TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Yes, they do include time at stops However, as we are continually told, London's open boarding and dual door means that this is ruthlessly efficient; it is quicker, I know, and it shows just how bad the road conditions are!Do those average speeds include time stationary at stops? If they do then the reduced headways will increase the dwell time at stops, and the increased dwell time will slow everything down.
So in Exeter, you have the operator (Stagecoach) taking the revenue risk, paying for the higher capital and maintenance, and having a lower seating capacity. It's a different model and that influences vehicle design.As a regular user of buses in Exeter, I find dwell time at bus stops is one of the biggest causes of delay. This is partly due to the need for every passenger to have a transaction with the driver and partly to the design of buses, with a single narrow door for both boarding and alighting, the norm throughout Britain of course except for London and a few other cities. On the continent city buses almost always have two doors - three or four if articulated - and it's rare in my experience for anyone to buy a ticket from the driver. How much of the continental experience is transferable to Britain, even with franchising?
I was in Portsmouth on Saturday and most passengers either had an ENCTS pass, or scanned an m-ticket. A few £2 fares but wonder how many were adhocs.