Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Bus News

[ThatOneGuy]

Have NCT reopened Gotham garage ? Last bus from Loughborough Christmas and New Year Eves terminates there. Also does anyone know whther the book on Gotham garage that NCT referred to earlier this year as being released actually was ?

The last buses of the night terminate in Gotham normally and run empty back to Trent Bridge. Nothing unusual about it.

 

[Marcus Fryer]

Nottingham City Transport have Yutong E12 YD71 FKX demonstrator on loan. It carries fleet number 999.

 

[cnjb8]

Nottingham City Transport have Yutong E12 YD71 FKX demonstrator on loan. It carries fleet number 999.

Interesting. It’s in the BSIP for Nottingham to replace all of NCTs single deck vehicles

 

[aswilliamsuk]

Interesting. It’s in the BSIP for Nottingham to replace all of NCTs single deck vehicles

More to the point, they also are one of the bidders for ZEBRA funding (second stage, decisions due in Feb/Mar-22) to do exactly that (see the ZEBRA thread)

 

[cnjb8]

More to the point, they also are one of the bidders for ZEBRA funding (second stage, decisions due in Feb/Mar-22) to do exactly that (see the ZEBRA thread)

Ah that’s what I meant! Thank you

 

[Pigalle]

Trent Barton’s Karen Miles is featuring on BBC News today:

How UK's best bus driver turned tears into smiles

Karen Miles has been crowned UK bus driver of the year for her work during the pandemic.

www.bbc.co.uk

UK's best bus driver: Derbyshire woman's inspiring journey to help others

UK's best bus driver: Derbyshire woman's inspiring journey to help others
Close
A woman who has been named as the UK's best bus driver has been speaking about how she used her experiences of family tragedy as a means to support her passengers.

Karen Miles was crowned bus driver of the year in the UK Bus and Coach Awards for her work during the pandemic.

The 53-year-old became a mental health champion and even received a British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Ms Miles, from Littleover in Derbyshire, said her compassion for people was prompted by the loss of her son five years ago.

"[I was] absolutely devastated," she said. "It absolutely knocked my legs from underneath me.

"So for me to now be able to turn that into a positive and help other people is what it's all about."

 

[Pigalle]

This from an e-mail received earlier:

H1 and the two service changes taking place 23 January

Unfortunately due to the ongoing driver shortage, we will be forced to temporarily reduce frequency as detailed below from 23 January.

Whilst we are doing everything we can to resolve the current issues, recruit more drivers, and operate as close to normal, we have now reached a position where we cannot continue to attempt to manage the issue on a day to day basis. We have therefore taken the very difficuilt decision to make these frequency reductions. This will mean that rather than unreliably delivering greater frequency, we will deliver less frequently with greater certainty and reliability.

 

[markymark2000]

This from an e-mail received earlier:

The Trent Barton situation isn't good. Do they have a high staff turnover or did a substantial amount of drivers leave at once? Going from full service to so many reductions isn't good and the reason for such shortages implies that the issue is significantly bigger than that being faced by the rest of the industry.

 

[Andyh82]

The Trent Barton situation isn't good. Do they have a high staff turnover or did a substantial amount of drivers leave at once? Going from full service to so many reductions isn't good and the reason for such shortages implies that the issue is significantly bigger than that being faced by the rest of the industry.

Well for example Nottingham City Transport are running a Saturday service during the week now, so I think it’s just a case of different operators making cuts in different ways

Some are doing reductions across the board, some certain services only, some only at weekends

 

[edwin_m]

Well for example Nottingham City Transport are running a Saturday service during the week now, so I think it’s just a case of different operators making cuts in different ways

Some are doing reductions across the board, some certain services only, some only at weekends
NCT is highlighting their pay rates and looking for recruits.

Nottingham City Transport Bus Drivers Accept Substantial Pay Offer with Rates Amongst Best in the Country

Our bus drivers have overwhelmingly accepted a substantial pay offer, which sees Nottingham’s bus drivers earn amongst highest rates in UK.

www.nctx.co.uk

“We offer some of the highest pay rates for bus driving in the country, and encourage people contemplating a change of career to seriously consider joining Britain’s best bus company for a career that has always offered long term security and generous benefits.”

Saturday service isn't much different from weekday on most routes, and some where it is have had early morning journeys added back. With office workers still being advised to work from home, commuting must be well down at present. I hope recruiting now means they aren't anticipating big service cuts when the grants run out.

