Nottingham 'Bus War'

[Tomonthetrain]

I do not intend to feed the troll

 

[MCR247]

Surely the bargain bus was only doing the same this as premiere?

 

[Deerfold]

Premiere have been working these routes for years now so obviously they are doing something right. TB must hate them.

The RF was mismanaged (underpriced and summer timetable change that was a big fail) but the route is not built up at all and it was very quick...it wasnt brilliant but so much better than the Skylink fail we've seen since it's inception.

Anyone remember the bargin bus episode my the parent company of TB? These are the kind of people we are dealing with. Mercenaries who don't listen to their customers and only care about money.

I take it you're not planning on replying to any of the comments or questions people have put to you, but just to carry on ranting about TB. I'll refrain from commenting further on your posts until and unless you do.

 

[tbone]

For the record, I've used Skylink Nottingham on two occasions, once after a night of snow and once the other week, during the tram works. It was on time on both occasions.

 

[MCR247]

Anyway, in other news. the mickleover is looking good

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattburley0/8226752669/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattburley0/8226753583/

 

[christopher]

Interesting choice of hashtag there

Weird set-up of having blinds at the front and LED at the back

 

[WillPS]

It was standard with Trent Barton for a while; from about the time Rainbow 5 got new Wright bodied buses in 2004, with Indigo being the first to have all LED displays.

I think ARedFlyer's argument is a bit weak and ill-considered really. I have in the past made a point of using Premiere's services - so I hope you can accept that I'm not some kind of Trent fanboy. Their drivers pretty much aren't trained - I've tried to use a PlusBus ticket on their services several times, and I get a variety of responses - normally "not on 'ere mate". I once had a driver tell me not to tell him how to do his job when I asked him to check with the office. When I raised the point on their Facebook page, the official response was 'drivers don't know about it because they rarely see them'. Uh, not good enough - highly in-professional, and offering no resolution whatsoever.

Some of the drivers are quite nice, but I get the feeling this is more by chance than through any sort of HR process.

 

[tbone]

Weird set-up of having blinds at the front and LED at the back

Paper blinds were favoured for quite a while with Trent, they seemed to be as reisistant as TfL and Lothian. The 'Y' plate excels had all round paper blinds with rear and sides changed by computer but these had problems, the rear blinds on 265 and 266 were covered over.

For future purchases, probably with that in mind, there was a move towards LED side and rear blinds but still retaining the paper front one, the exception being the '04 plate Red Arrow coaches as I presume paper blinds wouldn't work with the curved windscreen.

I think the council then payed for the Airline Shuttle darts to have LED blinds and when these were replaced in 2008 by centros the blinds were swapped into the Nottingham based spare solos.

The Solos on the nines and Royal Derby were the first new buses to have led blinds and the vast majority of subsequent purchases have had them (with the exception of the Radcliffe Line solos which had them fitted after a few months). Gradually, as buses have gone in for refurbishment, the blinds have been changed to LEDs and I'm quite surprised that the Mickelover doesn't have them, although, there may still be a few finishing touches prior to the official launch, seeing as there's no trent barton logo on the front like all other recent brands.

 

[MCR247]

It was standard with Trent Barton for a while; from about the time Rainbow 5 got new Wright bodied buses in 2004, with Indigo being the first to have all LED displays.

Indigo has smart blinds at the front

 

[Harbon 1]

I like the blinds better, and if they only work a specific route, they don't need them, the only ones that do are the company red buses, that cover the buses that are OOS

 

[Ginga]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66635108@N08/8232254439/in/photostream:lol:

 

[MCR247]

I like the blinds better, and if they only work a specific route, they don't need them, the only ones that do are the company red buses, that cover the buses that are OOS

I don't get what you mean?

 

[Harbon 1]

I don't get what you mean?

For example, if a bus from one of the two services that I get in Burton, The Village (6 buses) and the X38 (2 buses from TB) is out of service for whatever reason, a red one will turn up as it did on thursday, with an LED display. But because the yellow buses only do 4 routes, a roller is sufficient, and less intense at night. The X38 have LEDs and a blue LED logo on the destination on the front, so I can pick between TB or arriva run X38 (mango and no mango).

 

[MCR247]

Oh yeah I see I also regularly have to make the difference between Trent Barton and arriva X38s! Would also be helpful if TB published it in their timetable. Oh well!

