(03 Sep 2021, 12:41 pm)Andreos1 We keep seeing that 'experimental' services aren't a success. Why? Is it pricing? Frequency? Timetables? Connections? Something else - such as the vehicle type? Or a combination?
I don't necessarily think vehicle type matters that much, but I think Pricing, Frequency, Timetabling and Connections certainly play a huge part.
As for the 'Something Else', I would suggest that, in some cases, the experiment has not been allocated a sufficient period of time to yield the results desired by the operator. For a service to be successful, I think you have to build up some sort of capital with whomever your passengers are. A start-up business is usually required to have a five-year plan in place to secure loans or investment. Part of that plan will assume that growth is achieved on a year-by-year basis and, perhaps, for the first couple of years, breaking even is the best you can hope for as you grow your business while, in years three to five, you will be able to turn a profit It takes time. For me, a bus service should be no different. I think it is rather arrogant for an operator to presume any new service should be an instant success. Passengers are not going to flock from their cars to use tbe new service if, in all likelyhood, it is likely to be cancelled due to perceived low usage. Unless the new service is carrying no-one, it should be given a chance to grow. That growth may take more than six months or a year, it may take either two or three years and, by that time, the experiment may have ended.
