Worst bus operator in the UK

[Trainfan344]

First and Go-ahead (Anglian) are battling down here in Lowestoft...

 

[anthony263]

St Davids Travel (Taffs wells) set up by bus baron Clayton Jones who owned Shamrock before selling out to Veolia.

Bus routes in Cradiff being registered then never operating (In the case of service 62A City Centre - Pentrebane) or not to timetable service 18A City Centre - Ely.

Other problems including lack of tinetable info, buses breaking down or bunching up as well as buses never really having any working destination equipment apart from pieces of paper showing the service numberand even thw destination is you were lucky.

Complaining to the newspapers whenever there were problems, in fact Clayton has now been given his own newspaper colum in the local press in Pontypridd which is amusing to read.

 

[tbtc]

I don't think you could regard Rotherham as somewhere where the two companies seriously compete - ok there's 15-20 minutes of route above that they both serve before both going on to go much futher out - and apart from that the companies tend to stick to their own areas.

The Wickersley example is where the two separate companies (South Yorkshire Transport and East Midlands Transport) have always run on the same route out of town (now run by First and Stagecoach).

However the route through Rawmarsh sees a new First service every ten minutes with 55-plate B7RLEs running to places that First hadn't served before (Wath, Barnsley), with a parallel MagicBus service shadowing Stagecoach's existing frequent service. So you have Stagecoach chasing First chasing MacigBus, each at a fairly frequent service.

None of this competition existed a couple of years ago, First had never provided such a route - but then Stagecoach expanded further into Sheffield and First had to find somewhere to hit back.

 

[Ivo]

But do First and Stagecoach actually compete anywhere seriously? The only place I can think of is Manchester and then only because Stagecoach have just bought Bluebird who have some routes that compete with First.

Would Portsmouth count? Although ultimately Stagecoach don't actually have that much of a presence there (certainly less than I had thought)...

 

[A0wen]

The worst bus companies I have travelled on in the UK (let's not talk about Eastern Europe or the Caucasus) have all closed down - which might well prove a point about the effective functioning of markets.

Four really stand out in my mind as being particularly awful (but....having seen the ancient clapped-out buses in use by several companies on a recent trip to Wolverhampton....perhaps I have experienced far from the worst: especially as I lived in Greater London in the early years of deregulation - and so was largely unaffected by it), all of them being characterised by old, dirty (even in some cases rusty), unreliable buses and negligible or non-existent customer service:

They are: Sampsons of Hoddesdon; Bexleybus; London Cityrama; and RH Buses (same livery as Bexleybus....who only had that livery because they bought a load of buses originally destined for another company that had a blue and cream livery - Eastbourne Buses, I think?). Bexleybus was possibly the worst - which given it was a subsidiary of London Regional Transport was particularly inexcusable. Thankfully it didn't last long, and subsequent similar cut-price schemes were less ambitious and better planned.

+1 for Sampsons.

They took over the local routes in Welwyn Hatfield from London Country when they were put out to tender. Now, some of LC's vehicles weren't in the first flush of youth (think some of the Nationals) but Sampsons dug up a motley mix of elderly Fleetlines (a combination of ex SYPTE, WMPTE, GMPTE and LT DMSs) and some equally tired Bristol REs and Leyland Nationals.

Complaints to the local press were quick to arrive. IIRC, Sampson's were also paid a visit by VOSA which led to a number of vehicles having to be withdrawn.

Finally the routes were withdrawn by HCC after some ex LC drivers set up a competitor using brand new Optare City Pacer minibuses - which after the horrors of Sampson's were positive luxury.

 

[martinsh]

First Potteries without a doubt. Who else could run buses 33 minutes late on a 20 min service (whilst all other operators were running to time), put a Solo on a long distance journey that required a full sized vehicle, run a route with a 20/40 min gap just to save one vehicle as opposed to a basic 20 min service, have shedloads of 15 year old Scanias that are falling to pieces, run Olympians in normal stage service...

All these things seen in the past 2 weeks.

Honourable mention for Redline Buses in the Barnsley area whose timetable is a work of fiction.

 

[34D]

Centrebus Yorkshire - just a personal opinion

 

[northwichcat]

Centrebus Yorkshire - just a personal opinion

Any particular reason? How do Centrebus compare to what Yorkshire Traction used to be like in the West Yorks area?

