Hyperbole?

When ratcheting up services in the face of competition, isn’t it interesting how incumbents tend to use terms as, “in response to customers’ requests” when they really mean to say, “in response to competition to maintain our market share”.

In response to competition to maintain market share—erm, in response to customers’ requests—Transdev Yorkshire Coastliner fights back today in the light of First’s recent challenge on the Leeds-Tadcaster-York corridor. Yorkshire Coastliner will double its Leeds-York service on the 840-5 to four per hour against First’s post-27 April 2009 two per hour X64. This follows First’s withdrawal of its York-Leeds Bradford air service. First offers leather and thus we shall see interesting, quality competition along the A64. Can First match Transdev’s legendary customer service, though? After all, this is something for which the former Blazefield operation is renowned.

Traveline Yorkshire gives two options for the X64, including oddly Exeter-Newton Abbot-Totnes-Salcombe (but not the Winchester-Arlesford-Alton)

If every operator responded to customer requests, there’d be considerably more buses on the road, well beyond what the market could bear. No doubt Coastliner’s customers request a similar improvement east of York towards Malton but they’re unlikely to get it. Instead, eastbound buses remain half-hourly before splitting in various directions towards the coast.

Yorkshire Coastliner was once Britain’s most profitable bus operator. An intensive though compact network of longer distance inter-urban services ensured that. We say was because the additional resources required including 19 drivers hired rather than the necessary 14 (so they say) will have an effect on the bottom line.

Other things being equal, a half-hourly service by both operators would split the existing revenue plus generation 50 per cent each way. Add in Yorkshire Coastliner’s extra resource and the revenue would fall 66 per cent to Transdev. The catch, though, is that to get that extra 16 per cent would see increased costs well in excess of revenue.

First Leeds: where's the X64 gone?

One interesting fact is that First’s Leeds website has quite a write up on the X64, inviting passengers to click the Timetable link to get times. Not only need you fish around to find where the X64 lies in the resultant six pages of services, when you get to the appropriate place, it ain’t there. Yet, the timetable appears under First York.

Transdev Yorkshire Coastline also extends its four per hour pattern to parts of the York suburb of Heworth, competing against First’s half-hourly 11. The changes are one week earlier than originally advertised.