Reversing the decline in passenger numbers
Reversing the decline in passenger numbers
(30 Jul 2021, 12:57 am)streetdeckfan I'd say they tend to focus on the commuters because of the consistent revenue, they're almost guaranteed a certain level of income from sales of corporate, monthly, and to some extent weekly tickets. From a company's perspective it's better to have a lower amount of consistent revenue than a higher but less consistent amount. If there's a month of bad weather then revenue is going to be considerably lower than if the weather was nice.
Having said that, it is very important to cater to the leisure crowd as well. In terms of pricing, it's hard to strike a balance. They need the pricing to be high enough to cover costs but not too high to scare people away. And with their regular single and return tickets I think they're pretty close to the high end of what they can charge (I still think day and week tickets are reasonable). MG said in his FB live that they'd seen a 100% increase in evening passengers and a 25% increase in revenue, indicating that pricing a pretty major factor when it comes to leisure customers.
They'd also rather have a bus with 50 passengers paying £1 than 10 passengers paying £5. If one of those passengers paying £5 stops getting the bus, that's an instant 10% decrease in revenue which with the relatively small margins could turn a bus from being profitable to just breaking even.
Now, if only they could introduce a proper Sunday service!
(30 Jul 2021, 12:57 am)streetdeckfan I'd say they tend to focus on the commuters because of the consistent revenue, they're almost guaranteed a certain level of income from sales of corporate, monthly, and to some extent weekly tickets. From a company's perspective it's better to have a lower amount of consistent revenue than a higher but less consistent amount. If there's a month of bad weather then revenue is going to be considerably lower than if the weather was nice.
Having said that, it is very important to cater to the leisure crowd as well. In terms of pricing, it's hard to strike a balance. They need the pricing to be high enough to cover costs but not too high to scare people away. And with their regular single and return tickets I think they're pretty close to the high end of what they can charge (I still think day and week tickets are reasonable). MG said in his FB live that they'd seen a 100% increase in evening passengers and a 25% increase in revenue, indicating that pricing a pretty major factor when it comes to leisure customers.
They'd also rather have a bus with 50 passengers paying £1 than 10 passengers paying £5. If one of those passengers paying £5 stops getting the bus, that's an instant 10% decrease in revenue which with the relatively small margins could turn a bus from being profitable to just breaking even.
Now, if only they could introduce a proper Sunday service!
(30 Jul 2021, 9:24 am)Andreos1 There could be a whole raft of reasons.
Of the top of my head - they could use the time to do work (like streetdeckfan), they could sleep, they could be thinking of the environment, they could be doing so for health reasons (that bus isn't going to drop them at the door after all), they could be doing it cos the other half needs the car, they could do it cos their car is in need of attention at the garage and all of a sudden the bus becomes a viable alternative, they could be sadomaschicists who enjoy the torture of public transport, they could be sick of the traffic and see that bus lane as a good idea...
Many, many reasons.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:24 am)Andreos1 There could be a whole raft of reasons.
Of the top of my head - they could use the time to do work (like streetdeckfan), they could sleep, they could be thinking of the environment, they could be doing so for health reasons (that bus isn't going to drop them at the door after all), they could be doing it cos the other half needs the car, they could do it cos their car is in need of attention at the garage and all of a sudden the bus becomes a viable alternative, they could be sadomaschicists who enjoy the torture of public transport, they could be sick of the traffic and see that bus lane as a good idea...
Many, many reasons.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:24 am)Andreos1 There could be a whole raft of reasons.