 

[Deerfold]

Centrebus Yorkshire - just a personal opinion

Really? Which services do you use? On the local services they've taken over from First that I've used there's been a step change - friendly drivers, new vehicles, improved reliability.

I tend to use them on the 528/574/557/559 routes.

 

[overthewater]

This is easy for me, Stagecoach in Peterborough are useless seeing as they introduced a 10 minute frequency service to most routes in the City BUT kinda of forgot that this would lead to increased passenger usage needing more and bigger buses not to mention more drivers.

There are some bus routes which struggle with the single deckers while others get by with double deckers, that and the fact they advertise they like to hear comments both good and bad then kinda of forget to reply...

As a example, it is impossible at the moment to run buses on a 10 minute frequency as it just doesn't work, either the bus is on time or its late with another bus on the same route playing leap frog with each other.

Is it Really that bad?

 

[tbtc]

Honourable mention for Redline Buses in the Barnsley area whose timetable is a work of fiction.

A proper '80s cowboy

 

[ATW Alex 101]

This lot??

These lot! All of which I have had for a school bus.

These were the better ones which I have had, and the first one has been preserved and the second one has been withdrawn. I actually had that bus for a while as well and it seemed fine.

I don't actually go to Neston BTW

 

[Eagle]

Why is the blind on that one in Irish? hock:

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I believe it is one of those that came over from Dublin in the yellow and blue livery

 

[CallySleeper]

Although they are probably by no means the worst, among my least favourite operators is Lothian Buses. There are some positives but in general I believe that they could be a lot better than they currently are.

Drivers, very rarely speak (eg hello), make eye contact, or generally acknowledge your presence. Customer service is obviously not their forte in the same way that I have seen drivers at other bus companies treat their customers in more of a warm and friendly manner; with LB I have felt that it is bordering on rude and impolite on occasions.

For me, this does call into question (for me) how much training they actually get. There have also been occasions where passengers (including myself!) have had to direct bus drivers because they do not know where they are supposed to be going. I find this incredibly astonishing and unbelievable that drivers are being let out on their own with insufficient training.

Buses, while modern, aren't always the cleanest internally.

I appreciate obviously the state of Edinburgh's roads is terrible (among the worst in the UK?) and that isn't the fault of LB - but bus timetables really have too much slack. Especially, I've found in the suburbs. Why is my bus home on a Sunday night driving at 20mph, or waiting at a stop for up to five minutes? I just want to get home, and so does everyone else probably! The reasons given will probably be the tram works (which are nowhere to be seen!) and to save fuel.

When buses aren't being driven at snails pace, they could well be driven behind another bus on the same route. This can be a common (daily) thing on some routes. For example, the 30. I don't understand how this is allowed to happen. Further, rarely does the driver of the bus who is ten or fifteen mins late have the initiative to run express to catch up time and use the bus behind him to take passengers. There was one occasion I was in a convoy (literally) of four buses, all on the same service going to the same destination. Good bus companies would do something about this ongoing problem, because my understanding is that buses aren't designed really to run like that! There was a period of time when I actually preferred FSE, partly because of cheaper tickets than LB but mostly speed compared to LB.

Purely from a management point of view, it doesn't appear at LB that they really have the same ability to engage with their customers with initiative and passion like I have seen other bus companies do. I think they have been getting better over the last five years but I still think they could improve in areas such as communication (with current passengers and potential bus converts), consumer research, and really going out of their way to speak to others in their branding and sell their product.

In short, yes some will sing the praises of LB, and yes they are good in some areas (price, modern buses, frequency - on most occasions!) but in my experience they have a lot more they could be striving for by understanding the approaches and attitudes that other bus companies take.

 

[sprinterguy]

From my experiences of travelling on them during periodic visits to the Scottish capital I have come to the conclusion that Lothian buses are the very best bus operator that I have ever had the pleasure of travelling with.

The buses are far cleaner and much smarter than anything that I am used to, they seem better maintained and the fleet overall more modern, and the ticket price is very, very reasonable. All in all Lothian buses have for several years now given me the impression of being a bus operator with near-perfect management practices that really know what they are doing.

I'm also incredibly glad that they have survived being consumed by any of the huge, faceless corporations that hold sway over bus operations across much of the rest of the UK. Gone now is the colour and individuality of Scottish operators such as Strathtay and Highland Country that I remember from my youth, since swallowed up by the encroaching Stagecoach empire.

