Digest

Another new year’s resolution failed. On Christmas Eve I half promised to pay more heed to those submitting comments on this blog. My record before and since has been and remains poor. So I’ve decided to scoop up here some of the comments left since 1 January 2008.

We Love Rumours

There are still surprisingly high numbers of arrivals who’ve typed “Stagecoach to buy Truronian” or similar into a search engine. An anonymous Truronian employee stated, ‘It’s still just a rumour and the MD won’t comment about it.’

Sorry Tale

Cogidubnus noticed that the Sorry Tale of the press reaction following two goths having been ejected from their Arriva Yorkshire bus was picked up by the national media three weeks after the event. He pointed out that the local newspaper majored on the *safety* implications of wearing a metal neck chain when travelling on the bus; the national press took a discriminatory line.

Mark B felt that the story was not only damaging to the bus industry but to goths, too. Simon 31 found Arriva Yorkshire’s response was ‘gutless’ but like Cogidubnus later added, ‘character judgements of this kind have no place in deciding who travels and who doesn't’, though both Simon31 and Cogidubnus felt safety should.

When this arrived in the national media, it was treated very one-sidedly.

What If?

This looked at demand management should there suddenly be rucks of passengers queuing for limited seats. I’m tempted to add that this is one problem the industry might like to have—given that every other one reinforces so many negatives. RC169 suggested some German innovations, though I’d be tempted to suggest that they still cannot cope with a mass defection from cars. And don’t they rely too heavily on the bus service’s major competitor?

An anonymous commenter felt that fewer cars would speed bus services so that an increase in PVR to cope with extra loadings might not be required.

We’re grateful to Simon31 for clarifying that it’s apparently a requirement when advertising the smoking cessation helpline that this is in the 12 rather than 24 hr clock. Mutley felt that if TV schedules and licensing hours were in 24hour format, ‘those who allege they can't understand it would mysteriously learn it overnight’.

Bus of Britain

Not only was Dan Sarff’s post on Stagecoach’s Bus of Britain TV adverts responsible for bring in a good few search arrivals, it garnered some interesting comment. Said RC169, ‘if truth really is stranger than fiction, and buses are carrying people like the featured characters in the ads, then I guess any newly-won customers for Stagecoach's buses won't last long.’ Martin felt ‘I'm not sure who they're supposed to be appealing to. Most people don't have a choice which bus operator they use.’

Walk the Talk

The post Walk the Talk, about being out there with passengers, was given a positive response. TrentBarton’s management has been doing this for 15 years, according to an anonymous contributor, and managers are given quotas.

RMXL

It’s perhaps surprising that the two posts on the RMXL attracted few comment (though they continue to attract at least as many search engine arrivals as Bus of Britain above). Or perhaps readers aren’t looking at the Routemaster through what Cogidubnus calls rose-tinted specs. Busmaster took a dispassionate look at the offering and came up with six pragmatic improvements.

Never Easy

In considering the operating environment in which the industry finds itself in what we felt was an aptly-named post Never Easy, Semper rounds things off by suggesting, ‘Full buses of OAPs does not mean bucket loads of cash - something I suspect readers of this blog will know only too well, but it is this message that when put out to the general public is met with disdain.’

The recent strike over 5½ hours without a break, at all Wilts & Dorset depots bar Salisbury, drew most interesting comments. Volvo Bus Driver felt that ‘I don't actually think that in 95% of depots, constructing duties that are within the constraints that the RMT are fighting for would cost much at all.’ Southron added, ‘in scheduling you can't go altering some factors in isolation... alter one thing and something else bobs up... and this is something a vociferous minority of branch members often can't understand no matter how well a schedules rep attempts to explain.’ DER complained that First Group was profiteering at the expense of drivers whereas Northerner felt that the old NBC days of five hours work for eight hours pay were long gone. ‘A natural set of duties constructed under the current domestic regulations will contain very few really arduous shifts per rota'd week’. And that appears to be the case at W&D.

Meal Ticket

Sad Old Fart commented on the post entitled Meal Ticket that schedulers and planners were often left behind in the management promotional race. Compare this to drivers, with a route to supervisory management via what was once called the inspectorate. There are highly notable exceptions to Sad Old Fart’s contention but in general, he’s correct. Schedulers and planners tend to be the unnoticed oil that lubricates the back office. Transdev’s management training scheme in attracting non-graduates might encourage such people.

And Finally...

The post entitled To the Regiment attracted 10 comments. It's best to read them as they are. On this, there's no further comment from me.