See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42749973
One lobbying group fears the scale of the miles lost are a sign buses are on course to be cut to the same extent railways were in the 1960s.
UK buses now drive 134 million fewer miles each year - the equivalent of more than 5,000 trips around the equator.
Ever decreasing subsidies aren't exactly helping
8% décline in the West Midlands. Operators cutting corners as not making enough money which makes sense , so much for privatisation,
If operator ran between rather than just in front more would use the bus I know they want to make a profit but would encourage more to use the if spaced out not bus 3 mins then another in 2 mins s then not o e for 17 min when could be a 10 min service between 2 firms
Quote from: monkeyjoe on February 16, 2018, 08:06:28 AM
8% décline in the West Midlands. Operators cutting corners as not making enough money which makes sense , so much for privatisation,
In this weeks staff Business brief
"It is really encouraging to see that this year so far we've carried twenty thousand more fare-paying passengers than over the same period last year. This patronage growth is really encouraging"
That's good Tony but there are other things going on in the west midlands that myself Martin Hancock & other operators have been discussing in recent weeks.
Which of course are not for an open forum such as this.
Any insight that's allowed to be shared how east Brum patronage is performing since last years review ?
It's because of concessionsry passes! They need to be scrapped ASAP! It's not doing the operators any favours and no other countries use that stupid system.
Quote from: lauren1993 on February 17, 2018, 05:42:51 AM
It's because of concessionsry passes! They need to be scrapped ASAP! It's not doing the operators any favours and no other countries use that stupid system.
Without concessionary passes what would happen to off peak patronage? Even more cuts? Plus the ability to get around can make a real difference to the lives of older people. In April I shall be taking part in a campaign backed by the TUC to defend the passes and encourage more use.
Quote from: Other Walsall Tony on February 17, 2018, 07:56:52 AM
Without concessionary passes what would happen to off peak patronage? Even more cuts? Plus the ability to get around can make a real difference to the lives of older people. In April I shall be taking part in a campaign backed by the TUC to defend the passes and encourage more use.
Correct. If the passes are doing so much harm to operators why are NXWM running advertising campaigns to try and encourage more use of concessionary cards
Quote from: Tony on February 17, 2018, 08:35:32 AM
Correct. If the passes are doing so much harm to operators why are NXWM running advertising campaigns to try and encourage more use of concessionary cards
I have seen a wolverhampton district timetable from about 1975, before passes. All services were reduced by 33-50% between 9am and 4pm. The (5)29 was down to every 13 minutes. Who wants a return to this?
To be honest the pass scheme has it's plus points & it's negatives. In urban areas it has kept off peak pvrs high. But in rural areas it has meant service cuts due to the reimbursement rate.
I don't think a one size fits all is the solution & maybe transport tokens would be better for some areas.
Quote from: Steveminor on February 17, 2018, 09:33:36 AM
To be honest the pass scheme has it's plus points & it's negatives. In urban areas it has kept off peak pvrs high. But in rural areas it has meant service cuts due to the reimbursement rate.
I don't think a one size fits all is the solution & maybe transport tokens would be better for some areas.
The whole point of the scheme is that it is national, a pass holder from Cumbria can use it in Cornwall. If you started using tokens etc in some areas this would be lost.
But if you look not to far away from us. The tamworth to B vained someurton route used to be quite busy. Under the national transport token scheme this service was viable. But under the national pass scheme & the dft reimbursement m& all thats left now id odel even though it had lost no passengers but in fact had gained some, it was no longer commercially viable
Off peak travel back in the 70s was lower because most people had jobs and were at work hence more buses in the AM and PM peaks
Quote from: dingding on February 17, 2018, 11:30:01 AM
Off peak travel back in the 70s was lower because most people had jobs and were at work hence more buses in the AM and PM peaks
Isn't unemployment at it's lowest its ever been at the moment?
Quote from: Trident 4194 on February 17, 2018, 11:39:27 AM
Isn't unemployment at it's lowest its ever been at the moment?
You could argue that employment has changed since then, near enough everyone then was on daytime 9-5 jobs, nowadays shifts vary wildly
Quote from: Kevin on February 17, 2018, 11:51:29 AM
You could argue that employment has changed since then, near enough everyone then was on daytime 9-5 jobs, nowadays shifts vary wildly
This.
Unemployment rose sharply in the 1970s before falling again in the 1980s. But we are a 24/7 economy now compared with the 1970s and shift patterns, and therefore travel patterns have changed. Also a lot more office workers have flexibility to work from home when they need to.
Quote from: Trident 4194 on February 17, 2018, 11:39:27 AM
Isn't unemployment at it's lowest its ever been at the moment?
Only if you call 4 million 'low'...
Quote from: Mike K on February 17, 2018, 02:41:36 PM
This.
Unemployment rose sharply in the 1970s before falling again in the 1980s.
Actually, contrary to propaganda blaming industrial unrest, unemployment TRIPLED in the 80's, peaking in '84, a figure unmatched until this decade, where even that disgusting statistic has been outdone.
I Couldn't possibly suggest a common factor as to why...
Quote from: dave47549 (no longer NEL111P) on February 17, 2018, 03:29:42 PM
Actually, contrary to propaganda blaming industrial unrest, unemployment TRIPLED in the 80's, peaking in '84, a figure unmatched until this decade, where even that disgusting statistic has been outdone.
I Couldn't possibly suggest a common factor as to why...
I stand corrected - it was around 1980 that it rose sharply although it had dropped significantly by 1990. Must have been looking at the Daily Mail's figures ;).
Anyway, best get back to bus usage or this thread could turn into a party political broadcast...
Quote from: Mike K on February 17, 2018, 03:45:43 PM
Anyway, best get back to bus usage or this thread could turn into a party political broadcast...
Alas discussing bus usage while avoiding politics is near impossible
Quote from: Mike K on February 17, 2018, 03:45:43 PM
Anyway, best get back to bus usage or this thread could turn into a party political broadcast...
I was going to say something, but Kevin beat me to it!
Quote from: Steveminor on February 17, 2018, 09:33:36 AM
To be honest the pass scheme has it's plus points & it's negatives. In urban areas it has kept off peak pvrs high. But in rural areas it has meant service cuts due to the reimbursement rate.
I don't think a one size fits all is the solution & maybe transport tokens would be better for some areas.
Another factor on reduced bus journeys is the concessionary pass qualifying age. You used to get them at 60 yrs old but now it is 65, 66, 67 depending on what year you were born. I would guess this has kept more older people behind the wheel of their cars?
Quote from: Kevin on February 17, 2018, 11:51:29 AM
You could argue that employment has changed since then, near enough everyone then was on daytime 9-5 jobs, nowadays shifts vary wildly
When I started on the buses at Coventry Road garage in the late 70's we had a PM peak'service extra' on the 36 and believe it or not there were four three bell loaded double deckers needed at Tyseley station to pick up the workers from there! The same thing happened at Formans Road and Shaftmoor Lane on the 31 and these were unadvertised extras to the main service. This situation occurred all over the system so back then the peak was far more pronounced than it is now and was the reason for the 'reduced' service in the daytime.