"Wipe Out The Small Operators"

[dayvid]

A bit of a rant here now lets go...
What is this obsession from some folk about wiping the smaller operators out?
Do you fail to see that competition does us all good in the end ?
Some of these small operators are actually human beings, guys and girls who you would find in the pub on the weekend people who also have bills to pay and lifes to live. Ok they may not be up to the standard of NXWM but hey give them a chance.
Claribels Central Connect Central Buses Silverdale etc were once small operators give them all a chance. In this time how the economy is its good to have other operators.

[Gareth]

Absolutely nothing wrong with smaller operators and competition is normally a good thing.
As long as they are not cowboys with dangerous and illegal vehicles on the road.

[the trainbasher]

Its not a case of wipe them out but get them to clean their act up or leave the scene, not necessarly in a forceable manner as that would be illegal but in a way as to provide a more safer operator scene as to discourage Centro from considering actions which would do it via Quality Contracts (such as NEXUS).

[Bob]

Competition isnt always good ( gas & electricity. .people cant afford to heat their homes etc)) in the supposedly bad old days of public ownership how many knackered virtually unroadworthy buses from tin pot two bit cowboys did yousee rrunning services?

[Kevin_Brum12]

You can be a small operator and run a well maintained decent fleet of vehicles with a no frills service.

You can run rather more elderly buses, provided they are in a safe, roadworthy condition in accordance with the law.

What is unacceptable - whether its a large operator or a small fleet is to run services that are unreliable, with vehicles in an unacceptable condition with serious defects, and cream thousands of pounds out of the public purse for delivering a poor service.

[Tony]

You can be a small operator and run a well maintained decent fleet of vehicles with a no frills service.

You can run rather more elderly buses, provided they are in a safe, roadworthy condition in accordance with the law.

What is unacceptable - whether its a large operator or a small fleet is to run services that are unreliable, with vehicles in an unacceptable condition with serious defects, and cream thousands of pounds out of the public purse for delivering a poor service.

Silverline prove point 1

Coastal Liner prove point 2

Sadly VIP currently are part of point 3

[CL]

I'm not being rude or anything, but the drivers who operate #16 at GRS Travel have quite a 'shoddy', for lack of a better word, route. Once, i've been on a service where the driver used the flyover instead of the Hockley Circus route, where people might've wanted to get off/on...

[trident4370]

In my opinion GRS seem to be improving the most out of all the "little guys". VIP are now buying any old crap when they only used to buy Euro 3 darts, not to mention the sticky taped Windows and Joe's Travel well don't get me started... GRS now have at least 2 DDA compliant buses and have 3 with LED systems (although the Marshalls are yet to be setup) and they started out with a fleet of fence painted Lances! I also remember the owner talking to me about having a standard livery across the whole fleet soon so he is at least trying to improve.

[Westy]

How's Banga Buses in Wolverhampton these days?

They were 'popular' in the local rag at one point.

At one point the Express & Star ran a story about one of Banga's family that was working at TWM!

[mranon]

select prove all 3, however travel express could be like them but their image and a couple of their drivers playing games dont help

[the trainbasher]

Much better and improved

[Kevin]

How's Banga Buses in Wolverhampton these days?

They were 'popular' in the local rag at one point.

At one point the Express & Star ran a story about one of Banga's family that was working at TWM!

Tell you what, I've always had respect for Banga, some of their buses do seem a bit scutty (ie the old merc minibuses) but they seem to be doing alright for themselves with the services they run. They've at least got buses in the same livery

[CL]

In my opinion GRS seem to be improving the most out of all the "little guys". VIP are now buying any old crap when they only used to buy Euro 3 darts, not to mention the sticky taped Windows and Joe's Travel well don't get me started... GRS now have at least 2 DDA compliant buses and have 3 with LED systems (although the Marshalls are yet to be setup) and they started out with a fleet of fence painted Lances! I also remember the owner talking to me about having a standard livery across the whole fleet soon so he is at least trying to improve.

True, VIP services should've just sticked to 424 and their coaches... Now that they run extra services like 650 & 101... It's all becoming a joke... Also, why are they running an NX99 service from a depot in Hockley? It's all a bit silly really...  :-\ GRS is alright, but VIP is gone far beyond a joke...

[trident4370]

I think the 99 service fits in with other contracts they have in the area so the bus isn't doing nothing all day but I do agree something needs to be done about them as it is just a farce! "AMPM the Second" springs to mind with these numberplate swaps...

[CL]

I think the 99 service fits in with other contracts they have in the area so the bus isn't doing nothing all day but I do agree something needs to be done about them as it is just a farce! "AMPM the Second" springs to mind with these numberplate swaps...

Well, at least AMPM Travel was more organised. They had their own livery, a few settled routes, such as the 6. AMPM looked like a competitor to Diamond, rather than NXWM!  ;D