Social Travel

[Steveminor]

Well tony there was petes travel who sold to go ahead for a tidy sum. So that's on success I guess. I helped start clarinets in bus operations, or are you going to argue they aren't successful.
Plus I was joint owner in 2 business's in another area which provided me with a healthy sum for my house.
Let's just say I don't have a mortgage & still in my 30s or is that not a success.
The 11 is an ends to a means it isn't about trying to run another operator off the road but about earning money to enable the company to grow & develop I will make no excuse for that. I would say the buses are in better condition than at least one of our competitors & drivers are friendly & helpful ( if not let me know please).
Let's not forget if nx hadn't been greedy wanting 100% of the 97 revenue then we had planned to introduce a 97 extension by the end of the year. But I guess that we will just have to wait

[Steveminor]

Looked at that route mate but figures don't add up

[Tony]

Well tony there was petes travel who sold to go ahead for a tidy sum. So that's on success I guess. I helped start clarinets in bus operations, or are you going to argue they aren't successful.
Plus I was joint owner in 2 business's in another area which provided me with a healthy sum for my house.
Let's just say I don't have a mortgage & still in my 30s or is that not a success.
The 11 is an ends to a means it isn't about trying to run another operator off the road but about earning money to enable the company to grow & develop I will make no excuse for that. I would say the buses are in better condition than at least one of our competitors & drivers are friendly & helpful ( if not let me know please).
Let's not forget if nx hadn't been greedy wanting 100% of the 97 revenue then we had planned to introduce a 97 extension by the end of the year. But I guess that we will just have to wait

Pete's Travel - yes. How much did Mr Kevin Jones end up with from the money Go-ahead paid for the company when he fled the country?

I think it was less than the North Birmingham Directors ended up with.

Your two operators ouside the West Midlands?
One had it's license revoked by the TC
The other driven out by First and had vehicles reposessed

[Liberator9]

Good luck @Steveminor

If you can run an 11C around 8am through Hall Green you have a guaranteed passenger  ;) - 11C is full at that time and it's slightly annoying at times to bomb up the Stratford Road on the 6 only to be stuck waiting for an NX 11. 

[tank90]

I'm surprised Social Travel havent tried to run on this route

Any one taking on the 146 against the main operator would have to offer more than what Diamond offer. I say this as Diamond have improved the 146 since last summer, but if they had left it how First had I'd agree. Also with the 146 you need a grounding on the Redditch routes in the Town same for the 143/247 as Reddoians well look to travel on a short ish route first if they don't know the name or the brand. I say this as Johnsons is a well known local brand.

[Justin Tyme]

On the one hand, Social Travel is perfectly entitled to operate commercial services as it sees fit.

On the other, NX West Midlands is perfectly entitled to protect its revenue when another operator decides to compete on a route, as long as it does not do so in a predatory manner.

I am just an enthusiast, but it seems to me that NXWM leaves fewer opening nowadays for possible competitors to get a proper foothold than a few years ago.  The likes of North Birmingham Busways and Claribels managed to build up custom very well, but I'm not sure that they would succeed if they started today.

As far as Social Travel and the 11C is concerned, the market will decide.  Normally with buses, the general rule seems to be that passengers will often simply catch the first bus that turns up.  I guess it will probably come down to whether passengers are comfortable with a new operator on the route and, of course, whether the timetable gets buses to the busiest bus stops at the busiest times. 

[Steveminor]

I'm not going to get into an argument tony but suffice it to say if my  out of area operations weren't successful well how do I not have a mortgage now.
For both companies it was quite profitable to cease operating even though it ended up with licence revocation. .

As for predatory competition well nx are always guilty of that or do you call 10 97s in a row normal operation. Or rotala on the 37 finding buses waiting at Acocks green on inspectors orders waiting for the rotala bus before pulling out in front.
or offering special discount returns that miraculously dissappear a few months after rotala has withdrawn or a Sunday 72 purposely running 12 mins late so that it can be directly in front of an operator that is purposely trying to avoid having a head to head competition on the route by timing half way in between.
No that's not predatory at all.
Tony you act as if nxwm is an innocent party & other companies are to blame for everything well it just ain't so.

