(10/04/2015 12:24)bolton bus basher Wrote: [ -> ]I can think of one in St Helens that can manage a round trip and carry 2 Passengers, Its a joke really when Services like this can be cut to save other more Vital Services!
Another is a cumfybus operated route that runs around Moreton all evening carrying absolutely nobody whatsoever.
Perhaps it would be sensible to do away with one of the 2 routes rather than both, so the frequency stays every hour at weekends and there is at least still one link through the pipe.
There are a fair few other tendered routes I could name which carry next to no one, and a great example would be the 124/125 circulars in Wallasey. Nine times out of ten I see buses on these routes, there is no one whatsoever on board, and you'd be lucky to ever see more than one or two. It was the same when I was a kid and nothing's changed, but the routes carry on.
This compares with the greatly missed 86N which loaded very well, especially at weekends. At one point you had Arriva running every 15 minutes between town and Rose Lane and the alternative PeoplesBus service which was frequent enough. They were really useful as someone who dislikes Hackney taxis and especially the extortionate fares they charge. Putting some funds towards a decent Night Bus network like we used to have, especially the Liverpool QBP services as we had in the run up to last Christmas, would be a lot better than flogging dead horses with some of the utterly pointless contracted services that run in the evenings.
For a major city like Liverpool which is dependant on buses to a large extent to have no night service at all is a disgrace IMO.
If we are honest Arriva ruined the Services charging a rip of £4 for a Single
If ACE had not gone under the 500/501 Would still be running as they where doing well for them
It's the same with Dublin Bus. Their Nightlink network started in 1991, and charges different, and indeed, dearer fares than during the day. What happens in Dublin is that drivers on the Nightlink duties get paid even more, hence the need for higher fares. It's the way of life, someone is required to do the job, so they have to be paid more to do the unsociable hours, hence they have to charge higher fares.
I think the 500 was different though, it wasn't just another subsidised service; it was a vital connection from one half of the county to the other. The fact that now there is no way to get from Birkenhead to Liverpool after midnight is a disgrace. They should allow people to walk through the tunnel if they aren't allowing an affordable bus service. I know it is 'unsafe' but if there was a lane closure this could be achievable.
I'm lucky in that I drive and have access to a car, but unfortunately, the nature of my shifts, which can span 18 hours and finish in the early hours of the morning, mean that I'm in no fit state to drive, especially down the narrow windy lanes in the Qway Tunnel. The 500 is therefore a necesessity to me. Even without this service, I will still not drive, as I know I am putting myself and others at risk, but I am now going to be hit with a bill for a taxi after every late shift, which is most unwelcome and makes working after the last commercial bus pretty pointless.
With regards to Arriva's commerical night buses, I think the main flaw was that they didn't operate in both directions and were not timetabled on bus stops. More people would've used them if they were returning services which were actually advertised on bus stops. It'd be interesting to see passenger numbers after better advertising, but obviously, that ship has now sailed.
The 500/501 was Commercial Services, The Driver did not get paid extra for doing the Service, I know one of the regular Driver who did the Services and he wanted to do the Services due to the times it ran as it fitted into what he wanted
Why can tunnel tolls not fund this service?
(10/04/2015 21:48)Enviro400 Wrote: [ -> ]I think the 500 was different though, it wasn't just another subsidised service; it was a vital connection from one half of the county to the other. The fact that now there is no way to get from Birkenhead to Liverpool after midnight is a disgrace. They should allow people to walk through the tunnel if they aren't allowing an affordable bus service. I know it is 'unsafe' but if there was a lane closure this could be achievable.
I'm lucky in that I drive and have access to a car, but unfortunately, the nature of my shifts, which can span 18 hours and finish in the early hours of the morning, mean that I'm in no fit state to drive, especially down the narrow windy lanes in the Qway Tunnel. The 500 is therefore a necesessity to me. Even without this service, I will still not drive, as I know I am putting myself and others at risk, but I am now going to be hit with a bill for a taxi after every late shift, which is most unwelcome and makes working after the last commercial bus pretty pointless.
With regards to Arriva's commerical night buses, I think the main flaw was that they didn't operate in both directions and were not timetabled on bus stops. More people would've used them if they were returning services which were actually advertised on bus stops. It'd be interesting to see passenger numbers after better advertising, but obviously, that ship has now sailed.
Allowing drunks to walk through the tunnel would be nothing but a recipe for disaster
(11/04/2015 06:45)ls1911 Wrote: [ -> ]Allowing drunks to walk through the tunnel would be nothing but a recipe for disaster
And that is why this service was so valuable and why it should be funded through tunnel toll profits.
(11/04/2015 09:55)Enviro400 Wrote: [ -> ]And that is why this service was so valuable and why it should be funded through tunnel toll profits.
I totally agree. What I find a little annoying is the assumption that EVERYBODY who used the night bus services was totally paralytic and also likely to commit acts of violence and vandalism. This was not the case. Only on three occasions in ten years did I see such behaviour and on all three the culprits were apprehended. What I did see on many times were responsible adults who had exceeded the legal limit for driving - two pints - and were not prepared to risk driving over the limit.
Also, the night bus service was a god-send for my daughter who worked in a late bar in the city centre and was able to get home without having to spend three hours' pay getting a taxi home. Needless to say she packed in the job when the night buses were withdrawn. I wonder how many more people now avoid the city centre at weekends?