Of the top of my head - they could use the time to do work (like streetdeckfan), Only if you're in a position to do that. A factory or a supermarket worker can't exactly box stuff or stack shelves on a bus. And even if you could work on the bus, there's stuff like GDPR to think about. All those eyes and very little privacy.
they could sleep, Could have an extra half hour uninterrupted at home and drive. On the way back, could drive and have a quick nap at home or go to bed/unwind earlier if you're a shift worker.
they could be thinking of the environment, I'll give you that one.
they could be doing so for health reasons (that bus isn't going to drop them at the door after all), Surely cycling or walking is healthier. Little exercise is better than no exercise, but if you're looking to do this for health reasons, then the exercise needs to be more prolonged to have a greater benefit.
they could be doing it cos the other half needs the car, perhaps, but how long before a two car family emerges if the arrangement isn't temporary?
they could do it cos their car is in need of attention at the garage and all of a sudden the bus becomes a viable alternative, again, temporary arrangement in all probability. If the car is beyond repair, I think it is more likely a replacement car will be sort after rather than transport modal switch.
they could be sadomaschicists who enjoy the torture of public transport, this one should have been last on the list as its the only real reason presented.
they could be sick of the traffic and see that bus lane as a good idea... bus has to wait in the same traffic elsewhere.
Many, many reasons.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:43 am)streetdeckfan To me, the best way to get people to use the bus is to make sure they don't get the car in the first place. The bus shouldn't be the alternative, getting a car should be
As we've argued about, sorry discussed, if you already have a car it doesn't make financial sense to switch to the bus, but if you don't already have the fixed expense of a car (tax, insurance, monthly payments etc.) then the bus can work out considerably cheaper.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:24 am)Andreos1 There could be a whole raft of reasons.
Of the top of my head - they could use the time to do work (like streetdeckfan), Only if you're in a position to do that. A factory or a supermarket worker can't exactly box stuff or stack shelves on a bus. And even if you could work on the bus, there's stuff like GDPR to think about. All those eyes and very little privacy.
they could sleep, Could have an extra half hour uninterrupted at home and drive. On the way back, could drive and have a quick nap at home or go to bed/unwind earlier if you're a shift worker.
they could be thinking of the environment, I'll give you that one.
they could be doing so for health reasons (that bus isn't going to drop them at the door after all), Surely cycling or walking is healthier. Little exercise is better than no exercise, but if you're looking to do this for health reasons, then the exercise needs to be more prolonged to have a greater benefit.
they could be doing it cos the other half needs the car, perhaps, but how long before a two car family emerges if the arrangement isn't temporary?
they could do it cos their car is in need of attention at the garage and all of a sudden the bus becomes a viable alternative, again, temporary arrangement in all probability. If the car is beyond repair, I think it is more likely a replacement car will be sort after rather than transport modal switch.
they could be sadomaschicists who enjoy the torture of public transport, this one should have been last on the list as its the only real reason presented.
they could be sick of the traffic and see that bus lane as a good idea... bus has to wait in the same traffic elsewhere.
Many, many reasons.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:43 am)streetdeckfan To me, the best way to get people to use the bus is to make sure they don't get the car in the first place. The bus shouldn't be the alternative, getting a car should be
As we've argued about, sorry discussed, if you already have a car it doesn't make financial sense to switch to the bus, but if you don't already have the fixed expense of a car (tax, insurance, monthly payments etc.) then the bus can work out considerably cheaper.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:24 am)Andreos1 There could be a whole raft of reasons.I did work at a business park , now I am a homeworker. However, getting the bus to said Business Park was an absolute ball ache. It was no wonder that most people did drive to that location. If I got the bus, I left the house at 730 and arrived 845 (2 changes). Driving took 30 mins max.
Of the top of my head - they could use the time to do work (like streetdeckfan), they could sleep, they could be thinking of the environment, they could be doing so for health reasons (that bus isn't going to drop them at the door after all), they could be doing it cos the other half needs the car, they could do it cos their car is in need of attention at the garage and all of a sudden the bus becomes a viable alternative, they could be sadomaschicists who enjoy the torture of public transport, they could be sick of the traffic and see that bus lane as a good idea...
