This is the entrance to Newton abbot Bus station. Not much chance of getting in there. The cyclist made it through but he is much slimmer than a double decker bus. So when some one asks me why I am late I can come up with reason 627; I couldn't get into and therefore out of Newton Bus station. Several of the buses that are there are not actually in service and are just parked there while drivers are taking a break. We need a bigger bus station. Please write to your MP and ask him if he will speak to the Prime Minister about this matter.While we are on writing to your MP, I read a little item on a fellow bus driver's blog (bus driver jimmy) that there was a story going round that the free bus rides for under 16s scheme that operates in London was going to be extended. I have no objection to school children being provided with free travel to and from school. Some of the children who get on my bus on their way home from school must be spending over £10 per week just getting to school. This is a big drain on a family economy, I am lucky in that my job provides free bus travel. If it didn't it would cost the tax payer £12.00. (I have a local authority free bus pass). If free bus travel to and from school is provided it will need to be funded in a fairer way the the present OAP/ Disabled bus travel is at the moment.
Some councils are getting more than they need and spending what they have left on trips to Australia for councilors to look at the effects of global warming in the outback instead of giving the money back so it can be sent to other councils like Torbay and others in the South West who are underfunded to the tune of a million quid , approx, a year. My big problem is those children who hang around on street corners with nothing to do all evening. Fine if it is nice and dry and warm. But if it is raining, windy and cold then upstairs at the back of a bus would be a much more inviting place to hang about and pass the odd cig and illegal can of beer about. Some people, especially the elderly fine such groups intimidating, particularly if their language is splattered with Anglo-Saxon words. Bad enough on a street corner but on the bus with you is enough to put lots of people of travelling by bus in the evening.
An other point about free travel for children is this; in winter when I do a school run and the weather is bad I carry 60 school children. Now the weather is dry and sunny I carry 10. The rest walk the mile or so down into town, not for the exercise but to save the bus fare, no doubt to spend on a Big Mac. But they are still getting some exercise, intended or not. Without bus fare to save they will just get the bus and the exercise will go out the window.
Anyway, if definite plans are announced re free travel for the Under 16s I will be the first to let you know.
A completely different topic, I did say that FirstBus were going to run between Torquay and Brixham in competition to our 12 service. I spoke to a FirstBus driver and he put me right. First are only extending their present service between Torquay only as far as Paignton, but it will be every 15 minutes, at present it is every 20 minutes. Present at this conversation was a member of our office staff who butted in to say that wasn't the half of it. When I asked him what he meant he refused to enlighten me. I will just have to wait and see was all he would say. He did add that the new X45 to Plymouth was part of the company's on going effort to improve services for our passengers. Right, OK.
I have just come across a blog called Plymothian Transit.It is centred on Plymouth and has more photos of buses displayed on the blog than I have even taken.
6 comments:
Dear David, what do you have against First? Their drivers do the same job as you, and I've never known any of them bear a grudge against Stagecoach drivers at all. I drove for Stagecoach for 2 years, and First for 2 years, and can honestly say that any talk of "Bus wars" is restricted to management with no experience of actually doing the job, whoever their employer may be.
In my Stagecoach days (In Hampshire), we started a route in direct competition with another company. The "wars" theme was passed down from our management, but we ignored it. We used to join the "enemy" for a cuppa and decided to do things our own way. One day they would leave first, pick up all the punters and we would stroll along 5 minutes later, empty, and the next day we would return the favour. We'd then have another cuppa with them at the other end. Life was good..... and management never could figure out why takings went up and down so much.... dipsticks the lot of them! LOL
That's eye opening - never knew that. In my experience, I'll wait for my prefferred supplier if you will
I lived in Maidstone when Maidstone & District the ex NBC company registered over the municipal Boro'line. It was no contest, the Boroline buses were so dirty and knackered due to underfunding, it's no surprise they ended up folding.
Nowadays I live in Edingburgh, where first run a mix of brand new and older buses in sort of competition with Lothian, but the older First buses do not entice you at all, some absolute wrecks being flogged to death, and not well maintained at all. Stories abound of wheels falling off - literally!
£10 per week?! I pay £35 per week... however if you go to certain schools you pay £4.00 a week - it depends on what type of school you go to and thus whether the council will subsidize your service or let its passes be used on it.
£35 a week? That's ridiculous - even in Silly Sussex in the limited number of cases where parents have to pay, it's only a third of that.
For that matter, it's less than half that amount for a weeks unlimited adult travel...(somewhere in between in the case of over-16 full-time students for whom the council rarely pay)
I have nothing against FristBus drivers, to some extent I feel a little sorry for then as some of the buses used on the X80/X81 can only be discribed as sheds on wheels.
I'm not totally sure of what is happening down here, is there a 'bus war' about to start or what? If it is then it is management who are running it, I will continue to wave to passing FirstBus drivers even if instructed not to do so.
£10 per week is at the low end, I never do school runs in the mornings but lots of children board the bus to go home and buy single tickets for up to £2.00 which would be £20 per week. A lot more than the 2/6 (12.5 pence) I used to spend each week to get to school.
I had a free travel pass from the LEA to get to secondary school. It allowed me to use any Northwestern Roadcar Co bus (showing my age), one journey a day in each direction. If you lived on a "school bus" route though, the pass was limited to that one bus - you'd have to pay if you stayed late for after school clubs.
In 6th form we had to pay £50 for the academic year, which was a Very Good Deal.
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