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RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - mr t - 04/11/2018 13:24
(04/11/2018 10:36)CKC 312L Wrote: Buses are easy to get hold of especially good secondhand ones. Drivers on the other hand drivers aren't after all there is a national shortage of both HGV and PCV drivers. Plus if a small independent is offering say £9 per hour and a bigger company say Stagecoach is offering say £11 per hour most (not all) drivers would opt for the bigger company. Anyway all this discussion of PVRs and drivers buses etc is deviating from the topic
And that is exactly why Supertravel, HTL, Avon, even Impera all struggled over the years, they all won the lowest bid yes but couldnt recruit the drivers or keep them long term so end up losing the contracts or going bust. The drivers start in the smaller ops then move to Arriva/Stagecoach happens every year.
A2B and Eazibus could easily have bid for all the work and won them, or even run all the old Avon routes themselves, find buses, but where do they get drivers from!
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - Barney - 04/11/2018 16:35
(04/11/2018 13:24)mr t Wrote: A2B and Eazibus could easily have bid for all the work and won them, or even run all the old Avon routes themselves, find buses, but where do they get drivers from!
Excellent point even if it is off topic. In 2004, Arriva and other major operators recruited hundreds of drivers from eastern Europe to ease their staffing crisis - that's never going to happen again - and, the following year, Arriva London were desperate for drivers and offered huge incentives to local drivers to work there.
As with most things in life, if the job pays well people are content and will stay where they are.
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - Brickmill - 04/11/2018 17:29
(04/11/2018 16:35)Barney Wrote: Excellent point even if it is off topic. In 2004, Arriva and other major operators recruited hundreds of drivers from eastern Europe to ease their staffing crisis - that's never going to happen again - and, the following year, Arriva London were desperate for drivers and offered huge incentives to local drivers to work there.
As with most things in life, if the job pays well people are content and will stay where they are.
I've probably asked this before, and it will need someone with a long memory to answer it, but how much has the hourly rate increased since De-reg - particularly at the larger companies?
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - Barney - 04/11/2018 17:52
(04/11/2018 17:29)Brickmill Wrote: I've probably asked this before, and it will need someone with a long memory to answer it, but how much has the hourly rate increased since De-reg - particularly at the larger companies?
This really is off topic now but in real terms the hourly rate is much less than it was in 1986. According to the ONS, £11 now equates to £3.87 in 1986. What is more relevant is the conditions of service, pensions and overtime rates - especially Sundays and Bank Holidays - are much worse now. In my opinion, every aspect of bus travel for both the public and the employees was better then, and I'm not looking at life with rose-tinted glasses.
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - Brickmill - 04/11/2018 20:36
(04/11/2018 17:52)Barney Wrote: This really is off topic now but in real terms the hourly rate is much less than it was in 1986. According to the ONS, £11 now equates to £3.87 in 1986. What is more relevant is the conditions of service, pensions and overtime rates - especially Sundays and Bank Holidays - are much worse now. In my opinion, every aspect of bus travel for both the public and the employees was better then, and I'm not looking at life with rose-tinted glasses.
Health Act, 2006 apart, I totally and utterly agree with you. And, as I thought, fares have gone up many, many times faster then wages. Fortunately, "I pay your wages" is not a misguided cliche I hear very often nowadays.
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - iMarkeh - 04/11/2018 20:36
(04/11/2018 08:49)T42 PVM Wrote: Who says A2B Would be interested and who says Eazibus want more work? Having the Buses is one thing but then you have to get the drivers and that costs time (Interviews ect) and money. With the tenders starting at short notice Stagecoach was the better operator to go to, they have the Buses and Drivers being a bigger operator.
It was speaking hypothetically. I will say Company A, Company B and company C instead. You knew what I meant. Secondly, most people join independants after being sacked from big companies or they don't like the way the bigger companies work. Some companies I know even have a waiting list of people waiting to join.
Company A might have enough buses and drivers. Company B might have lots of school contracts and has spoken to drivers and come to the conclusion a normal service can be covered.
Stagecoach might be a good company for short notice tenders but small companies do have spare buses still. The lower the PVR, the more companies that tender. If you have 2 buses and drivers available, you aren't going to bid for a 5 bus route are you? You wouldn't get the buses, licences and drivers in time.
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - busdude - 14/11/2018 15:16
418 Birkenhead - New Ferry via Prenton Hall Road
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - buses7675 - 01/12/2018 12:39
Christmas and New Year 2018/2019 Guide:
https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/travel-updates/Documents/Xmas%20booklet%202018%20for%20WEB.pdf
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - MTL0201 - 01/12/2018 15:30
Frustrating Merseytravel just have the generic last buses between between approx 1900 and 2000 for Christmas Eve & New Years Eve, rather than actual times of the last buses
Arriva last buses Christmas Eve & New Years Eve https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-west/updates/christmas-and-new-year-service-arrangements-for-merseyside-and-halton/last-buses-on-christmas-eve-and-new-years-eve/
RE: Merseytravel Timetable Changes - St Helens Rider - 01/12/2018 15:51
(01/12/2018 15:30)MTL0201 Wrote: Frustrating Merseytravel just have the generic last buses between between approx 1900 and 2000 for Christmas Eve & New Years Eve, rather than actual times of the last buses
Arriva last buses Christmas Eve & New Years Eve https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-west/updates/christmas-and-new-year-service-arrangements-for-merseyside-and-halton/last-buses-on-christmas-eve-and-new-years-eve/
That list on Arriva's is quite interesting but it doesn't include St Helens area.