Confidence Shaken

I wonder whether there’s a better way. First, an operator gives notice to the traffic commissioner regarding a cancellation and I’m talking about an entire service. The press soon gets to hear of it and interviews local councillors. There’s a bit of a stink. Passengers cry foul. Quotes using adjectives such as “furious”, “outrageous”, “isolated” and “desperate” are bandied about. Suddenly, the penny numbers on the bus are exaggerated into a large petition. No one’s happy and everyone blames the bus operator. Resentment builds and those who have any sort of discretion make their way to alternative modes or get lifts, well ahead of any withdrawal.

Fast-forward four to six weeks. The council or even another commercial operator steps in, perhaps not quite at the same frequency or by the same direct route. Too late to stop some of the damage but after the angst there’s some relief all round. The original operator is seen as the pariah, the new one the saviour.

But confidence in the bus service is shaken.

One example of this is the commuter village of Burton, near Christchurch. Wilts & Dorset has given notice to quite. Villagers point to more (literally—Morebus m2 at every 20 minutes), then less (X12 at every 30), then none at all.

Then along comes Transdev Yellow Buses, offering hourly service no. 21 Burton-Christchurch-Bournemouth with effect from 25 May 2009, with additional buses either short or all the way to Bournemouth at peak and shoulders of the peak. The service sees yellow buses back along Fairmile. Burton gets its link with Boscombe back, albeit adding running time. And there’s an evening service, too, operating moderately late.

Burton residents may well feel aggrieved that their bus is no longer frequent but the reality is that the service is probably more in keeping with demand. Getting to the point where demand and supply match is a painful process of local seismic proportions during which time ordinary passengers worry that there’s going to be no bus for them.

And it’s happening to a marginal bus service near you.