Many, many reasons.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:24 am)Andreos1 There could be a whole raft of reasons.I did work at a business park , now I am a homeworker. However, getting the bus to said Business Park was an absolute ball ache. It was no wonder that most people did drive to that location. If I got the bus, I left the house at 730 and arrived 845 (2 changes). Driving took 30 mins max.
Of the top of my head - they could use the time to do work (like streetdeckfan), they could sleep, they could be thinking of the environment, they could be doing so for health reasons (that bus isn't going to drop them at the door after all), they could be doing it cos the other half needs the car, they could do it cos their car is in need of attention at the garage and all of a sudden the bus becomes a viable alternative, they could be sadomaschicists who enjoy the torture of public transport, they could be sick of the traffic and see that bus lane as a good idea...
Many, many reasons.
It is far too easy to get in a car, drive to work and park up. Employees of bus companies do it, whilst at the same time convincing us to switch to bus. Arriva at Doxford for example have over 100 parking spaces in their car park (which is well used, looking at Street View)
It needs a proper partnership approach to get people to make the switch and in turn decrease congestion that we see in our City Centres. One way of doing it would be with a Workplace Parking Levy, which I believe Nottingham are the only authority outside of London to use. It forces employers with more than 10 parking spaces have to pay a fixed annual levy, per parking space, of £428.
It's only when it becomes less attractive to drive to work, that you'll get people to switch to other modes of transport.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:43 am)streetdeckfan To me, the best way to get people to use the bus is to make sure they don't get the car in the first place. The bus shouldn't be the alternative, getting a car should be
As we've argued about, sorry discussed, if you already have a car it doesn't make financial sense to switch to the bus, but if you don't already have the fixed expense of a car (tax, insurance, monthly payments etc.) then the bus can work out considerably cheaper.
(30 Jul 2021, 9:43 am)streetdeckfan To me, the best way to get people to use the bus is to make sure they don't get the car in the first place. The bus shouldn't be the alternative, getting a car should be
As we've argued about, sorry discussed, if you already have a car it doesn't make financial sense to switch to the bus, but if you don't already have the fixed expense of a car (tax, insurance, monthly payments etc.) then the bus can work out considerably cheaper.
(29 Jul 2021, 10:23 pm)Adrian Thought it was deemed as inevitable, as it was announced donkeys ago before being put on hold. Of course that could have all changed and the demand deemed to have disappeared, but it would be a mistake imo, given Arriva have recently reduced their service there.I think its an interesting point, and it ultimately depends on what types of plots are available. I think we're going to end up with a lot of surplus office space around the Country, but there's other opportunities on business parks with industrial or mixed use, e.g. Follingsby and Integra61.And it's not like Aykley heads isn't already very well served.
Durham County Council still have redevelopment plans for Aykley Heads into office space, but I cannot see them getting the tennants for them.
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(29 Jul 2021, 10:23 pm)Adrian Thought it was deemed as inevitable, as it was announced donkeys ago before being put on hold. Of course that could have all changed and the demand deemed to have disappeared, but it would be a mistake imo, given Arriva have recently reduced their service there.I think its an interesting point, and it ultimately depends on what types of plots are available. I think we're going to end up with a lot of surplus office space around the Country, but there's other opportunities on business parks with industrial or mixed use, e.g. Follingsby and Integra61.And it's not like Aykley heads isn't already very well served.
Durham County Council still have redevelopment plans for Aykley Heads into office space, but I cannot see them getting the tennants for them.
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(30 Jul 2021, 10:52 am)Andreos1 Long-term, yes I agree.
Except operators want results in the short and medium term. They can't wait 10/15 years for little Jonny to go from having his first day out with his grandparents on a decker, to using the bus to go to work.
Attracting people from cars and on to public transport is one way of achieving those goals.
(30 Jul 2021, 10:52 am)Andreos1 Long-term, yes I agree.
Except operators want results in the short and medium term. They can't wait 10/15 years for little Jonny to go from having his first day out with his grandparents on a decker, to using the bus to go to work.
