Kinchbus discussion

[Trainman40083]

Yeah I do as well. Not since the 8th of may though. Would of thought I would get one on Thursday since the bus was late and there was a few cancelled before it but the driver still got us to pay, massive queue of people as well. Conveniently though its at night when everyone has paid for their day tickets or capped on mango so they only loose the odd single fare.

You give the impression that so many passengers have capped out. That might see them short of revenue.

 

[bringiton]

You give the impression that so many passengers have capped out. That might see them short of revenue.

Depends what services people would get and how many times they use it. When I go out I use it well and get the most out of the fare. Also depends if people are 18 and under, student or an adult for the mango caps, it being lower and easier to cap for children whereas higher and harder to reach for adults.

 

[dodecahedron67]

If a ticket machine isn’t working, you’ll just get free rides until a fix can be sorted. Whether that’s a vehicle swap, or a ticket machine swap, or whatever.

Pulling a bus off road just because of a dodgy ticket machine is unlikely during busy periods, or on a low frequency (<6bph) route.

Ticketers can also function fine for the ticketing part, but fail on the GPS tracking part at the same time

 

[Mikw]

Not too sure how usual this is but spotted a Kinchbus Citaro out on Skylink duties yesterday.

Also,due to Download Festival, there was bunching occurring on Skylink yesterday. I noticed about 3 Skylink buses running together towards Derby from East Midlands Airport at about 15:00.

I spotted a Citaro broken down earlier today.

 

[bringiton]

Ticketers can also function fine for the ticketing part, but fail on the GPS tracking part at the same time

That's what I meant, you worded it a lot better

 

[Cesarcollie]

If a ticket machine isn’t working, you’ll just get free rides until a fix can be sorted. Whether that’s a vehicle swap, or a ticket machine swap, or whatever.

Pulling a bus off road just because of a dodgy ticket machine is unlikely during busy periods, or on a low frequency (<6bph) route.

Ticketers can also function fine for the ticketing part, but fail on the GPS tracking part at the same time

And many - if not all - companies will still issue emergency ticket books to drivers. Though they do have the downside of being much slower - and increasingly useless if passengers do not have cash!

 

[dodecahedron67]

And many - if not all - companies will still issue emergency ticket books to drivers. Though they do have the downside of being much slower - and increasingly useless if passengers do not have cash!

Nope! Certainly at most big Ops these don’t exist anymore

 

[joieman]

The 5 and 11 are not running a full service today, as usual, but, more bizarrely, 830 was almost right behind 801 on the 12, when they should really be on opposite sides of town!

 

[SSmith2009]

The 5 and 11 are not running a full service today, as usual, but, more bizarrely, 830 was almost right behind 801 on the 12, when they should really be on opposite sides of town!

It's getting worse. It's about time they either cut back to hourly again or get some loans in from elsewhere like TM travel have done with those E200MMCs. It does nothing for passenger confidence.

 

[Trainman40083]

It's getting worse. It's about time they either cut back to hourly again or get some loans in from elsewhere like TM travel have done with those E200MMCs. It does nothing for passenger confidence.

Maybe it is making a loss. So, kill off passenger demand, and say it can't be run.

 

[Robertj21a]

Maybe it is making a loss. So, kill off passenger demand, and say it can't be run.

Most of the passengers are elderly, on concessions. They got used to all the cancellations years ago and many have just given up with Kinchbus. Very shortly, Kinch can probably dump all local services other than the Sprint - leaving them with just the highly profitable Skylink service.
Somebody has clearly got a long-ish term plan to 'streamline' operations!

 

[Trainman40083]

Most of the passengers are elderly, on concessions. They got used to all the cancellations years ago and many have just given up with Kinchbus. Very shortly, Kinch can probably dump all local services other than the Sprint - leaving them with just the highly profitable Skylink service.
Somebody has clearly got a long-ish term plan to 'streamline' operations!

But, what would they do with any surplus "ordered" electric buses, part funded by the Government? Don't forget, we are discussing Loughborough 's finest

The 5 and 11 are not running a full service today, as usual, but, more bizarrely, 830 was almost right behind 801 on the 12, when they should really be on opposite sides of town!

Doubt they ever run a full service on the 9 either (well most days)... People I know that used it, just catch Nottingham City instead, or the train.

 

[cnjb8]

Most of the passengers are elderly, on concessions. They got used to all the cancellations years ago and many have just given up with Kinchbus. Very shortly, Kinch can probably dump all local services other than the Sprint - leaving them with just the highly profitable Skylink service.
Somebody has clearly got a long-ish term plan to 'streamline' operations!

Maybe Kinch are prioritising long-distance routes were passengers can't walk instead, it's not like Loughborough is extremely big after all

 

[Trainman40083]

Maybe Kinch are prioritising long-distance routes were passengers can't walk instead, it's not like Loughborough is extremely big after all

More likely concentrating on the most profitable route, where more people pay...Have you noticed how the group delay the announcement re the (possible) extension to the £2:fare, to the last possible minute....unlike some other local operators. They always seem to be last, as if they are hoping others won't extend

 

[joieman]

It's getting worse. It's about time they either cut back to hourly again or get some loans in from elsewhere like TM travel have done with those E200MMCs. It does nothing for passenger confidence.

The thing is that they have already been having buses loaned in like crazy lately. It doesn't help that 735 seems to have thrown a tantrum not so long ago, and several other buses are still out of action for some reason or another.
But it would be better to run an honest hourly service than a half-hourly service where every other bus doesn't run.

