Nottingham 'Bus War'

[TheGrandWazoo]

Personally, I see a gap in the market:

https://www.facebook.com/PretendBusCompany?ref=ts&fref=ts

Great FB page. Based in East Midlands. Go right down to first post to explain. Posts by others are excellent, there are paper buses, model timetables, new routes ideas.

Some like accelerate to Leicester fast from Nottingham I can see working. Also I can see the 785 to Skegness working.

:roll:

 

[harry42]

:roll:

there should b er d direct bus to leicester from notts!

 

[CallySleeper]

there should b er d direct bus to leicester from notts!

Yes! That's a great idea I don't think anyone has ever considered that before o no wait

Also, Stagecoach's 757 back in the day

 

[harry42]

Yes! That's a great idea I don't think anyone has ever considered that before o no wait

Also, Stagecoach's 757 back in the day

the Leicester xprss by trent barton was overpriced, only ran once a day each way and wasn't advertised well. A regular link in competition with the train and cheaper than the car in general, advertised in BOTH cities I think would do well.

 

[Robertj21a]

the Leicester xprss by trent barton was overpriced, only ran once a day each way and wasn't advertised well. A regular link in competition with the train and cheaper than the car in general, advertised in BOTH cities I think would do well.

Sorry, been tried a number of times and it simply doesn't work. The train service is fast and frequent, as is National Express nowadays.

In any event, it's not much longer to catch the Kinch 9 and then their Skylink.

Robert

 

[harry42]

Sorry, been tried a number of times and it simply doesn't work. The train service is fast and frequent, as is National Express nowadays.

In any event, it's not much longer to catch the Kinch 9 and then their Skylink.

Robert

Ok.......

 

[howittpie]

Notice NCT go2 routes and the w4 are running on boxing day this year, I assume this is due to the success of TB and Yourbus last year.

 

[WillPS]

Good and also sad, in a way. Progress I suppose, hope nobody is forced to do anything and those who do are suitably remunerated.

 

[Robertj21a]

Notice NCT go2 routes and the w4 are running on boxing day this year, I assume this is due to the success of TB and Yourbus last year.

About time too.

Presumably realised that Arriva has been running in Leicester on Boxing Day for a few years now !

Robert

 

[edwin_m]

About time too.

Presumably realised that Arriva has been running in Leicester on Boxing Day for a few years now !

Robert

Indeed. But the tram is the only (passenger-carrying) thing running on rails in the East Midlands on Boxing Day - when will the train operators follow suit?

 

[nathanclass323]

Red Arrow 20-25 passengers off-peak? I think it's YOU who are dreaming/wishing.

Go to Victoria Bus Station tomorrow they had lots of empty buses come in last Saturday when I was there, this was in the middle of the afternoon!

I guess they are either coming in on train (cheaper) or catching YB, or combination of both.

If you don't believe this then you (the TB fanboys) have nothing to be concerned about do you? But please don't bury your head in the sand.

I see nobody picked up on my point about the Red 5 and what it did. I guess some people like being ripped off?

Out of interest, would this be Jodie Chatfield under this username? Apologies if not.

 

[mattb251]

Simple fact here - of the customers who swapped from red arrow to Citylink, 90% of them have gone back to red arrow.

 

[harry42]

Simple fact here - of the customers who swapped from red arrow to Citylink, 90% of them have gone back to red arrow.

Interesting, but where did you get those stats from?

 

[Robertj21a]

Simple fact here - of the customers who swapped from red arrow to Citylink, 90% of them have gone back to red arrow.

Probably correct, but then hardly anybody swapped over anyway. If any sizeable numbers moved to Citylink their buses would have had more than just 3-4 on board each trip.

Robert

 

[Mitch in Notts]

Question for the experts! Trent Barton have scrapped a number of fare stages on the rainbow 1. This includes Nuthall Island - which is now included in the Nuthall Church
fare stage and so the single fare has risen from 1.80 to 2.50 to travel to Nottingham (this has happened in the past elsewhere on the route). But Nuthall Island is the Kangaroo boundary - so how does the ticket machine allow Kangaroos to be issued from certain but not all stops within a fare stage?

 

[WillPS]

Presumably the Kangaroo option becomes available at Nuthall Church, and drivers just need to know not to issue them before Nuthall Island? Either that or a 'stage' of some sort does exist for the purpose of making/removing that ticket from sale?

 

[harry42]

I thought TB machines had a different view for every stop. Eg on the two, it might say: 'Thornton Close: 1 Early' at the top then a whole range of fares below. Next may be 'Birdsall Avenue 1 late' with fares, (this example the same,) but can be altered. In other words, I didn't think the machines worked in fare stages.

Please: correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Mitch in Notts]

Interesting replies, thanks. Think you are right about the screens Harry from what I have seen when travelling.
The restructured fare stages are causing a lot of controversy. I picked up a changes to fares leaflet on the rainbow 1 today. It states that most changes involve single fares going up by 10p and that some fares will not change. It doesn't mention anywhere that some fares will increase by up to 70p!
Also a number of people are finding they are being charged different fares between the same points depending on the direction of travel!
I will be checking my mango journeys carefully!

 

[howittpie]

The indigo is being increased to every 5 minute in the morning peak between Long Eaton and Nottingham and in the evening peak in the opposite direction.

