REVEALLED - The most expensive subsidised route

[Jack]

Not really, most who use it from Whitecrest get off at Scott Arms for the shops, as per the old 425

Yes and that. I forgot about that.

[Dom]

I agree it does but the idea of subsidised services is less about end to end travellers and more about linking areas without a bus to the rest of the network. The average passenger on the 424 spends 15 mins on the bus before transferring to another commercial bus route

Same goes today for the route ive been working on, 62A in Wolverhampton. These routes are crucial for some people yet just because it's subsidised at rate that in the grand scheme of things isn't very high people believe it needs to be withdrawn.

@the trainbasher I tell you what, catch the 62 or the 424 tomorrow and go and tell some of the passengers to book an uber because you think the fee for that service is too high and means you spend money on it as you are a British tax payer. See the response you'll get.

[Tony]

Same goes today for the route ive been working on, 62A in Wolverhampton. These routes are crucial for some people yet just because it's subsidised at rate that in the grand scheme of things isn't very high people believe it needs to be withdrawn.

@the trainbasher I tell you what, catch the 62 or the 424 tomorrow and go and tell some of the passengers to book an uber because you think the fee for that service is too high and means you spend money on it as you are a British tax payer. See the response you'll get.

Uber lost $4bn last year, their fares won't be affordable for ever

[Gareth]

I have no problem that part of the money I pay in deductions may go to subsidised bus travel. I do, however have a huge problem with yet another pointless waste of my money being used for another freedom of information request.

As taxpayers, it's important to know where our money is being spent. We get a tax summary every year telling us. 2015-16, £47 of my tax was for transport. I don't need it broken down by the penny and on which route.

[Bob]

I have no problem that part of the money I pay in deductions may go to subsidised bus travel. I do, however have a huge problem with yet another pointless waste of my money being used for another freedom of information request.

As taxpayers, it's important to know where our money is being spent. We get a tax summary every year telling us. 2015-16, £47 of my tax was for transport. I don't need it broken down by the penny and on which route.

Well said!

[Dom]

I have no problem that part of the money I pay in deductions may go to subsidised bus travel. I do, however have a huge problem with yet another pointless waste of my money being used for another freedom of information request.

As taxpayers, it's important to know where our money is being spent. We get a tax summary every year telling us. 2015-16, £47 of my tax was for transport. I don't need it broken down by the penny and on which route.

Good point, well made!

[don]

I have no problem that part of the money I pay in deductions may go to subsidised bus travel. I do, however have a huge problem with yet another pointless waste of my money being used for another freedom of information request.

As taxpayers, it's important to know where our money is being spent. We get a tax summary every year telling us. 2015-16, £47 of my tax was for transport. I don't need it broken down by the penny and on which route.

I don't have any problem with people requesting information like this - for starters it's the right of people to do so and in many cases helps to make public bodies more accountable - if only the private sector was subject to a version of this type of legislation!! Anyway the information given by Trainbasher is quite interesting even though I don't agree at all with his conclusions - the whole point of subsidising socially necessary services is exactly that - they fulfil a social need.

Interesting the comment about Arriva Click - which is hailed as the future in some areas - they operate where I live and have done for a while - they have darkly tinted windows which disguises the number of people in them except in the dark - they don't appear to be well patronised at all and recently the local operator gave up some services - quoting locally that individuals seemed to prefer their own personal minibus (ie one passenger per vehicle) than catching the bus. I'm not sure if this is totally correct - I don't know anyone locally who uses Arriva Click and some prefer to use the traditional bus because you can use elderly persons passes. Many people on shorter journeys walk. The service doesn't look sustainable to me and Arriva has already changed the base from its own garage to the development around which part of the service is based. So as with the comment about Uber above, Arriva Click doesn't look to be sustainable to me.

[Stuharris 6360]

In my opinion, Freedom of Information requests were introduced so that public bodies can be held accountable and so using them is everybody's right.

Next to a couple of points about subsidised routes. As an example take the 298/9 which aren't on Tom's list but can illustrate my point. To me these services use very few roads that aren't already covered by bus routes. So what would I do, the 276 uses roads that are very close to the 298/9, so very simple make one in each direction a 276A which would cover Springfield Ave and the Hagley Road that aren't on the 276 route. The section of the route between Lye Cross and The Hadcroft could be left uncovered, after all never seen anybody waiting for a bus at any of the stops.

Next point is what the figures don't actually tell us, for this one I will take the 142 route basically because I know of it and where it serves. The figures show that 15,184 people used the tendered journeys at a cost of £2.82 subsidy, what it doesn't say is how many people caught that bus because it just so happened to be departing at the right time when they could have caught another route. eg: Passenger travelling between Stourbridge and Pedmore Fields seeing 142 ready to depart so catches it even though the 276 would have done exactly the same points.

I see the point in tendering services to try and get the best value out of taxpayers money, but you have to think in places it isn't working correctly. In my first example, a slight diversion of an existing service could provide an equal or even more beneficial service to passengers opening up more journey opportunities, plus you would expect that the amount of subsidy required would be greatly reduced.

[Other Walsall Tony]

If this is the right place to point this out, there is a far from seamless join between Thandi and NXWM  operations on the 37. Weekdays there is a gap of 75 minutes  and 95 minutes on a Saturday in departures from Walsall. Not sure whose responsibility this is.

[Solo1]

Thandi & nxbus could of made a lovely 10 minute  service between them rather than thandi  taking all customers  running 2 minutes in front I  know firms are free to run when they want

[Westy]

It'll be interesting to see if Nx retain the contract for the 37 when it comes up for renewal, or whether it will go to Diamond?

Thandi - My feelings are well documented!