 

[bladesman123]

First South Yorkshire are the worst by a country mile, buses not turning up at all are now almost weekly events, they have put single deck buses on routes that had double deck and now the bus is full with people standing for the entire journey, in the last 12 months the service has really gone downhill.

 

[sheff'd victoria]

First South Yorkshire are the worst by a country mile, buses not turning up at all are now almost weekly events, they have put single deck buses on routes that had double deck and now the bus is full with people standing for the entire journey, in the last 12 months the service has really gone downhill.

We have to agree with Bladesman123 on this , their is a website out their called the Sheffield Forum which has 156000 members, type in first bus in the search section and 488 live theads of complaints come popping up and rightly so

 

[Ivo]

We have to agree with Bladesman123 on this , their is a website out their called the Sheffield Forum which has 156000 members, type in first bus in the search section and 488 live theads of complaints come popping up and rightly so

With Bath having inherited some of the rubbish that formerly ran at Mainline, I can believe this...

 

[tbtc]

We have to agree with Bladesman123 on this , their is a website out their called the Sheffield Forum which has 156000 members, type in first bus in the search section and 488 live theads of complaints come popping up and rightly so

I think that that says more about the kind of moaners you get on that forum - there's about a thousand threads of people arguing about parking charges in comparison

You may have noticed some big improvements on FSY's Sheffield operations in the past month or two?

 

[WestCoast]

From my experiences of travelling on them during periodic visits to the Scottish capital I have come to the conclusion that Lothian buses are the very best bus operator that I have ever had the pleasure of travelling with.

I would agree, of course they're not perfect but they are certainly the best city operator I've ever used. I'm in Edinburgh quite a lot since I have relatives there.

I'm not especially fond of NXWM here in Birmingham, but they aren't the worst I've used.

UK North was probably the worst operator I've ever had the misfortune to use - dodgy vehicles and drivers who couldn't speak much English!

 

[Qwerty133]

Centrebus in Leicester are the worst removed half the decent buses to use on transpeak and sometimes use 15 year old minibuses that cause backache on the 140 which goes to rugby and. They also use a bus that high peak publicly said is not fit for use

 

[northwichcat]

Centrebus in Leicester are the worst removed half the decent buses to use on transpeak and sometimes use 15 year old minibuses that cause backache on the 140 which goes to rugby and. They also use a bus that high peak publicly said is not fit for use

When you say minibuses do you really mean minibuses that carry 16 seated and no standing or small buses that carry around 25-30 seated?

 

[richw]

Fortunately no longer trading but Truronian were appaling. First bought them out a few years back, and with First running the services was an improvement...says a lot doesnt it!

 

[Qwerty133]

When you say minibuses do you really mean minibuses that carry 16 seated and no standing or small buses that carry around 25-30 seated?

25-30 seated r reg things r162ual and similar.

 

[howittpie]

The very worst bus company I have ever travelled on was Nottingham Omnibus they were at least just as bad as UK North. If I remember rightly there were stories of the seats sliding around the bus when they went round corners and I also believe when there spot checks on the veichles they even found drivers without so much as a car driving licence.

 

[GodAtum]

How about this contender!

Passengers left stranded on bus after driver refuses to board because of gay rights advert on the side

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ard-gay-rights-advert-side.html#ixzz2CNhCGZLK
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

[90019]

Drivers, very rarely speak (eg hello), make eye contact, or generally acknowledge your presence.

A lot of us do, but there are a few who don't, it seems to vary between depots.

For me, this does call into question (for me) how much training they actually get.

Five weeks - One in the classroom, one or two for the driving test then two or three route learning.

There have also been occasions where passengers (including myself!) have had to direct bus drivers because they do not know where they are supposed to be going.

It's not so bad for single decks - I only have to know eight routes (previously nine). The guys on the deckers at my depot have to know sixteen routes, plus the eight that I have, which they won't drive very often.

I've never had to ask directions myself, but when you've got over 1000 drivers, occasionally someone is going to be unsure. Would you prefer if they just carried on and went the wrong way instead?

Buses, while modern, aren't always the cleanest internally.

That one lies at the feet of the passengers, I'm afraid - when the bus is out on the road for 18+ hours, you can't just bring them all back in and give them a clean because they've got a bit mucky.
There's a small bin at the front of the bus, and most bus stops have bins, but there are plenty of passengers who'd just rather dump their litter on the bus.
The Metros are the worst, though. Some drivers will get rid of them as soon as they can because people make such a mess of the bus with them.

