First Greater Glasgow

[duffers2324]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-67357077 quite surprised no one has mentioned this so far, What would be the state of play etc will services run or not and how this is going to affect the city in general or do people think it will likely get suspended or fixed out before anything comes of it.

More than 1,200 drivers voted to strike in a dispute over pay. The week-long action is due to begin on 24 November.

Their union, Unite, said 99% of those members who voted backed the strike, on a 77% turnout.

The drivers previously rejected a pay offer, saying it fell below the pay levels of other drivers across First Group's other UK operations.

FirstGroup is based in Aberdeen and operates bus and rail services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The company more than doubled its profits to £82.1m in the last financial year.

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Unite confirmed the strike action is scheduled to begin at 04:00 on Friday 24 November and end at 03:59 on Friday 1 December.

Those drivers taking part are based at depots in Blantyre, Caledonia, Dumbarton, Overtown and Scotstoun.

The union's engineering members are also in dispute with the company, with around 150 staff scheduled to strike on 16 and 17 November.

 

[hexagon789]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-67357077 quite surprised no one has mentioned this so far, What would be the state of play etc will services run or not and how this is going to affect the city in general or do people think it will likely get suspended or fixed out before anything comes of it.

I believe that First have previously been successful at last minute deals stopping any strike action taking place, otherwise given the very high % in favour I'd imagine action could decimate services for a week.

(Given the shortage of drivers across the industry, I presume there is little scope for any temporary cover - if that's even viable ordinarily?)

 

[Trnsprt4Sctlnd]

Correct me if I’m wrong, were their wages not increased not long ago to £13ph with an additional overtime rate?

 

[LT02 NVV]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-67357077 quite surprised no one has mentioned this so far, What would be the state of play etc will services run or not and how this is going to affect the city in general or do people think it will likely get suspended or fixed out before anything comes of it.

There’s a strike happening with First Glasgow from the 24th of November to the 1st of December, it will mean a whole week without First Glasgow bus services.

I have a feeling it will most likely cause disruption to other company services too, as I‘d imagine that McGills and West Coast Motors services will be extremely busy.

Update: The Strikes on the engineering side have been called off, but the drivers are still striking.

First Bus engineers have called off their plans for strike action following a pay deal.


Unite has confirmed that around 150 engineers, who are based across Greater Glasgow and employed by First Glasgow (No1) and First Glasgow (No2), will see a 17.6% increase on their hourly wage.

We previously reported that engineers were set to walk out on November 16 and November 17 after Unite members rejected a revised pay offer from First Glasgow which did not meet the "expectations" of members after years of "real term pay cuts".


The strike action has now been called off as workers will see an increase in wages from £15.31 to £17.50 initially, and thereafter to a minimum of £18 per hour in April 2024.

 

[sannox]

Update: The Strikes have been called off.

I don't see that in the article. The article seems to be settling the engineering dispute rather than bus drivers.

 

[LT02 NVV]

I don't see that in the article. The article seems to be settling the engineering dispute rather than bus drivers.

Oh you are right, the drivers are still striking from what I’ve read, my mistake.

 

[route101]

Oh you are right, the drivers are still striking from what I’ve read, my mistake.

What kind of service can we expect?

 

[ScotRail158725]

What kind of service can we expect?

None

 

[GusB]

None

Could we have a link to a verifiable source confirming that there will be no service at all during the strike period?

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Could we have a link to a verifiable source confirming that there will be no service at all during the strike period?

They need to get their arses in gear and let people know what's happening considering it's ment to be happening next Friday.

 

[Joerf21]

They need to get their arses in gear and let people know what's happening considering it's ment to be happening next Friday.

Meeting has ended today, with union saying no improvements made, so hoping for a last gasp offer from first glasgow

 

[Trnsprt4Sctlnd]

Meeting has ended today, with union saying no improvements made, so hoping for a last gasp offer from first glasgow

We can expect fare rises in the near future then?