[the trainbasher]

Oh so DTS drivers driving like maniacs and/or snails, overtaking and/or blocking NXWM is ok?

Or Sunny Travel buses that cut up Clariabels at Marston Green?

Or Social Travel drivers driving at snails pace, deliberatly trying to block the NXWM 97 getting along the road?

Oh. I forgot. They are saints!

[Stu]

or offering special discount returns that miraculously dissappear a few months after rotala has withdrawn

Just wanted to point out that NX still do the discount return tickets on the 37.  :)

[Tony]

I'm not going to get into an argument tony but suffice it to say if my  out of area operations weren't successful well how do I not have a mortgage now.

That's not proof of anything. I live in a £200,000 house without a mortgage as well

For both companies it was quite profitable to cease operating even though it ended up with licence revocation. .

Two things that baffled me over this. You always claimed First paid you to pull out of the area, yet never declared the payment which is a bit naughty of a FTSE 250 company and also were First that dumb that they didn't put a 'don't start again clause' in? as you alone applied for a new license which wasn't proceded with after the partnership finished and the license was revoked

As for predatory competition well nx are always guilty of that or do you call 10 97s in a row normal operation.

If you think NX have done anything at all to combat Social/DTS on the 97 you really are misguided. Not one extra running, not one short running not one instruction to a driver to run on anything other than his scheduled times. I am not saying an odd driver hasn't taken it into his own hands to do something though

Or rotala on the 37 finding buses waiting at Acocks green on inspectors orders waiting for the rotala bus before pulling out in front.
or offering special discount returns that miraculously dissappear a few months after rotala has withdrawn or a

As has been pointed out They haven't!

Sunday 72 purposely running 12 mins late so that it can be directly in front of an operator that is purposely trying to avoid having a head to head competition on the route by timing half way in between.
No that's not predatory at all.

Hasn't happened. Not saying a 72 hasn't run late, but if you think anyone at NX would do that deliberately just because of a tin pot operation

Tony you act as if nxwm is an innocent party & other companies are to blame for everything well it just ain't so.

In the days of TWM v Pete's travel several dubious tactics were employed, but NXWM don't do anything other than attempt to run to registered timetables now, not easy on the roads around here now.

And before you complain about them dropping buses in front of you on the 11C if you go and stand outside Acocks Green garage now you will see buses being sent out of garage in gaps. If a driver is due relief and his bus is late and a spare is in the garage they will start one there on time.  All to do with trying to keep a service running, but of course it will be just to run in front of Social once they start

[Matt.N0056]

There seemed to be a social dart on the 71E today, or at lest that's what it was displaying...?

I see, according to VOSA, they are now running the 71E, opposed to the 72E

[Steveminor]

With the extra traffic at times on station rd this made it difficult to keep to time on the 72 so it was agreed with vosa to alter to 71e at short notice to assist with reliability.

[winston]

PD1125565/1 - SOCIAL TRAVEL PRIVATE LIMITED, 82 BEDFORD ROAD, WEST BROMWICH, B71 2RT
    Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Chelmsley Road, Pine Square and Solihull, Touchwood Shopping Centre given service number 71E effective from 02-Mar-2015. To amend Route and Timetable.

PD1125565/3 - SOCIAL TRAVEL PRIVATE LIMITED, 82 BEDFORD ROAD, WEST BROMWICH, B71 2RT
    Registration Accepted
    Starting Point: DUDLEY ROAD, ROTTON PARK ROAD
    Finish Point: DUDLEY ROAD, ROTTON PARK ROAD
    Via:
    Service Number: 11C
    Service Type: Normal Stopping
    Effective Date: 30-MAR-2015
    Other Details: MONDAY TO FRIDAY

[Tony]

S301 SHB broke down on Garrison Lane this morning, so Its two passengers got abandoned midway between bus stops with no other vehicle to pick them up!

At least at a bus stop there is the possibility of appealing to an NXWM driver's better side if you have already paid!

http://wmbusphotos.com/Social/S301SHB.html

[mranon]

tony on that score, if a nxwm driver assisted another operator by taking their passengers from a broken down bus, would they get into bother?