(24 Feb 2014, 10:53 pm)andreos1 wrote Maybe it is time the operators realised the bubble has burst and the days of big margins have gone.
Local authorities aren't stepping in any more and punters who are struggling to pay bills - but possibly would still get down the club, aren't (just like aureolin said), because of the cuts to services (either funded or commercially).
Like most people, I don't have the answer, but the operators aren't doing themselves any favours in the eyes of passengers, with constant cuts - glossed over with ticket deals and a shiny new bus.
If passengers were offered the choice between a swanky bus with mod cons and their current service versus a lower spec bus which was more frequent (funded by the savings made by purchasing a cheaper bus), I wonder what the consensus would be?
Except, regardless of what bus is used, the costs are still the same. So, regardless, it's catch 22 - as tyresmoke said, the day of major evening services is over and before too much longer, you might even see major trunk routes in major urban areas end earlier on a evening rather than run until midnight.