Yate to Tetbury bus service

[Martin1988]

I've had a couple of trips on the recently launched 622 service between Yate and Tetbury(operated by Severnside Transport and starting from Thornbury).

So far when I've used this service, there's been at most, only one other passenger on board the vehicle. I am rather surprised about this as I thought that a bus route between Yate and Tetbury would attract a great deal more passengers. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why the loadings might be currently so light on this route?

Also, something I am currently struggling to understand is why South Glos Council are subsidising this service when there is an existing route 27 which the new 622 pretty much duplicates between Old Sodbury and Tetbury. Wouldn't it have been a better move to just extend the 27 to Yate? Surely the costs involved in that would have been less than the cost of providing the current 622 service?

Also, if anyone is able to answer I would be interested to find out how come the existing extension of the 620 route to Tetbury got withdrawn due to funding cuts, yet there is funding available to extend the 622 to Tetbury and on a higher frequency than what was previously offered on the 620? My understanding is that the Tetbury-Yate section of the 620 was reasonably well used- it certainly seemed to be more well used than the 622 journeys I've been on and I'm sure that there would be more demand for travel to Tetbury from Bath than there is from Thornbury?

 

[freetoview33]

I've had a couple of trips on the recently launched 622 service between Yate and Tetbury(operated by Severnside Transport and starting from Thornbury).

So far when I've used this service, there's been at most, only one other passenger on board the vehicle. I am rather surprised about this as I thought that a bus route between Yate and Tetbury would attract a great deal more passengers. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why the loadings might be currently so light on this route?

Also, something I am currently struggling to understand is why South Glos Council are subsidising this service when there is an existing route 27 which the new 622 pretty much duplicates between Old Sodbury and Tetbury. Wouldn't it have been a better move to just extend the 27 to Yate? Surely the costs involved in that would have been less than the cost of providing the current 622 service?

Also, if anyone is able to answer I would be interested to find out how come the existing extension of the 620 route to Tetbury got withdrawn due to funding cuts, yet there is funding available to extend the 622 to Tetbury and on a higher frequency than what was previously offered on the 620? My understanding is that the Tetbury-Yate section of the 620 was reasonably well used- it certainly seemed to be more well used than the 622 journeys I've been on and I'm sure that there would be more demand for travel to Tetbury from Bath than there is from Thornbury?

Where the funding comes from!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
When the 620 was Bath to Tetbury the section to Tetbury was funded by Gloucestershire County Council. Who decided to fund the 27 instead (As it was cheaper). Where as I think the 622 is just funded by South Gloucestershire Council

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

So far when I've used this service, there's been at most, only one other passenger on board the vehicle. I am rather surprised about this as I thought that a bus route between Yate and Tetbury would attract a great deal more passengers. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why the loadings might be currently so light on this route?



My understanding is that the Tetbury-Yate section of the 620 was reasonably well used- it certainly seemed to be more well used than the 622 journeys I've been on and I'm sure that there would be more demand for travel to Tetbury from Bath than there is from Thornbury?

Hi Martin

Turn your question on its head - why would there be heavier loadings on the route?

What are the main traffic sources? How many villages en route? How affluent is the area - are these likely to be typical bus users? What are the main traffic destinations? Why would people seek to travel to those places?

Answer those and you might start to appreciate why loadings are so weak. I can't answer the specific questions on the funding side, but your observations on loadings aren't massively different to my experience.

 

[Martin1988]

Thanks to those who have taken the time to respond. Admittedly I did wonder about whether or not the people living on the Tetbury section of the route would be typical bus users. Would I be right in thinking that it is one of the more wealthier areas where car ownership is high?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Thanks to those who have taken the time to respond. Admittedly I did wonder about whether or not the people living on the Tetbury section of the route would be typical bus users. Would I be right in thinking that it is one of the more wealthier areas where car ownership is high?

Hi Martin

The problem is that the area is very affluent. A wander round Tetbury probably highlights that - Prince Charles has a shop there

There are also relatively few villages on the route. Didmarton is probably the biggest (and see has the old cast iron Bristol Omnibus Route Stage bus stop) and then there's Hillesley. Both those are very desirable villages.

Also, what major traffic objectives are there? Tetbury is hardly a big town. Yate is bigger with a massive Tesco but there's not much else in terms of hospitals etc.