Attracting people from cars and on to public transport is one way of achieving those goals.
I took my first bus ride into the office today in some time (purely out of boredom tbh to pick up my shiny new iPad).
21 both ways…two god awful knee legroom less shuddering Omnidekkaa on both trips. There was a slight enthusiast ah well…no god awful next stop announcement glee to my face but paying passenger, Nah, it was dirty (and I mean filthy) uncomfortable and a horrible ride both ways. Flagship route? Hmmm.
It absolutely hasn’t enticed me to use public transport again, I’d honestly rather pay an Uber premium.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:31 pm)Ambassador I took my first bus ride into the office today in some time (purely out of boredom tbh to pick up my shiny new iPad).This is one thing that bugs me, all this marketing into how good things are supposedly are and features advertised such as Xlines spec for X21, it just sets up disappointment when an OmniDekka turns up, I had 6142 on X21 the other week and it's a bit of a far cry from what's being advertised, perception being made worse still by crawling up the A167 into Sunderland Bridge / Croxdale, mind that said I was in a bad mood as the X10 I was catching from Billingham was 25 mins late and made me miss my connecting X21 at Peterlee (hourly service), nice all these features but getting home an hour late is not exactly going to win over passengers.
21 both ways…two god awful knee legroom less shuddering Omnidekkaa on both trips. There was a slight enthusiast ah well…no god awful next stop announcement glee to my face but paying passenger, Nah, it was dirty (and I mean filthy) uncomfortable and a horrible ride both ways. Flagship route? Hmmm.
It absolutely hasn’t enticed me to use public transport again, I’d honestly rather pay an Uber premium.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:31 pm)Ambassador I took my first bus ride into the office today in some time (purely out of boredom tbh to pick up my shiny new iPad).This is one thing that bugs me, all this marketing into how good things are supposedly are and features advertised such as Xlines spec for X21, it just sets up disappointment when an OmniDekka turns up, I had 6142 on X21 the other week and it's a bit of a far cry from what's being advertised, perception being made worse still by crawling up the A167 into Sunderland Bridge / Croxdale, mind that said I was in a bad mood as the X10 I was catching from Billingham was 25 mins late and made me miss my connecting X21 at Peterlee (hourly service), nice all these features but getting home an hour late is not exactly going to win over passengers.
21 both ways…two god awful knee legroom less shuddering Omnidekkaa on both trips. There was a slight enthusiast ah well…no god awful next stop announcement glee to my face but paying passenger, Nah, it was dirty (and I mean filthy) uncomfortable and a horrible ride both ways. Flagship route? Hmmm.
It absolutely hasn’t enticed me to use public transport again, I’d honestly rather pay an Uber premium.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:57 pm)Jimmi This is one thing that bugs me, all this marketing into how good things are supposedly are and features advertised such as Xlines spec for X21, it just sets up disappointment when an OmniDekka turns up, I had 6142 on X21 the other week and it's a bit of a far cry from what's being advertised, perception being made worse still by crawling up the A167 into Sunderland Bridge / Croxdale, mind that said I was in a bad mood as the X10 I was catching from Billingham was 25 mins late and made me miss my connecting X21 at Peterlee (hourly service), nice all these features but getting home an hour late is not exactly going to win over passengers.
This applies to all operators, was just a recent example for me.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:57 pm)Jimmi This is one thing that bugs me, all this marketing into how good things are supposedly are and features advertised such as Xlines spec for X21, it just sets up disappointment when an OmniDekka turns up, I had 6142 on X21 the other week and it's a bit of a far cry from what's being advertised, perception being made worse still by crawling up the A167 into Sunderland Bridge / Croxdale, mind that said I was in a bad mood as the X10 I was catching from Billingham was 25 mins late and made me miss my connecting X21 at Peterlee (hourly service), nice all these features but getting home an hour late is not exactly going to win over passengers.