 

[ChrisC]

The Trent Barton situation isn't good. Do they have a high staff turnover or did a substantial amount of drivers leave at once? Going from full service to so many reductions isn't good and the reason for such shortages implies that the issue is significantly bigger than that being faced by the rest of the industry.

Not ideal but cutting very frequent services from every 10 minutes to every 15 minutes is perhaps the least inconvenient option for passengers at this time. Before Christmas there were lots of daily cancellations and this was very inconvenient when a bus was cancelled on less frequent routes such as the 141 with only an hourly frequency.

 

[43055]

This from an e-mail received earlier:

Seems sensible to me. Other than at college times I have never found the H1 to be busy anyway.

The Trent Barton situation isn't good. Do they have a high staff turnover or did a substantial amount of drivers leave at once? Going from full service to so many reductions isn't good and the reason for such shortages implies that the issue is significantly bigger than that being faced by the rest of the industry.

What don't help is that random services are being removed every day (as well as the reduced timetables on some routes) which are only being posted on Facebook and Twitter when are known not to run which may not be the full list. For example yesterday my local route showed a handful of cancellations including a return run in the evening. Looking at bus times this morning it shows a gap of 4 hours between 1900 and 2315 from Derby and the last bus from Burton at 2010! This means 3 consecutive returns were missed as it should be hourly. Meanwhile the fast X38 ran all of the additional Friday evening buses. Would it have been more beneficial to use the driver on the villager instead?

 

[mainframe444]

What don't help is that random services are being removed every day (as well as the reduced timetables on some routes) which are only being posted on Facebook and Twitter when are known not to run which may not be the full list. For example yesterday my local route showed a handful of cancellations including a return run in the evening. Looking at bus times this morning it shows a gap of 4 hours between 1900 and 2315 from Derby and the last bus from Burton at 2010! This means 3 consecutive returns were missed as it should be hourly. Meanwhile the fast X38 ran all of the additional Friday evening buses. Would it have been more beneficial to use the driver on the villager instead?

I think this is a situation where route branding can be counter productive.

Drivers at Trent are on mini rosters which only work a specific route, and while they would initially be taught a variety of routes, as time goes by that knowledge is lost, and a driver would rightly be reluctant to operate a route they do not know.

Each depot nowadays has a spare driver roster, but probably only five or so lines on it, and these are usually the only drivers who know all the routes.

So you have, for example, a situation where The Mickleover is happily running every 7 to 8 minutes, while a Villager that is every hour is missed out.

When I started with Trent in the late 80s the roster was 120 weeks long, with all the depots routes on it, so you had to learn them all!

M

 

[markymark2000]

What don't help is that random services are being removed every day (as well as the reduced timetables on some routes) which are only being posted on Facebook and Twitter when are known not to run which may not be the full list. For example yesterday my local route showed a handful of cancellations including a return run in the evening. Looking at bus times this morning it shows a gap of 4 hours between 1900 and 2315 from Derby and the last bus from Burton at 2010! This means 3 consecutive returns were missed as it should be hourly. Meanwhile the fast X38 ran all of the additional Friday evening buses. Would it have been more beneficial to use the driver on the villager instead?

I agree with you generally and so having the reductions makes sense. It's the shear scale of the reductions and how they keep making reductions every few weeks rather than doing a large get of blanket reductions. That won't help public confidence. The main point that I was getting at though is that all routes seem to have large cuts. Seems that their shortage is much worse than that faced by other firms.

I think this is a situation where route branding can be counter productive.

Drivers at Trent are on mini rosters which only work a specific route, and while they would initially be taught a variety of routes, as time goes by that knowledge is lost, and a driver would rightly be reluctant to operate a route they do not know.

Each depot nowadays has a spare driver roster, but probably only five or so lines on it, and these are usually the only drivers who know all the routes.

So you have, for example, a situation where The Mickleover is happily running every 7 to 8 minutes, while a Villager that is every hour is missed out.

When I started with Trent in the late 80s the roster was 120 weeks long, with all the depots routes on it, so you had to learn them all!

M

Is every single route on it's own roster? If so, it's no wonder there are issues. I know many firms do things so that 'route groups' are on their own rosters and that can work or routes become categorised by a certain point. Specific contracts can have a small roster to ensure high quality for corporate clients but otherwise, single route rosters are a recipe for disaster when things go wrong and probably explains why things are so tight right now.

