Nottingham 'Bus War'

[Harbon 1]

Or blame TB and the Airport for withdrawing the funding. TB are abusing the skylink brand, the airport is losing footfall from the Nottingham side. Who's making these decisions? Who approached who? Why does this limited service stop have 4, yes 4 stops in Castle Donnington? Why do they send this bus to Loughborough?

How are they abusing it? And yes, the airport will be using footfall, because everyone from Nottingham can't see that a holiday flight is important and none of their bags will fit in the car, and they are incompitent enough to think that a bus will be faster than a car :roll: The limited stop service probably stops in Castle Donnington because a bus is public transport and it serves the public. Public as in people that might want to go to Loughborough from Castle Donnington from Kegworth maybe? Or people from Loughborough might want to go on holiday from EMA? Come on :roll:

 

[MCR247]

Or blame TB and the Airport for withdrawing the funding. TB are abusing the skylink brand, the airport is losing footfall from the Nottingham side. Who's making these decisions? Who approached who? Why does this limited service stop have 4, yes 4 stops in Castle Donnington? Why do they send this bus to Loughborough?

Sorry, less people are using EMA in general because the airport takes longer? Hmm

 

[ARedFlyer]

Yes, MCR247, this is why they spent 2.3 million (over 8 years) on funding the NCT skylink. They wanted a premium service that linked Nottingham with EMA. Do you take into consideration transfer times when booking a holiday? Most people with common sense do. BHX and Manchester now look more attractive to fly into and fly from, given it takes upto 2 hours by bus to Nottingham nowadays. I don't think EMA anticipated how poor the service would turn out to be, I did though.

Harbon 1 you shouldn't be on a pubic transport forum is your answer to everything is "get the car". Therefore I'm dismissing your comments. You obviously don't understand the concept of limited stops either.

 

[Deerfold]

Harbon 1 you shouldn't be on a pubic transport forum is your answer to everything is "get the car".

On a what?

Therefore I'm dismissing your comments.

Instead of just ignoring them as you do everyone else's?

 

[WillPS]

A crappy bus-link to Nottingham is the least of EMA's troubles; I'd say the lack of BMI Baby was far more of an issue!!

What EMA actually really needs is a shuttle to link it with East Midlands Parkway.

 

[Harbon 1]

Harbon 1 you shouldn't be on a pubic transport forum is your answer to everything is "get the car". Therefore I'm dismissing your comments. You obviously don't understand the concept of limited stops either.

If you need to get to, let's say, hospital urgently. Would wou get the bus? I don't think so.

You are dismissing my comments already, you haven't said how they are abusing it

Would you catch the bus to the airport if you had to be there before a certain time?

Limited stop, I understand what it means, but how many other buses in Castle Donnington go to Derby or Nottingham or anywhere with big shops? Come on, every journey gets to the point where the bus isnt feasible. Eg, Home to my Dads, X38 to Derby, Red Arrow to Nottingham, I'm sure there is a bus from Nottingham to Newark, and then if there is one Newark - Lincoln, then the 103 home. Could be easily over 5 hours, car 90 minutes, train 2 hours. The bus just isn't an option.

 

[starrymarkb]

Am I right in thinking the Skylink carries a lot of workers to and from the DHL/Royal Mail cargo hubs. Maybe the stops are to serve them too.

 

[Harbon 1]

Am I right in thinking the Skylink carries a lot of workers to and from the DHL/Royal Mail cargo hubs. Maybe the stops are to serve them too.

Yeah, but A Red Flyer would make them all walk from a dedicated stop right next to the planes so that no one gets delayed from the appalling service that is Skylink

 

[tbone]

What EMA actually really needs is a shuttle to link it with East Midlands Parkway.