I appreciate obviously the state of Edinburgh's roads is terrible (among the worst in the UK?) and that isn't the fault of LB - but bus timetables really have too much slack. Especially, I've found in the suburbs. Why is my bus home on a Sunday night driving at 20mph, or waiting at a stop for up to five minutes? I just want to get home, and so does everyone else probably! The reasons given will probably be the tram works (which are nowhere to be seen!) and to save fuel.

On some routes I completely agree with you - it's frustrating as a driver having to drive along at 20 because there's so much slack, then having to constantly stop because the bus is early.
I think it is partially because of the ever changing tramworks - they timetable the buses for them, then the works change, so the timetables don't quite work anymore. The buses are supposed to be on a tighter timetable once you get past a certain time (varies depending on route), and you're on backshift timings, but in my experience some routes are barely different.

When buses aren't being driven at snails pace, they could well be driven behind another bus on the same route. This can be a common (daily) thing on some routes. For example, the 30. I don't understand how this is allowed to happen.

What's normally happened there is that one bus gets caught up in something, be it traffic that comes and goes (Gorgie is currently very bad for that), a party of tourists who take forever, or whatever, and it starts to get late. Sometimes it then snowballs, and you end up picking up extra passengers, which adds to the delay, and means that the bus behind catches up.
A big part of the problem is that the city centre in particular is so unpredictable - one day you can get straight through with no delays whatsoever, the next you might be 20 minutes late - and there is no real way to plan for that, as there is little pattern to it, if any.

Further, rarely does the driver of the bus who is ten or fifteen mins late have the initiative to run express to catch up time and use the bus behind him to take passengers.

We do try to help each other out.
Problem is, we're not allowed to just 'run express' to make up time, we either have to be turned or run part route on the next journey. If you do get away from the bus in front, then you're getting all the passengers again and get held up.
Using the bus behind to pick up passengers doesn't work either - how pleased would you be to see your bus come past five minutes late without stopping and having to wait another ten minutes for the next one, just so people further up can get the first one on time?

There was one occasion I was in a convoy (literally) of four buses, all on the same service going to the same destination. Good bus companies would do something about this ongoing problem, because my understanding is that buses aren't designed really to run like that! There was a period of time when I actually preferred FSE, partly because of cheaper tickets than LB but mostly speed compared to LB.

There are a few routes that can get like that during the peaks. In some cases, the 22 in particular, you can't turn any of them because they're pretty much all running full. But on most routes, it's a fairly rare occurrence. You'll sometimes get two running together, but by the time you get to the terminus, where one still has a layover and the other just turns and keeps going, it tends to sort itself out.
From my experience, they will try and get buses turned in situations like the one you mention, however. But there are times when it takes a while (if it's been caused by major disruption and they're having to deal with a lot of buses, it can take some time to sort out), and if I'm honest it's a bit of a bugbear for us as drivers as well.

 

[CallySleeper]

90019, thanks for your responses.

A lot of us do, but there are a few who don't, it seems to vary between depots.

Granted, some do, however, I've found that many don't really convey a enjoying my job/happy to welcome customers onboard. I have seen other bus companies where the vast majority are cheery, welcoming, and go out of their way to interact with the customer, for example when buying a ticket. Even if it's just a simple 'hiya' with eye contact, clear to the passenger. For me, this calls into question how much emphasis LB put on customer service and satisfaction during driver training...

Five weeks - One in the classroom, one or two for the driving test then two or three route learning.

See, I wouldn't obviously be able to comment from personal experience, but is this enough? Do trainees feel ready for their work? Does LB simply want new recruits out on the job asap?

It's not so bad for single decks - I only have to know eight routes (previously nine). The guys on the deckers at my depot have to know sixteen routes, plus the eight that I have, which they won't drive very often.

I've never had to ask directions myself, but when you've got over 1000 drivers, occasionally someone is going to be unsure. Would you prefer if they just carried on and went the wrong way instead?

I appreciate drivers are under obligation to know their routes, with the x number they are assigned, which can be a challenge. Though, could this be managed better? i.e. a handful of dedicated routes for each driver? Or is that less manageable from an operations point of view.