Anyway, it seems the new TB ticket machines are here, just seen one on The calverton connection

 

[Harbon 1]

Oh yeah I see I also regularly have to make the difference between Trent Barton and arriva X38s! Would also be helpful if TB published it in their timetable. Oh well!

it is on the arriva timetable

 

[MCR247]

Yeah I discovered that last time, although it was too late

 

[MCR247]

So what are the benefits of the new machines over the old ones?

 

[CallySleeper]

So what are the benefits of the new machines over the old ones?

http://www.eurotransportmagazine.co...es-major-order-for-e-ticketing-in-nottingham/

Not much I don't think, just a bit of an upgrade from the last one. I guess also so that they can have some consistency when NET start using INIT & mango too.

 

[MCR247]

Just wondering since the "old" machines weren't even that old

 

[CallySleeper]

Yeah, I think it's just for uniformity. Sure I can't think of anything that is fundamentally wrong with them (after all, they've put a major order in for more product) and they weren't that old either. Part exchange possible maybe?

Also, first time back in trent barton land and on the pronto since the divorce/war broke out (so three months! Who knew?!). You can definitely see/feel the difference in the now soured relationship between the two companies. Credit to TB drivers, they seem to be pretty graceful and professional, trying to keep heads up and doing their jobs. Hopeful for a resolution in the New Year.

 

[CallySleeper]

Expensive ticket machines that save almost no time at all are just a waste of money.

Well as you'll know these machines have facilitated the use of mango, which has cut boarding times as 25% of passengers use it. So no, not a waste of money. But try insisting this to Jeff Counsell, or indeed anyone high up in any successful public transport organisation anywhere.

Real time tracking is the way forward

It is, which is why these new machines are being brought in as fortunately they also facilitate it! happy?

so we know how long we'll have to wait for their inevitably late buses.

(but still no real time for PT, sorry.)

 

[Tomonthetrain]

I like the rumours that ain't true about a specific company mentioned having a stagey bus in their yard. A Premiere Enthusiast page admin said that stagey were buying them out but the decker was between rail replacement trips from my sources

 

[tbone]

This post has nothing to do with one-up-man-ship, but fits in well with the rest of this thread.

http://www.derbyshire.police.uk/New...nt.aspx?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

A Trent barton driver was involved in this incident and his bravery could, had the gun been real, saved lives. He's reported to have told his passengers to hide under the seats whilst he put his own life at risk by moving the bus. Once he cleared the incident, he delivered two passengers to their doorstep as they were no doubt shook up by the incident.

Very well done to him.

 

[Ginga]

PB1086799/27 - DUNN MOTOR TRACTION LTD T/A YOUR BUS, HEANOR GATE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, HEANOR GATE ROAD, HEANOR, DE75 7RJ
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Nottingham, Victoria Centre and Nottingham, Derby Road given service number Y35 effective from 27-Jan-2013.

Also got a peak time only Red 5x starting on Jan 28th, between Nottingham and Long Eaton Station.

 

[MCR247]

Isn't the red 5 already pretty quick?

 

[Deerfold]

PB1086799/27 - DUNN MOTOR TRACTION LTD T/A YOUR BUS, HEANOR GATE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, HEANOR GATE ROAD, HEANOR, DE75 7RJ
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Nottingham, Victoria Centre and Nottingham, Derby Road given service number Y35 effective from 27-Jan-2013

So the Y35 will never actually run? That was an odd one.

 

[WillPS]

I'll just leave this here. Now, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket for next May...

 

[MCR247]

 

[ARedFlyer]

Isn't the red 5 already pretty quick?

Yes it is, much quicker than the indigo/skylink. Makes sense to have a peak time express on top of the usual timetable. Premiere really do own that Long Eaton corridor now. Trent Barton have lost more market share in 2012 in the Nottingham area (2.8%)

Meetings are going on with managers at the airport after dozens of complaints about people missing their flights using the failing skylink.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Yes it is, much quicker than the indigo/skylink. Makes sense to have a peak time express on top of the usual timetable. Premiere really do own that Long Eaton corridor now. Trent Barton have lost more market share in 2012 in the Nottingham area (2.8%)

Meetings are going on with managers at the airport after dozens of complaints about people missing their flights using the failing skylink.

Are you for real?