(23 Oct 2021, 8:24 am)54APhotography wrote It was, and passed the first stage of DfT assessment. Looks like all 'northern powerhouse' is dead now. no HS2 to Liverpool or very probably Leeds, some crap about upgrading Standedge that's it..

Ultimately it's us that lose out, and even Bebside for Blyth looks dead as they cut back on commitments for Ashington,.

(26 Oct 2021, 7:23 am)54APhotography wrote Well, well. Yet again the North-East loses out. First the rail improvements and increase in capacity scrapped, and now this... Special thanks to those in Blyth Valley, Hexham, Bishop Auckland, Middlesbrough South, Stockton South, Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar and North West Durham. 

Levelling up, or simply levelling us out..

(26 Oct 2021, 4:31 pm)54APhotography wrote So they finally saw sense. Well, let's hope for progress, and not just paintjobs.

(26 Oct 2021, 4:23 pm)Michael wrote Transport leaders have today (Tuesday 26 October) approved the region’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) at a meeting of the North East Joint Transport Committee. 

The BSIP is new £804 million bid to Government which transport leaders are confident would dramatically transform bus services across the North East and greatly improve the bus network for millions of passengers as well as helping the environment.

https://www.transportnortheast.gov.uk/latest-news/transport-leaders-approve-regions-bus-service-improvement-plan/

(26 Oct 2021, 10:04 am)Storx wrote It's Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Durham who are the problem here for refusing to join the North East devolution. Tees Valley are getting money though, they've been saying it's for devolved regions only for ages and the councils South of the Tyne are refusing to join it. County Durham is particular who are being petty and are going their own way.

(26 Oct 2021, 7:39 pm)Charles41 wrote Well if they are getting this money then how about reopening travel shops. It's ridiculous there's not a single travel shop left in the entire region.

And please don't say people can find information on line. We all know it tends to be out of date and many people are not computer literate.

Covid just being used as an excuse to cut public services.

But hey it's keeping us all safe..


Charles

(27 Oct 2021, 12:21 pm)Xlines 6335 wrote Can’t find a thread for it but I have just seen this at the Metrocentre about 20 mins ago, noticed it had been charging up in Electric Bus depot at Riverside presumably continuing its journey to Cop26 in Glasgow.

High Resolution Flickr Link : https://flic.kr/p/2mEBsMm


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(16 Nov 2021, 8:33 pm)Adrian wrote I've collated the information that has been made available so far on the North East's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) / the £804 million pound plan quoted in the press. All information can be found in a dedicated section on my blog here: https://www.busesandbeyond.co.uk/north-east-bsip/

The full bus service improvement plan itself (as submitted) is also included in the 'Downloads' heading of that page.

(18 Nov 2021, 12:51 am)deanmachine wrote Meanwhile the Sunderland Echo are reporting that there's a £20 million shortfall to pay for buses and Nexus are warning that "routes will be slashed".

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/politics/council/bus-services-on-the-chopping-block-as-transport-chiefs-face-ps20million-shortfall-3459429?fbclid=IwAR1gG1auh842UIv5aQMNwHzH69qL9CquA3QbwUaK_kREoVZT3IW4BfQUYSI

(18 Nov 2021, 8:41 am)54APhotography wrote Perhaps the time has come to end the free bus pass. Bring back the concession fares, if £7.5m is to be cut from that budget, then it must be on the cards. The other £4.1m would also appear to revolve around the off peak=, predominantly free pass occupied services..

(18 Nov 2021, 8:55 am)streetdeckfan wrote Rather than getting rid entirely, I'd make it a means tested benefit so it's available to those who need it rather than just those who are of a certain age.



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(18 Nov 2021, 9:01 am)54APhotography wrote Retain for disabled, and perhaps those on single persons pension etc, but he concession should return. I don't use the bus that much compared to most on here but I can recall a trip on an X85 from Eldon Square where only I and a lady ahead of me payed a fare... And predominantly that all I see, free pass, free pass, free pass...

(18 Nov 2021, 9:30 am)streetdeckfan wrote I think for once we agree on something!

