Re-routing into Wolves bus station results in passenger number decline

[notepanel]

Hi,

An article in this evenings E&S talks about the impact re-routing several Wolverhampton services into the bus station, after they were initially leaving from City Centre streets following the network review, has had.

The biggest fall it mentions is the 69 service, which has seen a 22% fall in passenger numbers since being re-routed into the bus station, rather than looping the City Centre as the 89 does.

Having read the article, it is quite clearly spin by NXWM and Centro, in trying to prove that they know best and the passenger is wrong.

How on earth can a comparison be made between the 69 service before and after it's re-route is beyond me. The 69 service ran for just two months operating a loop of the City Centre, before being re-routed in Wednesfield (around Long Knowle?) and diverted into the bus station. As a far as I'm aware the service was only diverted into the station, as the extended route meant there wasn't enough time to then loop the city, and not as the article suggests, due to passenger requests.

Whilst some passengers may now prefer to catch the 89 or 560 for a loop of the city surely there are several more obvious reasons for 1 in 5 passengers no longer using the service:
* A like-for-like comparison is not really fair, as for the most it can be for a 6 week period.
* During the first period of the 'new link' for Coppice Farm & Beechdale residents, more passengers will be tempted to try it out and visit the previously inaccessible Wolverhampton
* People may now prefer to catch the 59, 89 or 560 for a more direct route into Wolverhampton from New Invention and the Lichfield Road between Coppice Farm & the Esso garage, and let a 69 go past, knowing it will take the 'scenic' route. It does not mention what the effect on 59 & 89 passenger numbers has been.

The other figures seem to show no real difference with the 1, 2, 4, 5 & 6 services, with some growing slightly and offers dropping by 1 or 2%.

Therefore, in my opinion the whole article is actually quite misleading, and in reality, there is no news to report.

[Badger]

The article finishes by saying seasonal decreases also play a part. I'd say they fully do.

It also ignores the fact a lot of buses still don't use the bus station.

The 1 is also likely affected by the 558 which gets good ridership.

I'm annoyed at Express and Star. They pick and choose which articles you're allowed to comment on.

[Tony]

The article finishes by saying seasonal decreases also play a part. I'd say they fully do.

It also ignores the fact a lot of buses still don't use the bus station.

The 1 is also likely affected by the 558 which gets good ridership.

I'm annoyed at Express and Star. They pick and choose which articles you're allowed to comment on.

The Express and Star has a very 'anti' stance on public transport. Any news stories always seem to concentrate on the negative and editorials, or anything written by Peter Rhodes, are always critisising public transport. They seem to go after the railways even worse than they do buses

[Ashley]

Saying there is a ridership decrease on the 69 is untrue, when it initially did a city loop, it was barely used because the 89 and 560 are more established, since it was placed in the bus station, if anything passenger levels are increase between Wolverhampton and Coppice Farm

[4006]

All the Centro surveys are as bad as government statistics. These figures are calculated by peoples who are given 'so many surveys to complete in a day' they don't care who complete them or if they are accurate or not as long as they are done. The quicker the better so they can spend more time together bunched up smoking fags outside of the bus station!! (I might add that at least they have the courtesy to do it further away than one foot inside the station one foot outside blowing smoke half in half out the station like most selfish inconsiderate defiant smokers that do!!!!!!)
However...whatever the E&S say and whatever the figures have been manufactured now and in the past.. to be honest the 69/89 don't seam that busy to me!!

[Badger]

The one who surveyed me didn't even write down my comments, just noted the bus I was waiting for. I told her the 3 and 4 didn't appear on electronic signs at Cleveland Street, that I needed it to go into the bus station, and that our journey times had extended massively (my dad goes out an hour earlier than before because of now missed connections, losing two hours more in the day)... but all she wrote down was that we were waiting for the 3. Bah.

Their surveys are all flawed and designed to get the result they want. They position them at bus stops to get the demographic they want. When they were doing the Wolverhampton review they held all of the consultation during the day in the middle of town - so of course they got people who want buses to go around town and not necessarily into the bus station. None of my family got surveyed commuting and such so they didn't get that side of it!