 

[Mugby]

The indigo is being increased to every 5 minute in the morning peak between Long Eaton and Nottingham and in the evening peak in the opposite direction.

TB wouldn't need to do that if they dropped their ridiculous aversion to double deckers!

 

[alwaystouchout]

This is old news now, but can anyone tell me why exactly the TransPeak service was truncated at Derby? I used to enjoy getting it between Nottingham and Stockport before it ceased operating from Broadmarsh.

Something to do with the High Peak takeover? Or competition with the Red Arrow?

 

[harry42]

TB wouldn't need to do that if they dropped their ridiculous aversion to double deckers!

I can see why they don't use double deckers: They have conducted surveys and around 95% of passengers or something prefer to see the driver.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

This is old news now, but can anyone tell me why exactly the TransPeak service was truncated at Derby? I used to enjoy getting it between Nottingham and Stockport before it ceased operating from Broadmarsh.

Something to do with the High Peak takeover? Or competition with the Red Arrow?

High Peak: I believe they decided it wasn't commercially viable. They have changed the timetable massively - not many go to Manchester now.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The indigo is being increased to every 5 minute in the morning peak between Long Eaton and Nottingham and in the evening peak in the opposite direction.

TB say they are experiencing high customer usage, more than ever before. And they have the Y5 in direct competitor!

 

[Deerfold]

High Peak: I believe they decided it wasn't commercially viable. They have changed the timetable massively - not many go to Manchester now.

I can see why not. They no longer accepted Trentbarton day or season ticks so would be unlikely to get people doing longer journeys catching it when there was a Red Arrow every 10 minutes.

Hardly any have gone to Manchester for a while now - even in the last days under tb.

There were only 2 more services a day from Manchester when I used to catch it regularly 20 years ago.

I know the 0715 departure became seasonal and then disappeared under tb.

 

[harry42]

I can see why not. They no longer accepted Trentbarton day or season ticks so would be unlikely to get people doing longer journeys catching it when there was a Red Arrow every 10 minutes.

Hardly any have gone to Manchester for a while now - even in the last days under tb.

There were only 2 more services a day from Manchester when I used to catch it regularly 20 years ago.

I know the 0715 departure became seasonal and then disappeared under tb.

Ye, I agree. Wasn't transpeak a struggling route anyway?

Hows skyline 199 doing on high peak?

 

[Mugby]

I can see why they don't use double deckers: They have conducted surveys and around 95% of passengers or something prefer to see the driver.

That is arrant nonsense. I don't doubt they have conducted surveys but they pose the question in such a way that allows them to spin the answers to suit their own devices.

If the question was, quite simply, 'What is your preference, a double decker or standing room only?' I think I know what most of the answers would be!

 

[harry42]

That is arrant nonsense. I don't doubt they have conducted surveys but they pose the question in such a way that allows them to spin the answers to suit their own devices.

If the question was, quite simply, 'What is your preference, a double decker or standing room only?' I think I know what most of the answers would be!

I'm sure I know too. But, TB don't use double deckers. Nobody really knows why apart from a few surveys.

What they could do is use bendy buses...

 

[Deerfold]

I'm sure I know too. But, TB don't use double deckers. Nobody really knows why apart from a few surveys.

What they could do is use bendy buses...

It seems to have been a fairly recent thing. Or possibly a barton thing that spread.

I don't remember many deckers on any barton routes (though I think the 18/32/peak 218 sometimes had them) but I last caught a Trent decter in about 1998 on the 40-something Nottingham-Mansfield (precursor to "the threes").

 

[Robertj21a]

This is old news now, but can anyone tell me why exactly the TransPeak service was truncated at Derby? I used to enjoy getting it between Nottingham and Stockport before it ceased operating from Broadmarsh.

Something to do with the High Peak takeover? Or competition with the Red Arrow?

It never took much money on the Nottingham leg, but needed another bus to cover it (on a very tight schedule). Also, any delays at the Nottingham end affected the whole service. Don't forget that Wellglade (Trent) are 50% owners of High Peak, so they'd be happy for passengers to be diverted to Red Arrow.

There have never been many trips through to Manchester.

Robert

 

[alwaystouchout]

It never took much money on the Nottingham leg, but needed another bus to cover it (on a very tight schedule). Also, any delays at the Nottingham end affected the whole service. Don't forget that Wellglade (Trent) are 50% owners of High Peak, so they'd be happy for passengers to be diverted to Red Arrow.

There have never been many trips through to Manchester.

Robert

IIRC there were through services from Nottingham to Manchester (or Stockport at least, where I used to get off) departing around 9am, 12pm and 3pm.

Many wasted afternoons missing the ~12pm bus and hanging around various canalside boozers until the next departure..

 

[ashworth]

It seems to have been a fairly recent thing. Or possibly a barton thing that spread.

I don't remember many deckers on any barton routes (though I think the 18/32/peak 218 sometimes had them) but I last caught a Trent decter in about 1998 on the 40-something Nottingham-Mansfield (precursor to "the threes").

It has only been during the last 20 years that Trent haven't run double deckers. Certainly up until at least 1990 most of the Trent routes out of Nottingham towards Mansfield, especially via Hucknall were double deckers. As far back as I can remember during the 1960's and 1970's nearly all Trent and Midland General services were double deckers throughout Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.