 

[mainframe444]

Is every single route on it's own roster? If so, it's no wonder there are issues. I know many firms do things so that 'route groups' are on their own rosters and that can work or routes become categorised by a certain point. Specific contracts can have a small roster to ensure high quality for corporate clients but otherwise, single route rosters are a recipe for disaster when things go wrong and probably explains why things are so tight right now.

It’s many years since I worked at Trent, but I believe this is still the case.

I’m happy to be corrected!

M

 

[43055]

I agree with you generally and so having the reductions makes sense. It's the shear scale of the reductions and how they keep making reductions every few weeks rather than doing a large get of blanket reductions. That won't help public confidence. The main point that I was getting at though is that all routes seem to have large cuts. Seems that their shortage is much worse than that faced by other firms.

It is not all routes. The Nottingham depot routes seem to be running ok with one or two routes appearing once or twice on the list of cancelations since it started. Meanwhile Derby, Langley Mill and Sutton routes have been on the list almost daily.

Is every single route on it's own roster? If so, it's no wonder there are issues. I know many firms do things so that 'route groups' are on their own rosters and that can work or routes become categorised by a certain point. Specific contracts can have a small roster to ensure high quality for corporate clients but otherwise, single route rosters are a recipe for disaster when things go wrong and probably explains why things are so tight right now.

I believe most routes have there own roster as I don't often see the villager drivers on other routes except the V3 (V3 use to be part of the villager brand). Might find other rosters have two or three routes eg Rushcliffe Villager and Mainline.

 

[markymark2000]

It is not all routes. The Nottingham depot routes seem to be running ok with one or two routes appearing once or twice on the list of cancelations since it started. Meanwhile Derby, Langley Mill and Sutton routes have been on the list almost daily.

That is a fair point but the points still stand. Nottingham being a single exception.

I believe most routes have there own roster as I don't often see the villager drivers on other routes except the V3 (V3 use to be part of the villager brand). Might find other rosters have two or three routes eg Rushcliffe Villager and Mainline.

That seems so alien to me. I get having 'route groups' on rosters and trying to keep drivers in one place to improve customer satisfaction but something like 'Derby to Burton' would then give V1, V3 and X38 into a single route group. The drivers still are on the same kind of route, just going slightly different ways. Possibly throw in the Harlequin too since it's very close to the V3. 'Derby Locals' as the Mickleover, Allestree and Royal Derby (perhaps Harlequin). Keeps people in the local Derby area but it means staff move about. It must get boring for staff going A-B-A-B-A-B all the time, a bit of variety can make staff a bit happier and when there is a slight staff shortage, drivers know more routes to be able to cover them easier as more people have the relevant knowledge.


The two examples are just that, examples, please no one read too much into them.

 

[derbybusdepot]

Bus shortages also seem to be a common problem, perhaps fewer people to repair them, people off with covid, harder to get parts etc etc. This may even be causing more cancellations than a driver shortage. Again something that effects all companies, but Trent seem to suffer with to a greater extent.

Overall, in my opinion they haven't handled the situation very well, and have lost alot of reputation and custom in the process. Different journeys cancelled at short notice every day for months on end will not encourage people back onto their services. Services should have been cut back more and sooner so a reliable timetable could be operated. By not doing that they have created a frustrating situation for customers and their employees.

Maybe Nottingham is a better garage to work at.

 

[Robertj21a]

Isn't this staff shortage for certain routes partly caused by Trentbarton's enthusiasm for having close contacts between passengers and their *regular* drivers. Their drivers must have far less route flexibility than most others.

 

[Andyh82]

From what I’ve seen at various operators across the country, such as First West Yorks, Transdev, Go North East, the situation at Trent Barton seems no different than any of those. All have had a mix of unscheduled cancellations and route frequency reductions to varying degrees.

 

[cnjb8]

It is not all routes. The Nottingham depot routes seem to be running ok with one or two routes appearing once or twice on the list of cancelations since it started. Meanwhile Derby, Langley Mill and Sutton routes have been on the list almost daily.


I believe most routes have there own roster as I don't often see the villager drivers on other routes except the V3 (V3 use to be part of the villager brand). Might find other rosters have two or three routes eg Rushcliffe Villager and Mainline.

