Final journeys of the day running short of their final destination!

[Westy]

Noticing the comment in the Diamond Simon Dunn thread, about the driver 'deciding' not to operate the full final journey of a service, reminded me of 2 occasions I caught a bus that did this.


Obviously Simon will make his own enquiries as to why the driver did this, but the 2 occasions I experienced, there would have been other services presumably at that point, plus there would have been no passengers on the bus either.


The 2 examples I cite, was a 951 'short' journey running Birmingham to Bloxwich, with all the passengers leaving the bus by the Somerfield Road / Stokes Street stop(Whether this still happens with the X51, I do not know!), & the final 25 journey from Kingstanding to Bloxwich, I was the only passenger still on the bus by the Pinfold.


Both buses turned onto Bloxwich High Street heading towards Walsall.


Surely, for these journeys, they should have been advertised in the relavant timetables, as 'If there are no passengers on the bus after this point, then the journey will terminate at this point' ?


Should the driver make this decision on his own, just because it's more convienent for them?

[CL]

Not sure if this is what you're getting at, but I think I've been in a similar situation as something that you're referring to..

More or less around two years ago, I used to finish school at 4pm, or thereabouts; just at the right time where the last few iGo 10s would run from the top of Quinton Road West back to Colmore Row.

I was almost certainly the only person who ever rode end to end on the route (which I didn't mind as it got me into town at almost half the time as the 24 would), but it wasn't really "end to end", admittedly. I recall a vivid memory of the regular driver once asking me "where it is you're going?", to which I replied "Colmore Row". In response to that, he gave me a look of displease - to which I compromised my initial answer and instead informed him that Snow Hill would be just as fine; knowing it would be quicker, for the driver's benefit, to return to the WMSNT depot in Aston from there - after finishing the final 10 of the day.

To his pleasure, succeeding journeys that I made with this driver earned me the nickname "Snow Hill". ;) lol

[Dom]

Surely, for these journeys, they should have been advertised in the relavant timetables, as 'If there are no passengers on the bus after this point, then the journey will terminate at this point' ?

Should the driver make this decision on his own, just because it's more convienent for them?

To be quite frank, no and no. A service is advertised to go to certain places for a reason, what if you terminate early then 3 stops down a little old lady with bags full of shopping is waiting?

The only reason a service should terminate early is if it is adjusted or any issues on route.

[the trainbasher]

Back when the 226 operated every 15 minutes and igo did the nights, sometimes I would often see the last diamond arrival that was booked to arrive Merry Hill at 1910 turn left out of Moor Street, Brierley Hill, not in service towards depot.

[Stuharris 6360]

To be honest I think the last journey's on any bus route are the most important.

People read the timetable and expect these journey's to run and to run to time, any company's drivers cannot play god and decide that because they have done the route many times before and there were no passengers on part of the route that this can miss it out.

[Ashley 60171]

More keyboard warriors trying to get people sacked. Have you got nothing else in your lives?

[Ian Hardy]

More keyboard warriors trying to get people sacked. Have you got nothing else in your lives?

Someone should get disciplined if they do not do the job they are paid to do.

If the driver is rostered to do the last journey of the day they should do the whole registered journey, and not miss bits out just because nobody is on the bus at that time. The operator would get hauled before the Traffic Commissioner for not operating the registered route.

[Stuharris 6360]

More keyboard warriors trying to get people sacked. Have you got nothing else in your lives?

What is better to do, have a word with the representative of the company involved or report the incident to VOSA!

[markcf83]

If the driver is rostered to do the last journey of the day they should do the whole registered journey, and not miss bits out just because nobody is on the bus at that time. The operator would get hauled before the Traffic Commissioner for not operating the registered route.

I'm in agreement with you.