Another route that Premiere tried...and failed

 

[MCR247]

I still don't get why EMD was even built. At least its pretty much been saved by megabus

 

[trentside]

I still don't get why EMD was even built. At least its pretty much been saved by megabus

I think as much to provide a Parkway station for Nottingham and Derby just off the M1. The fact it was close to the Airport was a big consideration but I just don't think EMA has the footfall for a regular shuttle. A good number of East Midlands destinations have through ticketing onto the Skylink bus services anyway, certainly at my station we route them that way in preference to the Parkway due to lack of bus services to the airport.

 

[ARedFlyer]

Am I right in thinking the Skylink carries a lot of workers to and from the DHL/Royal Mail cargo hubs. Maybe the stops are to serve them too.

You don't need 4 stops in a crappy little village like Castle Donnington. It just needs to stop at the village "Bus Station" never longer than a 5-10 minutes walk away for anyone in CD. And yes 80% I would say at least are airport workers. What I've noticed in the distant lack of holiday makers that catch it...on the A453 buses you'd always get at least a few holiday makers or weekenders but you don't seem to see any on the TB skylate.

 

[Jordy]

ARedFlyer with all due respect you're not exactly going to get a good response if you go round calling villages 'crappy' and referring to the Skylink as the 'Skylate' (and the rest!). If you're going to carry on moaning about it at least try and provide a balanced argument. As for Castle Donnington, I'm not really sure what the point of only serving one bus stop would be, it's not like it goes weaving through the side streets - it just serves the ones on the main road! Cutting those out is hardly going to save any time.

For the record, I'm not too fond of the new service myself (living in West Bridgford most of the time, the A453 route was much more appealing) and was sad (but not entirely surprised) to see the Red Flyer disappear, it makes EMA much less convenient for me. Nevertheless my original point still stands.

 

[Harbon 1]

You don't need 4 stops in a crappy little village like Castle Donnington. It just needs to stop at the village "Bus Station" never longer than a 5-10 minutes walk away for anyone in CD. And yes 80% I would say at least are airport workers. What I've noticed in the distant lack of holiday makers that catch it...on the A453 buses you'd always get at least a few holiday makers or weekenders but you don't seem to see any on the TB skylate.

So this 'crappy little village' has/needs a bus station? And I wonder why not many holiday makers catch it....... Bags? Convenience? Don't need to leave their car at the bus station? And who will be funding a 'bus station' for one bus?

 

[starrymarkb]

Castle Donington already has one. Though it's officially a village it has a population of about 7,000!

East Midlands is a far busier cargo port then passenger airport and hundreds of people are employed there. I wouldn't be surprised if there were were more workers there then passengers per day.

EMA also has the problem of BHX being about 1 hour away. BHX offers a much greater choice of regular flights (including to the US and Dubai). EMA just has flights to holiday destinations. In fact I suspect the airport doesn't bother to try and attract more airlines when it is doing very nicely with the amount of cargo that passes through

 

[tbone]

You don't need 4 stops in a crappy little village like Castle Donnington.

This is a bus service, not a train service. It doesn't have to, and more than likely doesn't stop at all four and if it does, it will be for the space of a minute as opposed to 5 for a train. It really doesn't matter and I doubt that removing three of them would speed up the journey time that much!

 

[ARedFlyer]

It does make a difference especially at peak times when it's late literally all the time. A limited stop service should be just that.

It is all pretty much workers as the RF was, but the RF seemed to carry more actual holiday makers. I'm sure EMA would love to attract more airlines though. Good transport links to the major city (Nottingham) are vital.

In other news Premiere have announced one of their services is making a comeback (not on VOSA yet) ...it couldn't be, could it?

 

[MCR247]

where?

never mind, its on their facebook page

 

[bb21]

where?

never mind, its on their facebook page

Where? I cannot seem to find it.

 

[Qwerty133]

It does make a difference especially at peak times when it's late literally all the time. A limited stop service should be just that.

It is all pretty much workers as the RF was, but the RF seemed to carry more actual holiday makers. I'm sure EMA would love to attract more airlines though. Good transport links to the major city (Nottingham) are vital.

