Social Travel

[Stu]

As someone who has actually travelled the full length of the 11 route in one sitting (yes, I was bored one Saturday afternoon!), I have the following comments to make:
- most passengers I have observed do use the 11 for short journeys, after all it is a useful link between the main arterial routes in/out of Birmingham
- from Acocks Green, I often use the 11 to get to Kings Heath or Stechford, which takes me about 15 mins. There's NO way I'd go 'the long way' round just to get back home, which would take around 2 hours!
- granted, I only have an NX Faresaver monthly pass, but I assure you if I had an nBus pass, I'd get on the first bus that turned up, regardless of which operator it was, what livery they had, or whether they had fleetnames on the side. Because I would just want to get home, in the quickest time possible. And I'm pretty sure the vast majority of other passengers, like myself, would think and do the same too.

Anyway, once again, a thread has gotten off topic, so lets get back to discussing Social Travel, are they still on the 11 anyway?

[Tony]

@Tony - Yes i do indeed see your point. Whilst i do not live in the West Midlands i do visit the area very regularly and i know the area and the public transport systems very well. However what i was trying to say is that i am sure that there are a few other people other than myself who will use the Social Travel route 11C service for both their outward and return journeys. Also it might possibly be quicker for passengers who are travelling half way around the circle to use the 11C as Birmingham city centre can get quite congested with traffic and therefore delay their bus journey.

@MW - All that i am doing is stating my views and opinions and discussing various things just like all other forum members do. I do not see what is wrong with me doing that. Everyone on this forum is fully entitled to have their own views and opinions.

While I am quite happy to accept your comments about you preferring the small operators, you could stand at any of the 150 odd bus stops on the 11C and ask every single prospective passenger what time the 11C was due and not one would know, and that is referring to either operator. The 11 is a route where people walk up to bus stops an hope they don't have to wait long.

NXWM have a team of people working on there adjusting buses both and making sure large gaps do not appear. A small operator doesn't have the luxury of putting another bus in a gap while an original runs across City to get back on time, which is one reason it is difficult to get any loyalty at all on the route. I have attached a screen print showing the NXWM buses fairly well spaced around at the moment, but that doesn't actually mean they are on time!

[2206]

As someone who has actually travelled the full length of the 11 route in one sitting (yes, I was bored one Saturday afternoon!), I have the following comments to make:
- most passengers I have observed do use the 11 for short journeys, after all it is a useful link between the main arterial routes in/out of Birmingham
- from Acocks Green, I often use the 11 to get to Kings Heath or Stechford, which takes me about 15 mins. There's NO way I'd go 'the long way' round just to get back home, which would take around 2 hours!
- granted, I only have an NX Faresaver monthly pass, but I assure you if I had an nBus pass, I'd get on the first bus that turned up, regardless of which operator it was, what livery they had, or whether they had fleetnames on the side. Because I would just want to get home, in the quickest time possible. And I'm pretty sure the vast majority of other passengers, like myself, would think and do the same too.

Anyway, once again, a thread has gotten off topic, so lets get back to discussing Social Travel, are they still on the 11 anyway?

Social Travels last day on the 11 was Friday. @Stu

[Stu]

Social Travels last day on the 11 was Friday. @Stu

Well there you go, you'll be waiting a long time for their buses on the 11 then! ;)

[countryliner]

@Tony - Yes i see what you mean. However i am sure that most passengers will keep a copy of the bus timetable with them especially if they travel in the early morning and late evening when the National Express routes 11A and 11C bus services are less frequent. I suppose that any long distance bus route will get delays due to traffic conditions. Thank you for posting that screenshot. Can i ask what website this bus tracking is on or is this some private software.

@MW - I was just responding to his post. I was not trying to repeat myself.

@Stu - On some bus routes in the West Midlands some people might choose to wait for a certain bus operator rather then just getting on the first bus that comes. If they have already have a bus pass then they might just get on the first bus that comes although a few people might still wait for a certain bus operator. However if they do not have a ticket already then they are probably much more likely to wait for the bus operator that charges cheaper fares. Also some people (like myself and other people as well) like to support their local small independent bus operators.

@2206 - So have Social Travel now stopped operating the route 71E service as well as the route 11C service.

[Tony]

@Tony - Yes i see what you mean. However i am sure that most passengers will keep a copy of the bus timetable with them especially if they travel in the early morning and late evening when the National Express routes 11A and 11C bus services are less frequent. I suppose that any long distance bus route will get delays due to traffic conditions. Thank you for posting that screenshot. Can i ask what website this bus tracking is on or is this some private software.

No, they don't, you will struggle to find a single person with an 11 timetable, let alone your most passengers. It might be different in deepest Surrey.