This applies to all operators, was just a recent example for me.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:31 pm)Ambassador I took my first bus ride into the office today in some time (purely out of boredom tbh to pick up my shiny new iPad).
21 both ways…two god awful knee legroom less shuddering Omnidekkaa on both trips. There was a slight enthusiast ah well…no god awful next stop announcement glee to my face but paying passenger, Nah, it was dirty (and I mean filthy) uncomfortable and a horrible ride both ways. Flagship route? Hmmm.
It absolutely hasn’t enticed me to use public transport again, I’d honestly rather pay an Uber premium.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:57 pm)Jimmi This is one thing that bugs me, all this marketing into how good things are supposedly are and features advertised such as Xlines spec for X21, it just sets up disappointment when an OmniDekka turns up, I had 6142 on X21 the other week and it's a bit of a far cry from what's being advertised, perception being made worse still by crawling up the A167 into Sunderland Bridge / Croxdale, mind that said I was in a bad mood as the X10 I was catching from Billingham was 25 mins late and made me miss my connecting X21 at Peterlee (hourly service), nice all these features but getting home an hour late is not exactly going to win over passengers.
This applies to all operators, was just a recent example for me.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:31 pm)Ambassador I took my first bus ride into the office today in some time (purely out of boredom tbh to pick up my shiny new iPad).
21 both ways…two god awful knee legroom less shuddering Omnidekkaa on both trips. There was a slight enthusiast ah well…no god awful next stop announcement glee to my face but paying passenger, Nah, it was dirty (and I mean filthy) uncomfortable and a horrible ride both ways. Flagship route? Hmmm.
It absolutely hasn’t enticed me to use public transport again, I’d honestly rather pay an Uber premium.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:57 pm)Jimmi This is one thing that bugs me, all this marketing into how good things are supposedly are and features advertised such as Xlines spec for X21, it just sets up disappointment when an OmniDekka turns up, I had 6142 on X21 the other week and it's a bit of a far cry from what's being advertised, perception being made worse still by crawling up the A167 into Sunderland Bridge / Croxdale, mind that said I was in a bad mood as the X10 I was catching from Billingham was 25 mins late and made me miss my connecting X21 at Peterlee (hourly service), nice all these features but getting home an hour late is not exactly going to win over passengers.
This applies to all operators, was just a recent example for me.
(11 Aug 2021, 10:59 am)Adrian ...and here lies the problem. When you invest so much into marketing of shiny new buses with their fantastic on-board features, with the intention of encouraging new people to use the bus instead of private car, they're rightly going to be disappointed when a 15 year old second hand Omnidekka turns up, with zero legroom and like it hasn't been deep cleaned for a month.
It's a lack of attention to detail and it undoes all the good work, time and money spent in marketing services. It stinks of the 'any bus will do' attitude of years gone by.
First impressions are everything, but they'll likely be the last impressions for first time users.
(11 Aug 2021, 10:59 am)Adrian ...and here lies the problem. When you invest so much into marketing of shiny new buses with their fantastic on-board features, with the intention of encouraging new people to use the bus instead of private car, they're rightly going to be disappointed when a 15 year old second hand Omnidekka turns up, with zero legroom and like it hasn't been deep cleaned for a month.
It's a lack of attention to detail and it undoes all the good work, time and money spent in marketing services. It stinks of the 'any bus will do' attitude of years gone by.
First impressions are everything, but they'll likely be the last impressions for first time users.
I know it's a seperate issue but the bus was pretty rammed and only 2 or 3 people were wearing masks which was a little offputting
For the 2 days a week I'm in the office I'm gonna stick to Uber.
(11 Aug 2021, 11:08 am)Ambassador I know it's a seperate issue but the bus was pretty rammed and only 2 or 3 people were wearing masks which was a little offputting
For the 2 days a week I'm in the office I'm gonna stick to Uber.