 

[Joerf21]

We can expect fare rises in the near future then?

More likely service cuts than fare increases

 

[hexagon789]

More likely service cuts than fare increases

Funnily enough, I noticed a number of registered changes applying from the 11th of December to routes including the 7, 38, 57 and 75. It says "to amend timetable", but of course no detail is given as to what that entails in any case.

 

[smtglasgow]

The new timetables are on Traveline…and they’re a bit of a mess. Looks like the new scheduling system that has produced some of the weird timetables down south has arrived in Glasgow. Only really looked at the 38, but it looks like they’ve added more running time, but kept the same number of buses, so frequencies are now about every 17/18 mins on the sections that were every 15 mins and a memorable 32-36 mins on sections like Crookfur/Baillieston. Random journeys get extra running time but the common section of route goes from every 7/8 minutes to every 7-10 minutes.

Not sure this is progress!

 

[hexagon789]

Heads up for anyone waiting for news - it was posted on their Twitter account today that there will be an announcement tomorrow re the strike with any relevant details listed on the website.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Heads up for anyone waiting for news - it was posted on their Twitter account today that there will be an announcement tomorrow re the strike with any relevant details listed on the website.

This was the one I clocked.

 

[hexagon789]

View attachment 147034This was the one I clocked.

Yep, I saw that one.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Nov 2023 ==

Edit:

Just to edit my previous post a bit, it seems there is another meeting between First Glasgow management and Union representatives today, similar to the one last week.

The outcome of which is expected to determine whether the strike goes ahead. The outcome is to be officially announced tomorrow (Wednesday).

If it does go ahead, then information about service/route cancellations and any services which are running will be posted to the websites.

They have stated that full and partial refunds will be available for various ticket types (including weekly and monthly) if the strike action does go ahead.

 

[GusB]

There has been some movement regarding the industrial action and the strike has been called off.

First Bus strike cancelled due to new pay offer

www.glasgowtimes.co.uk

The Glasgow Times reported yesterday that talks were underway to halt the strike action planned by drivers ahead of Black Friday.

Today, First Bus Scotland has confirmed that a new pay deal will be offered to workers and the action has been called off.

A spokesperson said: “Following further talks with union representatives, we can confirm a new offer will be put forward to union members for ballot by Unite with unanimous recommendation of acceptance.

"As a result, the planned industrial action between Friday, November 24 and Friday, December 1, has been cancelled.

“We appreciate the uncertainty this will have caused our customers and employees and wish to thank them for their patience while the discussions took place.

“All First Bus services across Greater Glasgow will operate as planned.”

More than 1200 bus drivers were due to walk out for a week in a dispute over pay.

It comes after members rejected a pay offer which the union claims falls significantly below the pay levels of other drivers across First Group’s UK operations.

 

[Noddy1]

There has been some movement regarding the industrial action and the strike has been called off.

First Bus strike cancelled due to new pay offer

www.glasgowtimes.co.uk

Saw a Midland liveried Streetlite doing a 312 in Airdrie last night. Is it actually still owned by Midland or has it returned to Glasgow with the recent changes in West Lothian.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Saw a Midland liveried Streetlite doing a 312 in Airdrie last night. Is it actually still owned by Midland or has it returned to Glasgow with the recent changes in West Lothian.

It's a McGill's service run by Larbert depot.

 

[Noddy1]

It's a McGill's service run by Larbert depot.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Nov 2023 ==

Thanks.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

There was talk a year or so ago about some of the E300s going off lease when the new E200EVs arrived. This doesn’t seem to have happened. Does anyone know if First have either bought these buses or extended the lease?

 

[MasterSpenny]

New AI driven timetables are being implemented soon, as per this Route One article

First Bus unveils AI-driven timetable updates in Glasgow

First Bus has announced a series of service updates underpinned by AI software, aimed at enhancing reliability and punctuality in Glasgow.

www.route-one.net

First Bus unveils AI-driven timetable updates in Glasgow​

First Bus has announced a series of service updates underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI) planning software, aimed at enhancing reliability and punctuality in Glasgow.

