(03 Apr 2022, 9:41 pm)DeltaMan wrote Its a balancing act, as in the case of all bus operation, time is literally money.
Similar thing occured to me when I was using TFL buses on an evening a while back, resulting in a 28 minute wait as the two buses didn't connect at a common terminus point.
The other thing i'd say is that most drivers do not like lates. Indeed, there are plenty of independent operators out there that make a point of stating they don't operate lates in job ads. So that is something else that operators need to be mindful of.
It should be a balancing act, but more often than not, it's completely imbalanced in the favour of operators. It's something that needs to change in my opinion, getting back to the purpose of operation in the first place: serving customers.
It's not just most drivers that don't like lates. Most people that I know or work with will say the same about lates and night shifts, or even weekends for that matter. Any business needs to serve demand though, so if there's a need for more evening buses, it would be stupid to ignore that. You can't expect customers to only want to travel when you want to serve them.
(04 Apr 2022, 8:23 am)Andreos1 wrote 28mins? That's like a dream to some punters up in the NE! Don't go shouting about it. People will get jealous!
As for the first point. Time is money, but if people aren't using buses on an evening, then those supposed money saving strategies you mention aren't really working.
If it is about making things more attractive and encouraging people to use public transport - getting rid of almost hour long waits on the way by organising the headway, then maybe they need to start making the hit with that waiting time OR looking at other options to make it work. Something different and creative perhaps.
There needs to be something. During the day it's generally ideal, and you're never waiting too long for a connection, or at least you can generally avoid it by planning your route. It's a complete contrast on an evening, and there's nothing more unattractive about using public transport, than being stood out in the cold, open to the elements, for an extended wait for a connecting bus.
(04 Apr 2022, 9:19 am)DeltaMan wrote The point I was making that even in the exemplar of a "coordinated" transport system, I have experienced first hand the issues many complain about up here. And its down to simple maths.
The main issue with late buses, especially around some parts of the North East if we are being honest, is anti social behavior. If I was a non bus users and kept reading about buses being bricked and anti social behavior at interchanges, why would I put myself in a position of harm? And thats before the timetable is even looked at. That alone means public transport is last resort for many.
There is a service suggestion thread, so the floor is yours if you have better idea of potential late night route cycles...
Anti-social behaviour is a major problem, I agree, and one that probably needs a mutli-agency approach to deal with. I don't think the answer is to avoid after dusk running though. Operators are doing their part by running the services, so it's really up to Nexus, the Councils and the Police to tackle the anti-social behaviour and to offer some kind of deterrent, especially in bus stations.
Washington Galleries, for example, is a nightmare on an evening. I was there one evening last week waiting for a connection, and you had dogs running around whilst their owners were drinking, some drunk lasses faffing about on the escalators, kids riding around on their bikes shouting and screaming. You can see why it would deter people from public transport, but some people have no choice.