 

[Trainman40083]

The thing is that they have already been having buses loaned in like crazy lately. It doesn't help that 735 seems to have thrown a tantrum not so long ago, and several other buses are still out of action for some reason or another.
But it would be better to run an honest hourly service than a half-hourly service where every other bus doesn't run.

Does the Government grant for the £2 fare mean services can't be cut (officially)?

 

[bringiton]

Does the Government grant for the £2 fare mean services can't be cut (officially)?

Do you mean withdraw the route or reduce how frequent the service is? If its the first I doubt since on the government website it says a list of all the services which you can and cannot use £2 scheme on so it might be in a contract what routes get to use the scheme. I wouldn't know about the reducing frequency but I would assume they could since trentbarton have decreased their Keyworth service from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes

 

[Trainman40083]

Do you mean withdraw the route or reduce how frequent the service is? If its the first I doubt since on the government website it says a list of all the services which you can and cannot use £2 scheme on so it might be in a contract what routes get to use the scheme. I wouldn't know about the reducing frequency but I would assume they could since trentbarton have decreased their Keyworth service from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes

Yes, but Trentbarton said at the time that they changed the frequency of the Keyworth to improve reliability.... At the time, they always seemed to run round in pairs.

 

[bringiton]

Yes, but Trentbarton said at the time that they changed the frequency of the Keyworth to improve reliability.... At the time, they always seemed to run round in pairs.

Yeah maybe so, like I said I don't really know about the scheme rules. I got on Keyworth before the change to get on 506 and it ran in a pair then and from the looks it hasn't been as bad since.

 

[joieman]

Do you mean withdraw the route or reduce how frequent the service is? If its the first I doubt since on the government website it says a list of all the services which you can and cannot use £2 scheme on so it might be in a contract what routes get to use the scheme. I wouldn't know about the reducing frequency but I would assume they could since trentbarton have decreased their Keyworth service from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes

And Kinchbus curtailed the 2 to Sileby, let's not forget.

831 re-entered service after about a month off the road yesterday, with 832 taking its place off the road. 822 has also disappeared today, being replaced by 502 on the 2.
Also, oddly enough, it's the 12 that doesn't seem to be running a full service today rather than the 5 and/or the 11.

 

[Hyebone]

Also, oddly enough, it's the 12 that doesn't seem to be running a full service today rather than the 5 and/or the 11.

The 9 AND Skylink seem to be running a full service, what a time to be alive!

That's only two Skylink branded ADLs off the road too! I wonder how long that'll last before another gets "crashed into"

 

[Qwerty133]

The 9 AND Skylink seem to be running a full service, what a time to be alive!

That's only two Skylink branded ADLs off the road too! I wonder how long that'll last before another gets "crashed into"

Things should be consistently better until mid September now thanks to Sprint being on the summer timetable with much lower PVR.

 

[tram21]

Skylink Derby is operating an interesting route tomorrow morning.

Towards Derby it's not serving Alvaston, diverting presumably via Ranesway & A52.

Away from Derby is more interesting, operating non-stop to Castle Donington (!) presumably via A52, Raynesway, A6 and A50. A very speedy journey (that'll I'll be riding fingers crossed!)

 

[joieman]

Skylink Derby is operating an interesting route tomorrow morning.

Towards Derby it's not serving Alvaston, diverting presumably via Ranesway & A52.

Away from Derby is more interesting, operating non-stop to Castle Donington (!) presumably via A52, Raynesway, A6 and A50. A very speedy journey (that'll I'll be riding fingers crossed!)

I wonder if any thought was given to creating an express Skylink route from Derby. Would make through journeys from Loughborough to Derby considerably faster.

 

[Trainman40083]

Skylink Derby is operating an interesting route tomorrow morning.

Towards Derby it's not serving Alvaston, diverting presumably via Ranesway & A52.

Away from Derby is more interesting, operating non-stop to Castle Donington (!) presumably via A52, Raynesway, A6 and A50. A very speedy journey (that'll I'll be riding fingers crossed!)

It must be the Derby Ramathon then, between 0800 and 1300... I wonder how many people will get caught out?

 

[liamf656]

Both Citaros were out today. I believe they're due to be replaced soon with buses from trentbarton, although it may have already been discussed in that thread

 

[tram21]

It must be the Derby Ramathon then, between 0800 and 1300... I wonder how many people will get caught out?

Yes information is on the Trentbarton website, and skylink info is on the Kinchbus website- quite a surprise actually, given information about the Kinch 2 has ended up on the Trentbarton site before

 

[Trainman40083]

Yes information is on the Trentbarton website, and skylink info is on the Kinchbus website- quite a surprise actually, given information about the Kinch 2 has ended up on the Trentbarton site before

At one time, they would have said the bus services were run by a different company.

 

[liamf656]

Yes information is on the Trentbarton website, and skylink info is on the Kinchbus website- quite a surprise actually, given information about the Kinch 2 has ended up on the Trentbarton site before

I believe the sites are built on the same platform hence info sometimes accidentally ending up on each other's sites. The same team deals with the websites and social media for both Trentbarton and Kinchbus

At one time, they would have said the bus services were run by a different company.

Kinchbus is essentially a Loughborough extension of Trentbarton nowadays. Tickets and buses are Interchanged frequently and the Skylink brand is shared between the two

 

[joieman]

735 is finally back out again on the 12 (albeit tracking as a 5) after well over a month off the road. Good thing, too, because the Versas seem to have lately reverted to their original unreliable selves, with most of the Versas, 822 included, having been off the road for protracted periods of time again lately. 822 is also back out on its seemingly default route, the number 2.