The updates signify a step towards integrating technology and data to improve passenger experience. The initiative involves using AI to create timetables that mirror “real-life conditions”, considering factors such as congestion and resource availability.

First says its technology-driven approach has already demonstrated promising results, with a modest pilot across select Glasgow services in August and September showing improvements in punctuality and reliability by up to 16%.

Graeme Macfarlan, Commercial Director for First Bus Scotland, says: “With the increase in congestion in recent years throughout Glasgow, we understood the importance of building timetables that fit with the current live road conditions, so our customers know when their bus will arrive.

“The adjustments we are making to the timetables will achieve that while allowing us to maximise the effectiveness of the number of buses we have running in the city to serve as many people as possible.”

He further highlights the role of local authorities in investing in bus priority measures to address factors like congestion. “By doing so, it will help provide a better, more efficient public transport service in the city,” he adds.

The updates, set to be implemented from Sunday 10 December, will affect 14 services, including routes 7, 7A, 31, 38, 38A, 38B, 38C, 38E, 57, 57A, 75, 206, 208, and 226. These changes are designed to improve service quality and optimise the use of the existing fleet without reducing the number of buses on the road.

First Bus has also advised customers to rely on the First Bus app for the most current timetable and live bus tracking information, acknowledging that updating physical touchpoints at bus stops with the new schedules will take time due to the scale of the changes.

 

[dodecahedron67]

Get ready to lose easy to remember clockface times and enjoy lovely timetables that have random frequencies. Fx services that used to be bang on every 15 will now be anywhere from 12-25 minutes apart, but not the same gap everytime.

They’ve rolled it out in england already and it’s just a massive step back for passengers trying to remember a timetable

 

[hexagon789]

Get ready to lose easy to remember clockface times and enjoy lovely timetables that have random frequencies. Fx services that used to be bang on every 15 will now be anywhere from 12-25 minutes apart, but not the same gap everytime.

They’ve rolled it out in england already and it’s just a massive step back for passengers trying to remember a timetable

Given they frequently don't run to the timetable anyway and many passengers use the app to see when the next bus is due or plan a journey - is it really that much of a problem?

How many people genuinely memorise the timetable?

Even clockface is nice, don't get me wrong, but seems impossible to maintain reliably.

 

[route101]

Given they frequently don't run to the timetable anyway and many passengers use the app to see when the next bus is due or plan a journey - is it really that much of a problem?

How many people genuinely memorise the timetable?

Even clockface is nice, don't get me wrong, but seems impossible to maintain reliably.

I guess most people look at an app now. Knowing the frequency is key for me. There must be young people now who dont know there is timetables.

 

[hexagon789]

I guess most people look at an app now. Knowing the frequency is key for me. There must be young people now who dont know there is timetables.

The frequency means nothing if they don't keep to it though, that's the problem - it is more useful to know the actual projected wait for the next bus than when it should necessarily appear.

 

[Stan Drews]

I’d be very surprised if many ‘real’ passengers, rather than enthusiasts, still memorise the clockface times of their buses. We like to do so as enthusiasts, but the reality is we’re not any operators primary concern when they compile timetables.

 

[hexagon789]

I’d be very surprised if many ‘real’ passengers, rather than enthusiasts, still memorise the clockface times of their buses. We like to do so as enthusiasts, but the reality is we’re not any operators primary concern when they compile timetables.

Many routes are not at tidy 'clockface' times outside the middle of the day (roughly 0900-1600 period) anyway, and the times generally go out of kilter each time the frequency steps down a level.

I don't think properly tidy scheduling exists now and with the app to see live times, I think most people would actually accept improved on time performance at the expense of less 'tidy' patterns.

I would love nice and even clockface times, but reliability is more important.

(I'm not expecting a hugely drastic change, but a reasonable improvement would go a long way.)