(03 Jan 2019, 9:06 pm)James101 wrote That's some photoshop skills on the Omnicity there. 

I believe the Stoke situation is a toxic combination of a disinterested council and a disinterested operator - Potteries is now a single depot operation for  First, out on a limb around 60 miles from the next nearest First Midlands outpost. 

The bus station is marginally out of the way, though it's also adjacent to the previous (derelict, undeveloped) bus station. There is the opportunity for First to easily have their buses run in a terminal loop fashion to serve both the retail quarter and bus station, like D&G bus do, but they choose not to. 

First Potteries' apparent contempt for their customers may have more to do with the present situation. To indicate my point, First have just bumped up their annual ticket to £715 - blatant robbery when you realise the local council regulated multi-operator ticket (akin to Network 1), which covers everything the First ticket covers plus a larger area, comes in at £540!! This is in the face of accelerated service cuts, with yet more to hit later this month. Entire corridors have been abandoned in the few years I've lived here, 2 depots have closed and evening & Sunday services have been decimated. Vehicles are hardly attractive either; there's not a single on-board USB port to be seen in the North Staffs area and of the grand total of 9 buses which are meant to have wi-fi, I've never known it to actually be on. The mainstay of the fleet are 13-15 year old Transbus E300s, a number of which still wear the Barbie livery discontinued 7 years ago. 

The other factor is the council. They have the bundled several roles together and now have the bizarre department of 'Regeneration, Transport & Culture'. How on earth can one team be simultaneously responsible for bus priorities and museum cafes? The dangerous fool quoted in the article, Daniel Jellyman, sums up the council's stance on bus users succinctly; 'Bus operators are private firms that are free to make their own decisions'. Read: 'Not our problem'. Since taking over, he's been busy removing bus lanes, cancelling the last scraps of subsidised services and selling off gifting away for free the council's house fleet of Solos and Versas.  

Bus use in Stoke-on-Trent is in free-fall and I can't see things getting any better. Certainly interesting to watch - glad I have a car.

Yes. But for "dangerous fool" could you not just as easily say, populist politician. I don't know anything about the politics of Stoke or North Staffordshire, but I doubt its any different to anywhere else outside of south east England (or Lothian). Local politicians are under the control of the voters, powerful lobbyists (including the media) and Central Government. Thus, they are only trying to satisfy those groups. There is a trend towards cheaper and free parking in most towns that don't already have it, and every day you get Media stories of either how downtrodden motorists and Rail users are or how new policies are going to protect said groups. Two today:
1. An all party group of MPs wants Petrol/Diesel prices regulated so that wholesale price reductions are passed on to motorists. These MPs will doubtless complain about urban pollution and congestion when it suits them, but can't see the link. Nor are the slight bit interested in regulating bus fares in the same way.
2. Due to ongoing Strikes and "investment delays" Northern Rail are being handed an £11 million subsidy without a by your leave. Yet Hammond scrapped KickStart to save barely half that (a year) in 2010 and everyone from Jeremy Clarkson to Julian Peddle would be up in arms if £11 million of public money was spent to benefit bus passengers in conurbations where not only elected Mayors have called for franchising but (in Greater Manchester) SIX out of seven of those who stood against Andy Burnham also had greater Bus Regulation in their manifesto.

Similary, the location and environs of the new Hanley Bus Station are little different to elsewhere. Because Rail is historically far more remote than bus from people's O&D, the answer has long been to push buses and bus stations away from city and town centres. I was there in September and it shares the same problems as most other Bus Stations, being infested with drunks, beggars and criminal cyclists. And yes, I am talking the middle of a working day. Again, I can't speak for the area in general, but in GM since the introduction of the Health Act 2006, I have felt FAR safer on a bus than I do waiting for or alighting from a bus, whether in a bus station or at a bus stop. I should point out though, I rarely travel after 1800hrs nowadays, so that might skew my perceptions slightly.