Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
But surely if you're a one-off passenger you would take the initiative to check timetables online or elsewhere in advance of the trip? Particularly at this time of year when common sence would presumably dictate to most people that there's likely to be different operating hours just as shops have different opening hours.

[Barney]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(02/01/2015 15:43)CX54 DKD Wrote:  But surely if you're a one-off passenger you would take the initiative to check timetables online or elsewhere in advance of the trip? Particularly at this time of year when common sence would presumably dictate to most people that there's likely to be different operating hours just as shops have different opening hours.

This is a fair comment. Merseytravel and the major operators did their best on their websites to inform customers that services over the festive period would be amended. Having said that, I am still surprised by how many young people (under 30) are unaware of the existence of the various travel apps that would overcome this problem. For example, in the last week I have used the Merseytravel and Arriva sites and apps real time facility on several occasions to catch a bus. On one occasion a young woman assumed that I was an Arriva employee as I predicted that the bus would arrive within two minutes, which it did.

[E400]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
At my local bus stop there has been a notice printed on the timetable since the end of October regarding changes to Avon services as of 8th December. If they can print these for individual services, surely they can print a generic 'Check out our website or ask at the bus station' sort of message when they awknowledge that there will be special Christmas Day buses and revised timetables for Boxing Day etc.

[wirralbus]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
Enviro400 how many bus stops does Merseytravel have , a lot .

Printing generic check our website messages in timetable boards defeats the object of having timetable boards in bus stops and whom is going to remove them and redisplay for the two days in question.

[St Helens Rider]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(02/01/2015 15:59)Barney Wrote:  This is a fair comment. Merseytravel and the major operators did their best on their websites to inform customers that services over the festive period would be amended. Having said that, I am still surprised by how many young people (under 30) are unaware of the existence of the various travel apps that would overcome this problem. For example, in the last week I have used the Merseytravel and Arriva sites and apps real time facility on several occasions to catch a bus. On one occasion a young woman assumed that I was an Arriva employee as I predicted that the bus would arrive within two minutes, which it did.

I thought the Merseytravel App was supposed to be unavailable between Christmas Eve and January 2nd. Merseytravel claimed that the app would not have the up-to-date information and advised people to phone instead - modern technology eh! Arriva's app has worked quite well apart from Boxing Day when the live map was saying no connections when I checked my local stop (which is on a busy corridor which did have services running). Also today the Arriva App was only giving the timetabled times for services as opposed to Real Time information. How does that work as I thought the Real Time went off the bus GPS - you would think that the GPS would be on.

[E400]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(02/01/2015 16:40)wirralbus Wrote:  Enviro400 how many bus stops does Merseytravel have , a lot .

Printing generic check our website messages in timetable boards defeats the object of having timetable boards in bus stops and whom is going to remove them and redisplay for the two days in question.

I don't mean at all bus stops, but those which have updates printed on the run up to Christmas or are on routes such as 410 and 418 which actually have special services. They don't need to be removed afterwards, there are still updates in bus stops going back 12 months.

[Mayneway]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(02/01/2015 16:05)Enviro400 Wrote:  At my local bus stop there has been a notice printed on the timetable since the end of October regarding changes to Avon services as of 8th December. If they can print these for individual services, surely they can print a generic 'Check out our website or ask at the bus station' sort of message when they awknowledge that there will be special Christmas Day buses and revised timetables for Boxing Day etc.

Again apologies as this seems to be based on Merseyside but I'm fairly sure here in Greater Manchester where timetables are available timetables are listed for weekday, Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday's. On the bottom of the bank holiday timetable it does state 'excludes Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day'.
I'm fairly certain the current TFGM printed timetables also state in them somewhere about bank holidays excluding these three dates so it's actually clearly available all year round.

Having said that when I was travelling to work on New Year's Day (in my expensive taxi!) I actually saw three different groups of passengers waiting at bus stops for buses that wouldn't be turning up! But having said all that even on official service/timetable change dates it's surprising how many regular bus users actually get caught out by the changes. In my opinion you can have notices at every bus stop and on every bus and there will still be punters who completly miss them.

As for travel apps. Most under 18's would probably argue that having any sort of travel app on your phone or tablet is as uncool as collecting stamps

[mathias]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
Went for a late-night ride on the soon-to-be-withdrawn 53A service over the festive holiday up to Aintree Station (before riding the train home) just to see what all this fuss is about, and I've got to admit I'm SHOCKED at Arriva's decision to withdraw this service on 10th Jan.

It actually carries a decent load of passengers, most of whom don't even know of its imminent demise!
Got to feel sorry for all those passengers who'll be waiting for the never-to-be-seen-again 53A on South Road in Waterloo in the middle of January, they won't get the bus, but they'll probably get hypothermia!

Needless to say, the new 63 (which is the brainchild of the new manager at Bootle, who also cut the night-time 52) doesn't even go down South Road, leaving night-time revellers with more than just an unpleasant hangover!
In fact the last Netherton-Aintree-bound bus leaves Crosby Islington around 2230hrs!
Can't help but think Arriva are taking a big risk/big mistake with this venture.

If I were them I'd probably call it the 122 route (copying AVON) as passengers like familiarity, and tend to shun the unknown.
Remember when Arriva shortened the 61A route and re-numbered it the (unknown) 59?
It was dead within two years, losing money and being rejected by passengers (a situation not helped by using gas-guzzling, worn-smooth DLA deckers).

It's obvious what Arriva are up to, they want to dominate the north Liverpool area whilst driving-out AVON and HTL with their respective 122 and 159 routes.
More territory means more coverage for Arriva Weekly Tickets, making the bus an even more desirable option than the car.
I wish them well, but HTL and AVON need to step-up to the plate and defend their territory.

I just wish Arriva would've done this in the summer-time, instead of the middle of winter.
Complaints expected?.....

[CX06 EBK (Administrator)]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
I think it's more aimed at the 122 than the 159, which pretty much goes a different way for the entirety of the route and has connections not possible by the new 63, not to mention that the fares on the 159 are less than that of Arriva anyway, I can't comment on the Avon situation in regards to fares though.

[wirralbus]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
Who has Avon hurt in the not to distant past to first have Stagecoach having a go then for Arriva to try and inflict more hurt.

Is this a get out of my territory before any impending changes in legislation and the possible introduction of route franchising .