart on time with an incoming late running 7 getting reallocated onto a town service.
Same in Harrogate with Connexions services unless it has changed recently - quite comical to walk along Knaresborough Road and to see X1s listed on the displays and a X1 passing the stop no where near the time shown.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Almost certainly, but it's still a justified swipe at Transdev.
I know St Alex of Hornby can do no wrong in some parts, but irregular rural buses should be prioritised if there's a vehicle shortage. It's the sort of thing the Blessed Alex was up to with Trent Barton before he moved on...
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Sorry but I just don't believe it is justified.
It is one thing to make some sort of comment on twitter but not to then "cc in" a new client for a different operation in a different town.
It's like some jealous ex telling your new partner how you did x and y wrong.
People keep saying this, but I've seen no-one defend what Transdev did here.
Meanwhile in other news Reliance and Transdev are now accepting each others return tickets between York and Easingwold and a combined timetable has been issued
Yorkbus tweet:New times start this week on the 31/31X between York, Easingwold and Helmsley. We now accept @Reliancebus return tickets, and they'll accept ours too!
Reliance tweet: Great to be working with @yorkbus for the benefit of passengers.
Yorkbus tweet:New times start this week on the 31/31X between York, Easingwold and Helmsley. We now accept @Reliancebus return tickets, and they'll accept ours too!
Reliance tweet: Great to be working with @yorkbus for the benefit of passengers.
The new 62 timetable is out. Transdev have swapped round which 62 extends past Ilkley, so they're further away from the X52. There's only a handful of Otley to Pool journeys. We're still waiting for the 962.
The 62 timetable is odder than I expected. It includes a marker for supported journeys, though I suspect it has been wrongly applied as it suggests all the Airport journeys are commercial and other journeys are only supported in one direction.
I didn't expect the 62 to run in two unconnected sections evenings and Sundays - I had hoped we'd see rather later buses Otley - Keighley.
The new summer Sunday 821 will also link Keighley and Otley, but via Shipley and Guiseley. Then onto Nidderdale. Sadly it runs too early to connect into from any bus route except the first 662 from Bradford.
Changes from 22 July sourced from NYCC re Connexions and harrogatebus web site for Transdev
Connexions axe 4 X1s at the extremities of their timetable (0650 and 1815 from St James, 0705 and 0720 from Harrogate), retime all remaining X1s before 0845 (no further details as yet), reduce the X70 to two hourly between Wetherby and Tadcaster and retime their first X6 working to 0900 whilst axing the 1730 return from Harrogate.
Transdev retime all their local services in Harrogate to allow for the charge time the electric buses will require when they finally arrive (no further details as yet) and make all 36s all stops in Moortown and Chapel Allerton with a new (presumably slower) timetable to reflect that.
Connexions axe 4 X1s at the extremities of their timetable (0650 and 1815 from St James, 0705 and 0720 from Harrogate), retime all remaining X1s before 0845 (no further details as yet), reduce the X70 to two hourly between Wetherby and Tadcaster and retime their first X6 working to 0900 whilst axing the 1730 return from Harrogate.
Transdev retime all their local services in Harrogate to allow for the charge time the electric buses will require when they finally arrive (no further details as yet) and make all 36s all stops in Moortown and Chapel Allerton with a new (presumably slower) timetable to reflect that.
Always worth its comical value Connexions twittering is now complaining about Harrogate Borough Council for, one, giving parking tickets to their buses [parked on street in breach of parking regulations] and, two, selling the bus station. The Council have never owned the bus station - it was owned by West Yorkshire Road Car who sold the site to a property developer, the Council refused to grant permission for a building on the site and eventually the property developer gave up and sold it to Blazefield aka Transdev today.
Transdev aren't covering themselves in glory either by using their power as owner and dominant operator to eject competitors from the bus station. And whilst we have a free market in buses Connexions would be entitled to be miffed that public funds are being spent in this way.
The Connexions services that are not using the bus station are the least used services (with the possible exception of the 22 to York eventually), are not competing and are using a stop that if they would have used if by NYCC had carried on with them using their minibuses. Quite simply something had to move whilst the works take place and the move that has occured inconveniences the least number of passengers. What public funds?
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