In other news Premiere have announced one of their services is making a comeback (not on VOSA yet) ...it couldn't be, could it?

Can I remind you that Leicester is the most populated city in the East Midlands

 

[ARedFlyer]

Yes but no offence nobody is going to go to Leicester on holiday. If they come to EMA they want Nottingham/Robin Hood/Trent Bridge Cricket ground/NFFC.

 

[Harbon 1]

Yes but no offence nobody is going to go to Leicester on holiday. If they come to EMA they want Nottingham/Robin Hood/Trent Bridge Cricket ground/NFFC.

What about everyone going the other way? Are people living in Leicester no allowed to go on holiday?

 

[radamfi]

Can I remind you that Leicester is the most populated city in the East Midlands

Only if you look at strict municipal boundaries. Nottingham's boundaries are artificially drawn tight, hence its apparently low population. Whereas Leicester's boundaries are drawn generously. It is more meaningful to look at urban area populations.

The Office of National Statistics has definitions of the Nottingham Urban Area and Leicester Urban Area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_areas_in_the_United_Kingdom

shows the populations at the 2001 Census to be:

Nottingham Urban Area: 666,358
Leicester Urban Area: 441,213

 

[Deerfold]

Yes but no offence nobody is going to go to Leicester on holiday. If they come to EMA they want Nottingham/Robin Hood/Trent Bridge Cricket ground/NFFC.

I've beento Leicester on holiday several times. I was visiting family. I don't see why this might not be true for people coming from further abroad. Or perhaps they're fans of Leicester Tigers? Or perhaps theyr'e not on holiday - they're travelling there on business?

 

[BuhSnarf]

I've beento Leicester on holiday several times. I was visiting family. I don't see why this might not be true for people coming from further abroad. Or perhaps they're fans of Leicester Tigers? Or perhaps theyr'e not on holiday - they're travelling there on business?

As someone born and bred in Leicester I'd say there will be some, but not anywhere near as many as Nottingham. When I lived up north I tended to have to follow up "I'm from Leicester" with "it's just near Nottingham"



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[WillPS]

Only if you look at strict municipal boundaries. Nottingham's boundaries are artificially drawn tight, hence its apparently low population. Whereas Leicester's boundaries are drawn generously. It is more meaningful to look at urban area populations.

The Office of National Statistics has definitions of the Nottingham Urban Area and Leicester Urban Area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_areas_in_the_United_Kingdom

shows the populations at the 2001 Census to be:

Nottingham Urban Area: 666,358
Leicester Urban Area: 441,213

Precisely, the City of Nottingham excludes areas like West Bridgford and Arnold which are to all intents and purposes Nottingham communities.

 

[Deerfold]

As someone born and bred in Leicester I'd say there will be some, but not anywhere near as many as Nottingham. When I lived up north I tended to have to follow up "I'm from Leicester" with "it's just near Nottingham"

Oh, I'm sure there will be more tourists to Nottingham, but ARedFlyer said:

Yes but no offence nobody is going to go to Leicester on holiday. If they come to EMA they want Nottingham/Robin Hood/Trent Bridge Cricket ground/NFFC.

(my bold)

 

[WillPS]

I suggest if they come to EMA it's likely to be because of a cheap flight rather than geographic convenience.

 

[starrymarkb]

I suspect a lot of visitors to Leicester will be VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives, rather then Visual Flight Rules). Leicester has a large Asian population but most of those would arrive through Birmingham... with PIA or Emirates

I doubt EMA would be able to attract either. Filling a 777-300ER (77W) (roughly the size of a 747 Classic) will be difficult when Birmingham is just 50 miles down the road.

 

[tbone]

The 'bus war' took an interesting turn yesterday, with Yourbus registering a new 'city link' service between Derby and Nottingham Victoria in competition with Trent Barton's flagship Red Arrow service