[Discodave]

The article finishes by saying seasonal decreases also play a part. I'd say they fully do.

It also ignores the fact a lot of buses still don't use the bus station.

The 1 is also likely affected by the 558 which gets good ridership.

I'm annoyed at Express and Star. They pick and choose which articles you're allowed to comment on.

The Express and Star has a very 'anti' stance on public transport. Any news stories always seem to concentrate on the negative and editorials, or anything written by Peter Rhodes, are always critisising public transport. They seem to go after the railways even worse than they do buses

Too true they are soon slagging off the bus company if any accident happens too guilty until proven innocent yes the trains even more espically the chase line glad the nationals and TV soon put a more positive spin to it.  But even in Staffordshire the free local rags always slag off buses over there someone was always bringing in an article when I was at Arriva slaggging cannock services or stafford ones

[Andrew1991]

I think the return ticket on the 59 also has something to do with the lack of passengers as I have seen people wait for the 69 to drive past so they can get on the 59.

[Badger]

The question is, do we the public need to be informed of this? Or should it be left to the bus companies who actually have all of the stats and figures and can do something about it if they wish?

[NXWM Spectra]

Sorry to bring up this old topic, but there's something that I wanted to share and it didn't need a new topic.

At about 4pm today, some trouble was going on in Wolverhampton Bus Station between a member of the public and the NX Route Manager guy. It seemed that the member of public had been stopped from using the bus for some reason and got pulled from the doorway and then he got a little abusive and started having a go at the NX guy. This happened for about 10 minutes, until an off duty police officer went on the phone and they came for a chat. I'm not quite sure how he dealt with him, but there was a small crowd gathering when the NX guy gave him a little defensive push away when he got too close because the guy wanted a proper fight. After he was taken away, I tried to make eye contact with the Route Manager, though he was wearing shades, so I couldn't see.

Anyway, I think I rambled a bit, but I laughed a bit when I wrote it. I'd like to know what actually happened to get pulled off the bus and what happened after I'd gone.

[Trident 4609]

Was it the drunk scruffy man with the dog if so then i was stood next to you. If you saw me i was wearing school uniform with a black jumper. I got off 5510.

I always see him round Wolverhampton and is always drunk.

[NXWM Spectra]

Was it the drunk scruffy man with the dog if so then i was stood next to you. If you saw me i was wearing school uniform with a black jumper. I got off 5510.

I always see him round Wolverhampton and is always drunk.

Yes, that was him. If I was early enough, I would have got on 5510, but because I went to Nisa for a can of Pepsi Max, I only saw it leave. I'd not seen him before and he didn't look too drunk.

I did by chance, take a look around, but didn't see anyone who looked to be about your age.

[nitromatt1]

Was it the drunk scruffy man with the dog if so then i was stood next to you. If you saw me i was wearing school uniform with a black jumper. I got off 5510.

I always see him round Wolverhampton and is always drunk.

I would have got on 5510, but because I went to Nisa for a can of Pepsi Max, I only saw it leave.

If you ever just miss the 59, you can always cut the corner over to Broad Street and hop on there

[4006]

Was it the drunk scruffy man with the dog if so then i was stood next to you. If you saw me i was wearing school uniform with a black jumper. I got off 5510.

I always see him round Wolverhampton and is always drunk.

Lol  ;D Which 'Drunk Scruffy Man With the Dog' Was this as there are many in Wolves, Some old, some drunk, some scruffy, some all three......come to think of it there of plenty of idiots in Wolves even the young sober ones without dogs!!!

[Andrew1991]

Was it the drunk scruffy man with the dog if so then i was stood next to you. If you saw me i was wearing school uniform with a black jumper. I got off 5510.

I always see him round Wolverhampton and is always drunk.

Lol  ;D Which 'Drunk Scruffy Man With the Dog' Was this as there are many in Wolves, Some old, some drunk, some scruffy, some all three......come to think of it there of plenty of idiots in Wolves even the young sober ones without dogs!!!

Hes the one usually with a scruffy looking woman, they're from wednesfield and are usually sat in the shelter outside express & star. You smell him before you see him lol