That pathetic comment was reinforced in 1995 for the LT area at least when Stephen Norris said that some people wouldn't use public transport because it meant: "dreadful human beings sitting alongside you". Apart from being an ineffectual politician at the time, he was also an ex car dealer. Ironically, in 2014 he was appointed as a non-executive board member of Optare.There's the quote attributed to Thatcher, though it's unclear if she actually said it, about anyone over 25 finding using a bus having to consider themselves a failure in life.
Sounds like Stephen Norris is the dreadful creature in this example. He probity makes fun of the elderly and handicapped as well.That pathetic comment was reinforced in 1995 for the LT area at least when Stephen Norris said that some people wouldn't use public transport because it meant: "dreadful human beings sitting alongside you". Apart from being an ineffectual politician at the time, he was also an ex car dealer. Ironically, in 2014 he was appointed as a non-executive board member of Optare.
Is this the same Mr Norris who is being bandied around to go on the First Group board of directorsSounds like Stephen Norris is the dreadful creature in this example. He probity makes fun of the elderly and handicapped as well.
Cheers, Mike R
Ticketing is a big issue and operators don't really have any incentive to change practices. Understandably, they want to keep all their revenues.
This is were there has to be cross operator ticketing in place, particularly in smaller towns like Loughborough. If you want to get from the outskirts of Loughborough to day Nottingham, it will be two buses and in most cases different operators.Theres a really good bus service from Loughborough town centre to Nottingham but depending where you live, it could be two operators to complete journey. . This is off putting to people and adds to cost. People don't mind changing buses in town centres but don't want to pay twice. Ticketing is a big issue and operators don't really have any incentive to change practices. Understandably, they want to keep all their revenues.
Also, we’re in hock to the car lobby. Quite happy to have free parking in town on Sundays, or not to raise fuel duty for 8 years, though reducing BSOG so bus fares become higher whilst car use becomes cheaper in real terms.
Even now we’re seeing clean air zones target buses but not private cars
I know plenty of folks who will use trains but never a bus. That’s an image and perceived safety issue.
There's a perception that, as "opinion formers" and decision makers don't use the bus, except in Bus driving is seen as a job held in low esteem, with high turnover. London and maybe a few other towns and cities like Oxford, Cambridge and Brighton, they are provided mainly for those groups which edwin_m has listed. It's certainly much easier to get people out of their cars on to trains and trams. Is this the fault of the bus industry, decades of poor media coverage or comments from politicians like those quoted above? I worked in the bus industry (admittedly 40+ years ago) and it was all about managing decline, coping with traffic congestion and dealing with poor industrial relations. The managers I knew went everywhere by car and there was little attempt to attract new riders. Has that changed since deregulation, or is deregulation part of the problem?
It most certainly is!Is this the same Mr Norris who is being bandied around to go on the First Group board of directors
Are coach drivers seen in a higher ‘esteem’ than bus drivers ?
Despite all it's failings this is somewhere where Aberdeen/Shire does quite well. For at least 5 years now we've had a ticket (The Grasshopper) which is valid on all services within whichever zone you choose.
For Aberdeen City you have Zone 1 which is £4.50 (Only 30p more than a Firstday) which gets you on all buses, including out to the Airport.
It's a strange thing that the UK, which arguably, historically had one of the best City transport systems in the world, has let some devisive cynical comments from politicians destroy public support of bus travel. I've just had a 2 week holiday in Canada in three very different locations:Worse than that - monopolies legislation prevents them colluding. This really needs exceptions added for public transport which, absent a statutory regulator, by far works best as a cartel than with competition.
After all that is how the German Verkehrsverbuende came into existence!
The issue is the zones are a knee jerk reaction to an issue and target buses (because they're an easy target and nobody cares about them), not diesel. If they targeted diesel then they'd make a difference however by targeting buses they'll make little impact and could even make the issue worse.Most of these relate to particulates, which means diesel, which means even one that simply mandates a Euro spec for all diesel engines is going to target buses more than cars. And in a way rightly so - electric is now ready, and it needs rolling out across the country. The Chinese are beating us to it.
Each bus produces more particulates then most other road vehicles however each one is also moving more people. Targeting buses increases the costs for bus companies so fares are likely to go up. If they do the result of this is some people decide not to use the bus, they use a car. Even if this car is electric it's now slowing traffic down and, consequently, making the bus produce more particulates. Making the bus cleaner is wonderful however a Euro 3 bus with bus priority will produce less collective pollution than a Euro 6 bus stuck in a traffic queue over the same distance.