The 11 isn't just a long route it is a very unique route in not only being 25 miles long, it has no terminus. There is no other route anywhere in the country as long with the same charactoristics as the 11.

It is private software

[2206]

@2206 - So have Social Travel now stopped operating the route 71E service as well as the route 11C service.

Yes.

[Bryan]

No, they don't, you will struggle to find a single person with an 11 timetable, let alone your most passengers. It might be different in deepest Surrey.

The 11 isn't just a long route it is a very unique route in not only being 25 miles long, it has no terminus. There is no other route anywhere in the country as long with the same charactoristics as the 11.

It is private software

Just as an addition to your comments Tony, Social Travel didn't provide any early morning or late evening services on the 11C, something for countryliner to think about before going overboard praising small operators.

[Adam 404]

@Stu - On some bus routes in the West Midlands some people might choose to wait for a certain bus operator rather then just getting on the first bus that comes. If they have already have a bus pass then they might just get on the first bus that comes although a few people might still wait for a certain bus operator. However if they do not have a ticket already then they are probably much more likely to wait for the bus operator that charges cheaper fares. Also some people (like myself and other people as well) like to support their local small independent bus operators.

@2206 - So have Social Travel now stopped operating the route 71E service as well as the route 11C service.

"Some" or very few in the case of the West Midlands. As Tony has already stated @countryliner , there is no customer loyalty on the 11. People who want to use Smaller Operators generally get an NBus so they can get whatever bus arrives.

[countryliner]

@Tony - I am sure that some passengers will want to keep a copy of the timetable for the 11A and 11C with them to check journey times and work out what time that they have to leave to get somewhere by a certain time. There might be some people who just turn up at a bus stop without a bus timetable but i am sure that many people will still want to look at a bus timetable. Also although the 11A and 11C are circular routes they do still appear to have a terminus. On the Traveline website it states that the Social Travel route 11C terminus was "Rotton Park City Hospital Stop CL" while the National Express route 11A terminus is "Acocks Green Acocks Green Village Stop AM" and the National Express route 11C terminus is "Acocks Green Acocks Green Village Stop AN" so i presume that these are the start and finishing points of these routes.

@Bryan - Yes i realise that Social Travel did not provide an early morning or late evening service on their route 11C service. However the majority of passengers travel during the day time so the Social Travel route 11C service still would have been useful to the majority of passengers.

@Adam 404 - Many local small independent bus operators in the West Midlands do actually have a lot of customer loyalty. I am sure that Social Travel had some some customer loyalty on their route 11C service as well.

@2206 - Thank you very much for confirming. Much appreciated.

[MW]

Country liner, there isn't a start and finish on the 11A/11C. Until very recently, I was a driver for the route. A terminus is the end of the route, I.e. Passengers are no longer on the bus etc. As this route is a circle (hence the term circular!), there isn't a start and end. For the purposes of a timetable, yes it starts with Acocks Green, but what would you propose? Traveline to draw a circle for you? You literally haven't got a clue, 100% completely and definitely haven't got a clue. And yes you are entitled to an opinion, but your view is complete and utter grade A rubbish. That's my opinion on your opinion before you get on your high horse and try to belittle us all again. Just jog on my friend.

[countryliner]

@MW - Thanks for the info. I see what you mean. I do realise that it is a circular route but i was just wondering if it had an offical starting and finishing point. But yes i suppose that the timetables are not able to show it in any other way. Also i am thinking that there must be a start and finish point where drivers have their break or where vehicles go in to and come out of service.

[MW]

@MW - Thanks for the info. I see what you mean. I do realise that it is a circular route but i was just wondering if it had an offical starting and finishing point. But yes i suppose that the timetables are not able to show it in any other way. Also i am thinking that there must be a start and finish point where drivers have their break or where vehicles go in to and come out of service.

Vehicles enter/finish service all across the route. Acocks Green, Yew Tree, Ward End, Erdington, Perry Barr, Bearwood (Sandon rd for 11C, Hagley rd for 11A), Selly Oak and Kings Heath.

There are a few minutes drop back in Acocks Green, Perry Barr and Bearwood for 11A, Selly Oak for 11C. There's no drivers breaks. Drivers change over when the route passes the bus garage.

So no, there isn't start and end point.

I strongly suggest you stop claiming or acting like the know all with these independents and worshipping them. You've probably used Social a handful of times, if that's even true. You're not from around here, and any information you claim to have, is from online sites from Traveline, which is well and good, but it doesn't reflect what happens out there in the real world.

[winston]

Right! Can we all get back on topic, as Social no longer operate on the Outer Circle it's no longer relevant to this thread, Winston

[Busman Jamie]

I wonder how the changes on 74 are doing??its proberbly early to say as its only the second day, they should of done well yesterday, mate of mine said 3 deckers broke down on 74 :/