That is a fair point but the points still stand. Nottingham being a single exception.


That seems so alien to me. I get having 'route groups' on rosters and trying to keep drivers in one place to improve customer satisfaction but something like 'Derby to Burton' would then give V1, V3 and X38 into a single route group. The drivers still are on the same kind of route, just going slightly different ways. Possibly throw in the Harlequin too since it's very close to the V3. 'Derby Locals' as the Mickleover, Allestree and Royal Derby (perhaps Harlequin). Keeps people in the local Derby area but it means staff move about. It must get boring for staff going A-B-A-B-A-B all the time, a bit of variety can make staff a bit happier and when there is a slight staff shortage, drivers know more routes to be able to cover them easier as more people have the relevant knowledge.


The two examples are just that, examples, please no one read too much into them.

It could be to do with pay differences between Barton and Trent staff at their respective traditional depots? I have no idea

 

[derbybusdepot]

It could be to do with pay differences between Barton and Trent staff at their respective traditional depots? I have no idea

It could have some bearing, but likely not the only cause.

Let's not forget Kinchbus either, still long lists of daily cancellations despite several rounds of service cutbacks. Gets to the point where services are that unreliable, they are unusable - I'm sure many have come to that conclusion where infrequent, and or evening trips have been missed on several occasions.

Pay if one factor, but if your constantly trying to cover more services than you can with the staff available it will never work, just forces further people to leave and the company is soon back at square one.

As has been said, Nottingham garage and other operators in the area don't seem to have suffered to the same extent, and I can't believe it is just down to luck.

 

[Andyh82]

It's been mentioned in the Transdev thread that they are acquiring a number of buses from Nottingham City Transport. What has replaced these vehicles in Nottingham, or is it due to PVR reductions?

 

[ThatOneGuy]

It's been mentioned in the Transdev thread that they are acquiring a number of buses from NCT. What has replaced these vehicles in Nottingham, or is it due to PVR reductions?

Some midi routes are being converted to deckers...

 

[cnjb8]

Some midi routes are being converted to deckers...

Yes, some new Biogas deckers are on the way

 

[43055]

Arriva Derby have started to repaint some more vehicles into the latest livery. So far 4204, 3744 and 3746 have been done.

Bus times is showing trentbarton Solo SR 503 out on the villager today. It has also been edited to have mango as its livery along with a pending edit on 502 for the same. If this is correct could that mean the Spondon flyer won't be returning or becoming a unbranded route?

 

[cnjb8]

Arriva Derby have started to repaint some more vehicles into the latest livery. So far 4204, 3744 and 3746 have been done.

Bus times is showing trentbarton Solo SR 503 out on the villager today. It has also been edited to have mango as its livery along with a pending edit on 502 for the same. If this is correct could that mean the Spondon flyer won't be returning or becoming a unbranded route?

Trent Barton 503 YD63VDN

Trent Barton have recently repainted this Optare Solo SR, out of the "temporarily"(they assure us!) suspended Spondon Flyer livery. It now wears an attractive Mango spare livery and is seen on Full Street, Derby on 26/01/2022.

www.flickr.com

Not my photo
I wonder if Trent will reroute the Ilkeston Flyer to cover the Spondon stops. Maybe when the route returns, it will be unbranded

 

[Mugby]

Arriva Derby have started to repaint some more vehicles into the latest livery. So far 4204, 3744 and 3746 have been done.

What exactly is the latest livery? Do you mean the all over light blue with white swoop?

 

[cnjb8]

What exactly is the latest livery? Do you mean the all over light blue with white swoop?

Yes, it’s called something like Journey Mark I believe

 

[43055]

What exactly is the latest livery? Do you mean the all over light blue with white swoop?

Yes they are in that livery. Not sure if it has a name like the old interurban livery.

Trent Barton 503 YD63VDN

Trent Barton have recently repainted this Optare Solo SR, out of the "temporarily"(they assure us!) suspended Spondon Flyer livery. It now wears an attractive Mango spare livery and is seen on Full Street, Derby on 26/01/2022.

www.flickr.com

Not my photo
I wonder if Trent will reroute the Ilkeston Flyer to cover the Spondon stops. Maybe when the route returns, it will be unbranded

Thanks. Hopefully it does return as a unbranded route as I can't see the Ilkeston Flyer being rerouted.