(18 Nov 2021, 8:41 am)54APhotography wrote Perhaps the time has come to end the free bus pass. Bring back the concession fares, if £7.5m is to be cut from that budget, then it must be on the cards. The other £4.1m would also appear to revolve around the off peak=, predominantly free pass occupied services..

(18 Nov 2021, 9:46 am)Andreos1 wrote Pretty sure any political party/La agreeing to this, would see their share of the vote fall next time there was any sort of vote.

My proposal is a little more radical and would see the end to Nexus subsidising these bus routes, the constant threat of withdrawals coming to an end (with Nexus, DCC or NCC being placed over a barrel by the operators, passengers seeing the end to multiple operators running a route (depending on the time of day) and ticketing anomalies reducing etc. 

It involves the operators running services commercially. 
It involves operators not picking and choosing the runs they see the money in and not bothering with the ones they don't see money in. 
It means the end of bolting on a failing service on to a subsided service (see the 71) and still apparently failing to make it work commercially.

If the twirly passes were cancelled, I wonder what that would do to operator revenues?
Assuming they only receive the concession fare and aren't given any other rebate to cover the balance of the actual fare.

(18 Nov 2021, 9:46 am)Andreos1 wrote Pretty sure any political party/La agreeing to this, would see their share of the vote fall next time there was any sort of vote.

My proposal is a little more radical and would see the end to Nexus subsidising these bus routes, the constant threat of withdrawals coming to an end (with Nexus, DCC or NCC being placed over a barrel by the operators) , passengers seeing the end to multiple operators running a route - depending on the time of day) and ticketing anomalies reducing etc. 

It involves the operators running services commercially. 
It involves operators not picking and choosing the runs they see the money in and not bothering with the ones they don't see money in. 
It means the end of bolting on a failing service on to a subsided service (see the 71) and still apparently failing to make it work commercially.

If the twirly passes were cancelled, I wonder what that would do to operator revenues?
Assuming they only receive the concession fare and aren't given any other rebate to cover the balance of the actual fare.

These operators can afford to pay out a dividend, give out staff shares and hefty salaries for those at the top of the pile, but they can't afford to run a service that doesn't tick a couple of commercial boxes.
Passengers shouldn't be the ones to lose out here (either by inconvenience of a route being cancelled, ran by a different operator or by paying a token fare).

(18 Nov 2021, 9:50 am)Dan wrote I suspect your proposal is hugely different to that of Central Government, local authorities and commercial bus operators.

I suspect if operators were to go ahead with your proposal then they would go bust in less than a year. That's the harsh reality of the impact of Covid.

(18 Nov 2021, 10:08 am)54APhotography wrote If you're thinking of what the current regime think, I seriously doubt they would care, it must have been in Sunak's mind...
As for any subsidy, it bewilders me that a pass can be subsidised for the same rate for a two stop hop as for a journey like a 309, or arriva X18.. 
Either way the bus company lose. Technology is there to have a smart pass, that doesn't need physical scanning, but can scan the card on entry and exit giving a far more accurate account to be balanced.. The subsidy would not be removed in my solution, just reduced.

(18 Nov 2021, 7:32 pm)idiot wrote Singles are ridiculously priced. For example £1.70 from wheatsheaf to blue Bell in Sunderland.

(18 Nov 2021, 10:56 am)Andreos1 wrote Maybe their proposals need to be different.

I'm not sure maintaining the status quo is going to work (just look at the quotes and figures released to the media). Something has to give. 

I also think this a fantastic opportunity for operators to change the way they're working and where buses run to/from.
We have been constantly told that changes to people's habits are impacting on services and certain runs are axed as a result. 
We are being told that working and shopping habits have changed.
Yet here we are, with a network very similar to the one on a wall in Beamish - with a focus on not much more than a bus to a town or city centre.

https://twitter.com/MartijnGNE/status/1452215823393755144?t=baL-KrA-IpEdhtYpYW49tg&s=19

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Hence why I buy Day Rider Plus or All zones
Hence why singles have traditionally been so high. 
If they can get as much as they can for a twirly going two stops, they will structure their fares in the 'best' way they can.
Just us ordinary punters who suffer the consequence and those elastic ones will look for alternatives.