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Service Manager, Coatham Connect
(06 Nov 2014, 6:27 pm)tyresmoke wrote Having spent plenty of time talking to various people in higher positions than me I can see the argument from both sides.
Streamlining networks into a number of high frequency services makes them much easier to market and easier to understand for customers, however it's not great when parts of the network see a reduced (or no) service just to make them simpler.
There has to be an argument for early and late services to all link up, it would be great if we could have early morning services that all connected... however what happens when those services use 8 buses instead of 6, as an example? There is no way that the extra cost could be justified.
I myself used to use the bus to get to work regularly, but unfortunately council cuts saw the early morning subsidised services removed, and therefore I now use the car to get to work. A lot of people are in the same boat, I know on my regular morning run that I used, there was a number of people that connected onto other services, both to Durham, Middlesbrough and beyond.
(06 Nov 2014, 2:27 pm)Dan wrote I'm very much the same, and have never really understood the hate against high frequency streamlined services connecting major hubs opposed to direct round the world services.
I frequently have to make journeys to Houghton-le-Spring from the Stadium of Light Metro station - I have the 35 which takes me right there, but this takes slightly longer, so I'd rather jump off the 35 and jump onto the 20 instead.
(06 Nov 2014, 5:09 pm)Dan wrote We have also identified many pricing anomalies in bus fares throughout the region in this thread too. Chris pointed out that, at one point (and possibly still is the case), a BuzzFare used to be cheaper than a return ticket on service 69. One could also consider this to be another anomaly, but a BuzzFare ticket in this example would therefore allow this journey to potentially be shorter, cheaper, and have greater flexibility due to the fact a BuzzFare ticket could be used on multiple services (with higher frequencies) rather than just one.
Changing buses will always be subject to opinion, but if streamlined frequent services manage to offer the aforementioned factors, it could be argued that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Granted, this won't be the same in every example...
(06 Nov 2014, 6:58 pm)AdamY wrote First of all, I have absolutely no problem in changing buses providing doing so gets me to my destination quicker than the bus that goes around the world. In my pre-motoring days (when I used have a bus-pass), there have been plenty of occasions where I've switched buses at Metrocentre (usually on to Stagecoach's 100 service) in an attempt to get into Newcastle a little bit quicker. Likewise, when Rowlands Gill had direct services which ran to Gateshead. The hub and spoke model works when one wishes to travel to destinations placed near to the centre of the hub, or, when one lives near to the centre of the hub and wishes to travel to destinations placed further up the spoke.
However, and this is one critique of the model, what if one wishes to travel between locations placed near to the top of two different spokes? For this, I'll use my example between Rowlands Gill and Stanley but a similar example could be used for, say, Ryhope/Silksworth and Herrington Burn/Houghton-le-Spring. The afore mentioned locations all used to have direct buses but have saw revisions which mean passengers are forced to change buses. In my example, the journey between Rowlands Gill and Stanley used to take approx 30 mins using the direct bus. Now, it takes somewhere in the region of 60-90 minutes taking into account waiting times etc.
Moving onto the 69 example, if this direct bus did not exist, journey times between Whickham and Winlaton would increase if people were forced to change at the nearest hub, Metrocentre.
Valid arguments can always be made over the streamlining of services especially if the service in question receives poor patronage. However, there will be always someone, somewhere, who'll be disadvantaged if this service is withdrawn.
(06 Nov 2014, 7:03 pm)Andreos1 wrote Just me nit picking, but the 35a links Silksworth to Herrington Burn/Houghton. It was the removal of the 141 that meant the Ryhope link was lost.
I take your point though and agree with it wholeheartedly.
Hub and Spoke works to a degree, but there still needs to be exceptions to that rule, for the system to benefit the majority - not just those lucky enough to have umpteen buses an hour passing their home, going in all directions.
(22 Nov 2014, 7:39 pm)gtom wrote The Angel vs The X2
Durham Road (Windsor Road) to Gateshead Interchange
Go North East - £2.70
Arriva £2.20
GNE's reasoning - I can travel from/to Barley Mow (around 2.5 miles away)....great fantastic.