The driver in question was a single-decker night bus driver, who appeared like he had literally not even been in the area before. What I would prefer would be that LB was sending drivers out who at least did not need directing the whole way. Thankfully, I will say this case is a rarity, but sending someone out who knows they don't know the route at all (in this case) just lacks unprofessionalism. But it does maybe call into question the things I've said above.

That one lies at the feet of the passengers, I'm afraid - when the bus is out on the road for 18+ hours, you can't just bring them all back in and give them a clean because they've got a bit mucky.
There's a small bin at the front of the bus, and most bus stops have bins, but there are plenty of passengers who'd just rather dump their litter on the bus.
The Metros are the worst, though. Some drivers will get rid of them as soon as they can because people make such a mess of the bus with them.

I'll agree, it is a passenger problem, although would LB not be able to employ cleaners either at key locations or who can travel on buses making them look a little more respectable (in much the same way I suppose as happens on XC ?and EC - although I don't know how much more feasible this would be.) Bus companies with a central terminus can employ cleaners at this location for buses that come in, for example, but that's obviously not so easy with LB.

On some routes I completely agree with you - it's frustrating as a driver having to drive along at 20 because there's so much slack, then having to constantly stop because the bus is early.
I think it is partially because of the ever changing tramworks - they timetable the buses for them, then the works change, so the timetables don't quite work anymore. The buses are supposed to be on a tighter timetable once you get past a certain time (varies depending on route), and you're on backshift timings, but in my experience some routes are barely different.

I appreciate this, although while this is the case in the city centre or Haymarket areas for example which are obviously affected by the works, why does it need to add slack to city-bound timetables in other suburbs, for example, Portobello or Niddrie?

Problem is, we're not allowed to just 'run express' to make up time, we either have to be turned or run part route on the next journey. If you do get away from the bus in front, then you're getting all the passengers again and get held up.
Using the bus behind to pick up passengers doesn't work either - how pleased would you be to see your bus come past five minutes late without stopping and having to wait another ten minutes for the next one, just so people further up can get the first one on time?

I guess my point here was that, if a driver knows he is ten minutes late for example, and he knows that he has fallen back and is aware there is another bus (on time) right behind him. So it wouldn't be a case of waiting ten minutes for the next one because you would have already been waiting ten/fifteen minutes at least already for the delayed bus and the one picking up pax would be right behind it. (hope that makes sense!)

I know this happens for example if a bus is packed (which might also mean it's running late!) and does also happen elsewhere in the country. This would allow full running to still take place and not cause part-routing at short notice. I'd rather my late bus ran fast (drop-off only) to catch up time than still pick up pax and then terminate short of my destination, meaning I have to get on another bus.

There are a few routes that can get like that during the peaks. In some cases, the 22 in particular, you can't turn any of them because they're pretty much all running full. But on most routes, it's a fairly rare occurrence. You'll sometimes get two running together, but by the time you get to the terminus, where one still has a layover and the other just turns and keeps going, it tends to sort itself out.
From my experience, they will try and get buses turned in situations like the one you mention, however. But there are times when it takes a while (if it's been caused by major disruption and they're having to deal with a lot of buses, it can take some time to sort out), and if I'm honest it's a bit of a bugbear for us as drivers as well.

I think again this goes back to how operations are managed - so bus frequency, journey time, and layover time. However, I do agree that the core of the problem probably lies with major disruptions (inevitable) and road conditions (responsibility of the Council) - which, I will sympathise, do not favour the driver! There are therefore some aspects which the bus companies are only at the mercy of the Council for.

 

[90019]

Granted, some do, however, I've found that many don't really convey a enjoying my job/happy to welcome customers onboard. I have seen other bus companies where the vast majority are cheery, welcoming, and go out of their way to interact with the customer, for example when buying a ticket. Even if it's just a simple 'hiya' with eye contact, clear to the passenger. For me, this calls into question how much emphasis LB put on customer service and satisfaction during driver training...

I suppose it depends on the situation, in rush hour, for example, we're just trying to get everybody on quickly and efficiently to keep the bus to time and get everybody where they're going.
I don't tend to say that much, it's just how I am, but I'll always try and keep a smile and if someone says something to me, I'll generally respond. If someone speaks to me when I'm driving or in traffic, most of the time I'll happily chat to most people.
There are some grumpy drivers out there (I suppose you find people like them in every job), but my experience of using Lothian over most of my life is that they're in the minority.
There are plenty who are grumpy in the depot but are cheerier out on the road.