It's a bit like the 184 route from Frome to Radstock which also goes through a lot of well heeled villages and apart from the odd pensioner, there's not much traffic to be had

 

[freetoview33]

Hi Martin

The problem is that the area is very affluent. A wander round Tetbury probably highlights that - Prince Charles has a shop there

There are also relatively few villages on the route. Didmarton is probably the biggest (and see has the old cast iron Bristol Omnibus Route Stage bus stop) and then there's Hillesley. Both those are very desirable villages.

Also, what major traffic objectives are there? Tetbury is hardly a big town. Yate is bigger with a massive Tesco but there's not much else in terms of hospitals etc.

It's a bit like the 184 route from Frome to Radstock which also goes through a lot of well heeled villages and apart from the odd pensioner, there's not much traffic to be had

My idea is a 2 Hourly Yate - Tetbury service would be more than enough. Where then it would connect to other services to Bath, Bristol and so on!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

My idea is a 2 Hourly Yate - Tetbury service would be more than enough. Where then it would connect to other services to Bath, Bristol and so on!

That's what the 622 is, isn't it?

Does make the 620/27 rather superfluous though

 

[freetoview33]

That's what the 622 is, isn't it?

Does make the 620/27 rather superfluous though

It is but the 27 still links with the 620. But I still not sure about the Yate - Thornbury section of the 622 being linked to Tetbury service!

Just having a Yate - Tetbury and Yate - Malmesbury service 2 hourly is good. (But currently the early 41 misses Yate!)

Would allow the 620 to be cut back to Yate which would allow a clockface timetable too. And a few additional services a day.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It is but the 27 still links with the 620. But I still not sure about the Yate - Thornbury section of the 622 being linked to Tetbury service!

Just having a Yate - Tetbury and Yate - Malmesbury service 2 hourly is good. (But currently the early 41 misses Yate!)

Would allow the 620 to be cut back to Yate which would allow a clockface timetable too. And a few additional services a day.

That was my point. The 27/620 isn't needed where it runs alongside the 622.

Instead, pull the 27 then cut back the 620 as you say to provide a standard 2 hourly headway.

The 41 is a Wiltshire tender and is part of the Malmesbury package which interworks with services to Swindon, Cirencester and Chippers. The early 41 works along side Schools workings so hence there's no early one into Yate.

 

[freetoview33]

That was my point. The 27/620 isn't needed where it runs alongside the 622.

Instead, pull the 27 then cut back the 620 as you say to provide a standard 2 hourly headway.

The 41 is a Wiltshire tender and is part of the Malmesbury package which interworks with services to Swindon, Cirencester and Chippers. The early 41 works along side Schools workings so hence there's no early one into Yate.

Glad we can agree on somethings!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Glad we can agree on somethings!

We have our opinions. Sometimes agree, sometimes differ.

 

[Martin1988]

Thanks ever so much for taking the time to explain this. Apologies for not acknowledging this post earlier.

Going back about 5/6 years I used the 620 most weekdays to travel to/from college. There were definatley a number of regular passengers who lived somewhere on the Tetbury to Yate section of the route who used to commute into Bath on the first journey of the day(and they mostly returned on that journey that departs Bath around 1630).

I used the service at a number of different times of day depending on when my classes were but from what I observed, on most journeys the bus had several passengers already on board when it arrived at Yate, some of whom got off and some of whom stayed on to travel towards Bath.

From memory there was an early afternoon journey from Yate to Bath(which departed around something like 1330-1345) which always came across as very lightly used and the last journey back from Bath hardly seemed to have anyone on past Yate. From what I understand that early afternoon journey from Yate has now been withdrawn and the last journey stops at Old Sodbury with no connection available to Tetbury.

Also, depending on the time of year there were times when the 620 became very busy with passengers(usually OAPs) heading into Bath to go shopping. For example when events such as the Christmas market were on. I also remember one occasion when a large group of german tourists used the service from Tetbury to have a day trip to Bath.

Hi Martin

The problem is that the area is very affluent. A wander round Tetbury probably highlights that - Prince Charles has a shop there

There are also relatively few villages on the route. Didmarton is probably the biggest (and see has the old cast iron Bristol Omnibus Route Stage bus stop) and then there's Hillesley. Both those are very desirable villages.

Also, what major traffic objectives are there? Tetbury is hardly a big town. Yate is bigger with a massive Tesco but there's not much else in terms of hospitals etc.

It's a bit like the 184 route from Frome to Radstock which also goes through a lot of well heeled villages and apart from the odd pensioner, there's not much traffic to be had