It's also the same price to Barley Mow from Durham as it is to Newcastle
Go Ahead are monopolised fleecing con artists
(22 Nov 2014, 9:38 pm)Andreos1 wrote On one hand, you have a green decker, which cost the company an alleged circa £100k (after discounts). It was fitted out with extras, boasts fuel saving measures which is supposed to lower costs (and help the environment) and receives government funding/handouts/subsidies of various types.
It has a PVR of 12/13 and cost the greater of the two, to set up initially.
(22 Nov 2014, 11:25 pm)Andreos1 wrote Fat finger typo - doesn't alter the crux of the post though.
More expensive to set up than ANE and each run is cheaper per mile/per hour due to the greater fuel economy.
(23 Nov 2014, 9:48 am)Andreos1 wrote So if the company are looking to cover the costs of the WiFi, then customers are paying a privilege for it (whether they use it or not) and it isn't free...I suppose so, but customers have the perception that it is free because they don't have to pay for direct access to the Wi-Fi.
(23 Nov 2014, 10:15 am)Dan wrote I suppose so, but customers have the perception that it is free because they don't have to pay for direct access to the Wi-Fi.
McDonalds - and other businesses - work in a very similar way. Indeed, McDonalds charges you a tiny percentage for the ability to sit inside of the restaurant, even if you might choose to take your "meal" out.
(23 Nov 2014, 10:23 am)gtom wrote On this basis can I claim a partial refund for all of the non hybrid journeys I've been on. B7 refund? Wifi very rarely works, I've even got an email from GNE customer services stating as much
Do I get reduced costs on evenings, Sundays? No 7 minutes
(23 Nov 2014, 9:48 am)Andreos1 wrote So if the company are looking to cover the costs of the WiFi, then customers are paying a privilege for it (whether they use it or not) and it isn't free...
(23 Nov 2014, 10:56 am)Andreos1 wrote So if the WiFi isn't free - what sort of margin are the company making now, versus the period they didn't have it (yet were still more expensive)?
Just to move it over to the Coast Road and ANE/GNE competition there - who is the cheaper of the two when it is ANE with the more fuel.efficient of the two?
(23 Nov 2014, 11:02 am)Dan wrote The Cobalt Clipper route saver costs £3.75 for an entire day's travel on both Cobalt Clipper services and Citylink service 58 between Newcastle and Battlehill. Tom (or someone else) may be able to provide the comparison for a day ticket valid between Newcastle and Blyth on the Arriva services, but I'm guessing it's going to be more expensive...
(23 Nov 2014, 10:25 am)Dan wrote Can you claim a partial refund when you don't choose to use the Wi-Fi in a McDonalds restaurant?
I take it you haven't kept up with posts in the "Latest" thread over the past few months where citaro5284 has kept us up to date with Icomera's progress through fixing every single vehicle in the fleet? Go North East now has remote software which enables them to see if a vehicle's Wi-Fi isn't working - which is why every bus in the fleet which is fitted with Wi-Fi IS now working...
With regards to your latter point - what's the frequency of the X2 on evenings and Sundays?
(23 Nov 2014, 1:36 pm)gtom wrote But that simply isn't the case.
I haven't kept up with any posts because I have actual documented experience of it not working so I don't need remote software tracking. It doesn't work on the vast majority of the Angel fleet. I have a physical letter stating the fact.
X2 does not run through to Newcastle on Sunday's and ends northbound ops around 5.30, Angel goes half hourly from around 6.30
McDonalds don't advertise free wi-fi as an integral part of the service. GNE advertise a 7 minute frequency (unachievable) and working wi-fi (not happening) and at a higher cost than a rival bus company that simply provides a bus with wheels that moves in the direction I wish to go.
The crux comes to GNE's excuse is that I can travel further with them so the price is higher. I don't want to travel any further and to charge the same price from Durham - Newcastle as Durham - Barley Mow is outrageous and simply demonstrates GNE's cash cow attitude to Durham Road services and their years of mismanagement and poor handling of the route as far back as the Omnicities debacle
(23 Nov 2014, 1:36 pm)gtom wrote I haven't kept up with any posts because I have actual documented experience of it not working so I don't need remote software tracking. It doesn't work on the vast majority of the Angel fleet. I have a physical letter stating the fact.