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+--- Thread: Contracted bus services not tracking (/showthread.php?tid=4138)
Contracted bus services not tracking - Starscream - 15 Oct 2022
In this day an age, how is it possible that tenders for once a morning workers buses evidently don't specify tracking as a required feature?
Bonkers.
I seriously doubt it has anything to do with lowering the entry cost to a minimum, but I suppose it's at least possible, but it would still be cost effective and simple common sense for Nexus to then provide trackers for the timespan of the tender.
If my observation is just a one off issue, I suppose that's still indicative of public public incompetence, since the unnerving experience of waiting even once for an evidently untrackable bus for such an important journey (my first day at a new job), I searched out alternative (commercially provided!) services for the next day and beyond.
And then going forward, with the employer being sympathetic to the hell of relying on buses to get to work at all these days, with strikes looming, they let me, a person they barely know, use a company vehicle for commuting going forward, since me being late for work for even a half hour, would cost them dear. A level of pragmatism that is practically unheard of in the public sector.
Thereby as it happens, merely adding to the congestion afflicting that very service!
Scrimping pennies to lose pounds.
Public sector goofs - Dan - 15 Oct 2022
(15 Oct 2022, 6:12 pm)Starscream wrote In this day an age, how is it possible that tenders for once a morning workers buses evidently don't specify tracking as a required feature?
Bonkers.
I seriously doubt it has anything to do with lowering the entry cost to a minimum, but I suppose it's at least possible, but it would still be cost effective and simple common sense for Nexus to then provide trackers for the timespan of the tender.
If my observation is just a one off issue, I suppose that's still indicative of public public incompetence, since the unnerving experience of waiting even once for an evidently untrackable bus for such an important journey (my first day at a new job), I searched out alternative (commercially provided!) services for the next day and beyond.
And then going forward, with the employer being sympathetic to the hell of relying on buses to get to work at all these days, with strikes looming, they let me, a person they barely know, use a company vehicle for commuting going forward, since me being late for work for even a half hour, would cost them dear. A level of pragmatism that is practically unheard of in the public sector.
Thereby as it happens, merely adding to the congestion afflicting that very service!
Scrimping pennies to lose pounds.
All Nexus tenders specify that bidders must comply with BODS - this includes the ability to track the services.
If the operator is not complying then you should raise this with Nexus.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RE: Public sector goofs - Clifton Hignett III - 15 Oct 2022
(15 Oct 2022, 6:12 pm)Starscream wrote In this day an age, how is it possible that tenders for once a morning workers buses evidently don't specify tracking as a required feature?
Bonkers.
I seriously doubt it has anything to do with lowering the entry cost to a minimum, but I suppose it's at least possible, but it would still be cost effective and simple common sense for Nexus to then provide trackers for the timespan of the tender.
If my observation is just a one off issue, I suppose that's still indicative of public public incompetence, since the unnerving experience of waiting even once for an evidently untrackable bus for such an important journey (my first day at a new job), I searched out alternative (commercially provided!) services for the next day and beyond.
And then going forward, with the employer being sympathetic to the hell of relying on buses to get to work at all these days, with strikes looming, they let me, a person they barely know, use a company vehicle for commuting going forward, since me being late for work for even a half hour, would cost them dear. A level of pragmatism that is practically unheard of in the public sector.
Thereby as it happens, merely adding to the congestion afflicting that very service!
Scrimping pennies to lose pounds.
You do realise that the use of a company vehicle, including for commuting purposes, is a taxable benefit.
I hope you've declared this with HMRC
https://www.gov.uk/tax-company-benefits/tax-on-company-cars
RE: Public sector goofs - Starscream - 15 Oct 2022
(15 Oct 2022, 6:57 pm)Clifton Hignett III wrote You do realise that the use of a company vehicle, including for commuting purposes, is a taxable benefit.Nope.
I hope you've declared this with HMRC
https://www.gov.uk/tax-company-benefits/tax-on-company-cars
Commuting with a company vehicle which you actually need to do your job, and where the employer has told you it can only be used for commuting outside of those contracted hours of continuous commercial use (and was explicit in requiring notification if other uses were required, uses that would possibly also be permissible depending on their nature), then no tax is payable, not even in this case, where all fuel was paid for on a company credit card.
As with most aspects of a liberal economy designed and implemented by a Tory government, it's set up so that the little guy can get ahead simply through the sweat of his brow and the skills of his hands, with the helping hand of the entrepreneurial types who set up this particular very small business, I am guessing some time in the Thatcher years by the age of the premises, a trading estate built on the site of a former colliery or marshalling yard no doubt.
All very distressing if not completely incomprehensible to unionised Labour voters I am sure.
Regeneration and free enterprise? Eurgh.
RE: Contracted bus services not tracking - Adrian - 16 Oct 2022
I've removed the derogatory thread title. Try and sound a little less patronising in future.
RE: Public sector goofs - busmanT - 16 Oct 2022
(15 Oct 2022, 6:53 pm)Dan wrote All Nexus tenders specify that bidders must comply with BODS - this includes the ability to track the services.I understand that the Traffic Commissioner is taking a great interest in operators who aren’t complying with BODS - data, tracking and fares.
If the operator is not complying then you should raise this with Nexus.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Perhaps you should report the operator to them.
RE: Public sector goofs - Adrian - 16 Oct 2022
(16 Oct 2022, 8:46 pm)busmanT wrote I understand that the Traffic Commissioner is taking a great interest in operators who aren’t complying with BODS - data, tracking and fares.
Perhaps you should report the operator to them.
I assume Nexus are monitoring the situation too, as I noticed JH and Gateshead Central both seemed to resolve their tracking issues around the same time.
RE: Contracted bus services not tracking - Starscream - 16 Oct 2022
The logical next question being, why isn't Nexus proactively monitoring whether contracted bus services are running, the logical means of doing so being the tracker.
RE: Contracted bus services not tracking - Rapidsnap - 16 Oct 2022
To be fair, if it isn't tracking, then the service is probably not running.
RE: Contracted bus services not tracking - Ambassador - 17 Oct 2022
(16 Oct 2022, 10:23 pm)Starscream wrote The logical next question being, why isn't Nexus proactively monitoring whether contracted bus services are running, the logical means of doing so being the tracker.
sadly you're no longer here to receive an answer but I'd imagine
a lack of resource
a lack of will
a combo of both
RE: Contracted bus services not tracking - ASX_Terranova - 17 Oct 2022
Are there any requirements about ticket machines for contracts, not all of GCT's vehicles can take contactless payment.