Do trainees feel ready for their work?

I can't speak for others, but I did.
If you don't feel ready, you can request to atay on in the training school, but I'm not aware of anyone who has done so since I started.

I appreciate drivers are under obligation to know their routes, with the x number they are assigned, which can be a challenge. Though, could this be managed better? i.e. a handful of dedicated routes for each driver? Or is that less manageable from an operations point of view.

The problem with that is you then have to have even more rotas and separate pools of drivers, making things yet more complicated - too much so, IMO.

The driver in question was a single-decker night bus driver, who appeared like he had literally not even been in the area before. What I would prefer would be that LB was sending drivers out who at least did not need directing the whole way. Thankfully, I will say this case is a rarity, but sending someone out who knows they don't know the route at all (in this case) just lacks unprofessionalism. But it does maybe call into question the things I've said above.

I have a feeling that will have been someone doing a night shift either as overtime or at short notice because they couldn't get anyone else to cover the shift.

I'll agree, it is a passenger problem, although would LB not be able to employ cleaners either at key locations or who can travel on buses making them look a little more respectable (in much the same way I suppose as happens on XC ?and EC - although I don't know how much more feasible this would be.) Bus companies with a central terminus can employ cleaners at this location for buses that come in, for example, but that's obviously not so easy with LB.

I think it would probably be a bit of a logistical nightmare to get something like that to work. The obvious place to have them would be at terminus points, but that then raises the questions of which ones you send them to, and how many would you have to employ to keep the whole fleet relatively clean throughout the day?
I find that, when I get to a terminus, if there are Metros lying around, I'll pick them up and put them back in the tray. With litter I'm a little more wary, as you never really know what's on something, or what's in bags that people leave behind.

I appreciate this, although while this is the case in the city centre or Haymarket areas for example which are obviously affected by the works, why does it need to add slack to city-bound timetables in other suburbs, for example, Portobello or Niddrie?

Honestly, I haven't a clue.
The slack can be a total pain at times, though when you're running late it can be a godsend.

I guess my point here was that, if a driver knows he is ten minutes late for example, and he knows that he has fallen back and is aware there is another bus (on time) right behind him. So it wouldn't be a case of waiting ten minutes for the next one because you would have already been waiting ten/fifteen minutes at least already for the delayed bus and the one picking up pax would be right behind it. (hope that makes sense!)

Problem once that bus is only dropping off passengers, and it's making up time, the gap would grow between the two of them, meaning you're making the passengers at stops wait longer for the next bus. Also, if you stop to drop passengers off but refuse to let anyone on, that'll really annoy people.

I know this happens for example if a bus is packed (which might also mean it's running late!) and does also happen elsewhere in the country. This would allow full running to still take place and not cause part-routing at short notice. I'd rather my late bus ran fast (drop-off only) to catch up time than still pick up pax and then terminate short of my destination, meaning I have to get on another bus.

The bus should (and is, in my experience) only be turned if the next bus is right behind it, and the passengers can be transferred.

It's all very well saying that you're happy for your bus to run fast and not pick anybody up to make up time, but what about when you're one of the passengers standing at the stop which the bus goes straight past?

I think again this goes back to how operations are managed - so bus frequency, journey time, and layover time. However, I do agree that the core of the problem probably lies with major disruptions (inevitable) and road conditions (responsibility of the Council) - which, I will sympathise, do not favour the driver! There are therefore some aspects which the bus companies are only at the mercy of the Council for.

It's a bit of a bugger, really. Because most of the services are quite frequent, a little delay can have a knock on effect, but trying to timetable the buses around that can be a bit of a nightmare. The deckers get more time at stops than the single decks, but as soon as they've passed a couple of stops without picking anyone up, they're running early. If the times were tightened, then when they do have to stop, they run late instead.
It's a bit of a balancing act, and currently there are quite a few routes that aren't right, but they can't be changed until the next timetable changes come about. The 1 is a good example of a route I drive - until the last service changes, the timings were wrong between Stenhouse and Semple Street - no matter what you did, you'd lose a minute. But now they've added a bit of time, you tend to get there early instead.

I think the biggest issue overall with the timings is the unpredictability of both passenger loadings and traffic. I've had weeks where I've done the same shift every day, and I never get to the same points at the same times.