(11 Aug 2021, 11:08 am)Ambassador I know it's a seperate issue but the bus was pretty rammed and only 2 or 3 people were wearing masks which was a little offputting
For the 2 days a week I'm in the office I'm gonna stick to Uber.
(10 Aug 2021, 11:18 pm)streetdeckfan Do you mind, complaining about OmniDekkas on the X21 is kind of my thing!
At least it's not as bad as it used to be, I remember one time where there were at least 3 OmniDekkas in a row on the X21!
(11 Aug 2021, 10:59 am)Adrian ...and here lies the problem. When you invest so much into marketing of shiny new buses with their fantastic on-board features, with the intention of encouraging new people to use the bus instead of private car, they're rightly going to be disappointed when a 15 year old second hand Omnidekka turns up, with zero legroom and like it hasn't been deep cleaned for a month.
It's a lack of attention to detail and it undoes all the good work, time and money spent in marketing services. It stinks of the 'any bus will do' attitude of years gone by.
First impressions are everything, but they'll likely be the last impressions for first time users.
(10 Aug 2021, 11:18 pm)streetdeckfan Do you mind, complaining about OmniDekkas on the X21 is kind of my thing!
At least it's not as bad as it used to be, I remember one time where there were at least 3 OmniDekkas in a row on the X21!
(11 Aug 2021, 10:59 am)Adrian ...and here lies the problem. When you invest so much into marketing of shiny new buses with their fantastic on-board features, with the intention of encouraging new people to use the bus instead of private car, they're rightly going to be disappointed when a 15 year old second hand Omnidekka turns up, with zero legroom and like it hasn't been deep cleaned for a month.
It's a lack of attention to detail and it undoes all the good work, time and money spent in marketing services. It stinks of the 'any bus will do' attitude of years gone by.
First impressions are everything, but they'll likely be the last impressions for first time users.
(11 Aug 2021, 11:08 am)Ambassador I know it's a seperate issue but the bus was pretty rammed and only 2 or 3 people were wearing masks which was a little offputting
For the 2 days a week I'm in the office I'm gonna stick to Uber.
(11 Aug 2021, 11:51 am)Jimmi Sorry hun x
They're still allocated on the regular due to lack of high spec spares since 6301/2/3 went to Consett, it wouldn't be so bad if they can rotate the boards they do so they're likely not being caught by the same passengers each day (no idea if this is done or not?) but seems like pot luck especially when they get chucked on as a breakdown replacement.
It's amazing how seriously things like WiFi and plug sockets can be taken by some passengers, I've even seen passengers kicking off with drivers when the plugs don't work especially when the passenger think the driver is just being awkward and not turning them on to annoy the passengers, will admit in the past I have been annoyed when I'm short on data or battery life and a basic spec Bus turns up instead of the advertised bus with these features.
Getting people out of cars now is always going to be a struggle as the bus is seen as not good value alternative option due to high priced fares and long indirect journey times.
(11 Aug 2021, 11:08 am)Ambassador I know it's a seperate issue but the bus was pretty rammed and only 2 or 3 people were wearing masks which was a little offputting
For the 2 days a week I'm in the office I'm gonna stick to Uber.
(11 Aug 2021, 11:51 am)Jimmi Sorry hun x
They're still allocated on the regular due to lack of high spec spares since 6301/2/3 went to Consett, it wouldn't be so bad if they can rotate the boards they do so they're likely not being caught by the same passengers each day (no idea if this is done or not?) but seems like pot luck especially when they get chucked on as a breakdown replacement.
It's amazing how seriously things like WiFi and plug sockets can be taken by some passengers, I've even seen passengers kicking off with drivers when the plugs don't work especially when the passenger think the driver is just being awkward and not turning them on to annoy the passengers, will admit in the past I have been annoyed when I'm short on data or battery life and a basic spec Bus turns up instead of the advertised bus with these features.
Getting people out of cars now is always going to be a struggle as the bus is seen as not good value alternative option due to high priced fares and long indirect journey times.
