Interesting Admissions…

… or some truths behind First’s ftr …

“On ftr the pilots (drivers) are separate from the customer area so that they are able to concentrate on driving safely.”

Great idea. What is that saying about other bus services, where the driver sits alongside the platform, looking after passengers and taking fares? Should this herald the return on ordinary buses of the conductor?

First> does reassure its ftr customers with this. “While the separate driving compartment allows the pilot to concentrate on driving safely, as a customer you can be assured that help is on hand if it is needed. A public address system allows two-way communication between driver and customers. A CCTV system is provided throughout the vehicle.”

How willing will the pilot/driver be to leave his cockpit/cab? And how willingly will his union advise him to do so?

It seems that the driver can see CCTV footage from the cockpit. “A CCTV system is provided throughout the vehicle. The driver can see CCTV images of all passenger areas on the vehicle.” While driving? How legal might this be?

There’s a quick response team on-call to respond to any incidents. Trye, they’d probably arrive before any police officer might. Will they have the same congestion-busting technology enabling them to get through the city centre?

In answer to First’s question “Are there more services now?” First says, “The ftr route continues to be a high frequency service with an ftr arriving up to every 10 minutes.” What they don’t say is that the frequency has actually *reduced* from every 8 to 10 minutes.

And what about change for cash fares? “If you buy your ticket onboard you must buy your ticket from the ticket machine at the entrance on ftr. We advise that you have the correct change ready as the machine does not give change.” Not so user-friendly, then.

How much is the standard fare? “If you do not have a validated ticket you could be charged the standard fare of £35.”