(11 Aug 2021, 11:51 am)Jimmi Sorry hun x
They're still allocated on the regular due to lack of high spec spares since 6301/2/3 went to Consett, it wouldn't be so bad if they can rotate the boards they do so they're likely not being caught by the same passengers each day (no idea if this is done or not?) but seems like pot luck especially when they get chucked on as a breakdown replacement.
It's amazing how seriously things like WiFi and plug sockets can be taken by some passengers, I've even seen passengers kicking off with drivers when the plugs don't work especially when the passenger think the driver is just being awkward and not turning them on to annoy the passengers, will admit in the past I have been annoyed when I'm short on data or battery life and a basic spec Bus turns up instead of the advertised bus with these features.
Getting people out of cars now is always going to be a struggle as the bus is seen as not good value alternative option due to high priced fares and long indirect journey times.
(11 Aug 2021, 11:51 am)Jimmi Sorry hun x
They're still allocated on the regular due to lack of high spec spares since 6301/2/3 went to Consett, it wouldn't be so bad if they can rotate the boards they do so they're likely not being caught by the same passengers each day (no idea if this is done or not?) but seems like pot luck especially when they get chucked on as a breakdown replacement.
It's amazing how seriously things like WiFi and plug sockets can be taken by some passengers, I've even seen passengers kicking off with drivers when the plugs don't work especially when the passenger think the driver is just being awkward and not turning them on to annoy the passengers, will admit in the past I have been annoyed when I'm short on data or battery life and a basic spec Bus turns up instead of the advertised bus with these features.
Getting people out of cars now is always going to be a struggle as the bus is seen as not good value alternative option due to high priced fares and long indirect journey times.
Just as an illustration of the points made, here's a quick snapshot of some of the vehicles on 'premium' (Sapphire for ANE, X-Lines for GNE) NE routes at present/at some stage today:
ANE:
43/44/45: 1574, 1581, 1582, 1583, 7562
X21/22: 4664, 7411, 7446, 7484, and a couple of MAX E400s.
22/23/24: 1476, 1579, 1580
X3/X4: Various Temsas and standard Pulsars
GNE:
X1: 6099, 6168, 6169
X15: 6919
X20: 5486, 8342
X21: 6142, 6173
X30/31/45/46/70/71: 9056, 5441, 5409
That's about 5 minutes of having a look at Bustimes (with the usual caveat there). Appreciate there are day to day challenges, but it isn't a great look - particularly in some cases where the allocation should be brand new buses, having that many off isn't a good sign.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:31 pm)Ambassador I took my first bus ride into the office today in some time (purely out of boredom tbh to pick up my shiny new iPad).It's not legroom that's an issue for me on omnideckers. It's my feet not reaching the floor on half the downstairs seats and struggling with the very steep, winding stairs with short legs and bad knees.
21 both ways…two god awful knee legroom less shuddering Omnidekkaa on both trips. There was a slight enthusiast ah well…no god awful next stop announcement glee to my face but paying passenger, Nah, it was dirty (and I mean filthy) uncomfortable and a horrible ride both ways. Flagship route? Hmmm.
It absolutely hasn’t enticed me to use public transport again, I’d honestly rather pay an Uber premium.
(10 Aug 2021, 10:31 pm)Ambassador I took my first bus ride into the office today in some time (purely out of boredom tbh to pick up my shiny new iPad).It's not legroom that's an issue for me on omnideckers. It's my feet not reaching the floor on half the downstairs seats and struggling with the very steep, winding stairs with short legs and bad knees.
21 both ways…two god awful knee legroom less shuddering Omnidekkaa on both trips. There was a slight enthusiast ah well…no god awful next stop announcement glee to my face but paying passenger, Nah, it was dirty (and I mean filthy) uncomfortable and a horrible ride both ways. Flagship route? Hmmm.
It absolutely hasn’t enticed me to use public transport again, I’d honestly rather pay an Uber premium.
