Thinking the Unthinkable

With the announcement that over the weekend National Express rebuffed First Group’s unsolicited take-over bid, are we poised to enter the third phase of privatisation?

Phase 1 was the sale of state or municipally owned bus companies, often to their managements. Phase 2 is the consolidation that’s been occurring ever since and especially from the early 1990s. Will our stricken economy force upon us Phase 3?

Phase 3 may take a number of forms. The merger, for example, of one or more of the Big Five, the acquisition of one of them by a non-transport player, or a continental transport group. It’s a maturing process that will either see the Big Groups turn into Super Groups or the splintering of a group into smaller units at the hands of concerns specialising at buying big and selling small.

In terms of the former, the market appears ready and has an appetite for corporate consolidation.

Though NatEx rejected First this time around, is NatEx in a position to be choosy? NatEx has already restructured its business significantly in order to improve its ailing bottom line. But the passenger slump on the east coast main railway line continues to cause it problems.

First views the recession as entrenched and is going through some reactive adjustments. It’s understood that it has set local targets for each bus operating subsidiary that involves reducing mileage. It’s looking progressively to amalgamate back office functions by seeking economies of scale by joining contiguous (and sometimes geographically disparate) subsidiaries.

Could the logical outcome, a natural extension, of both these processes see the Big Five becoming the Bigger Four?

Stagecoach has rationalised over the last couple of years, including the sale of its London businesses. Arriva, too, merged it two midlands businesses into one and its north west & Wales businesses, though has undertaken a volte-face as regards the latter regions.

That we live in interesting times is certain. Nothing can be ruled out as we approach Phase 3 with either relish or disquiet. Imaginative thinking is required.

Half-yearly Statement

So far this year, we believe our record to date really does cement us as England’s top transport blog! And the world’s… possibly.

Astoundingly, the period from 1 January to 30 June 2009 inclusive has for the first time ever seen a new post each and every morning.

Back in December 2008, we privately set ourselves a RELIABILITY target of 13 posts every 14 days or 93%. Not especially challenging, may be, given previously we’d managed 12 a fortnight in the latter half of 2008 (86%). But since 2005 it was stuck between 11-12½ (71-89%). Visitor numbers now warrant this increased publishing commitment and our current actual score is, obviously, 100%.

And, in terms of uploading posts before 0700 (weekdays) and 0800 (weekends), we can report PUNCTUALITY is 98.89 per cent. Actually, the overwhelming number of weekend posts go up before 0700, too.

We now have a satisfactory regular visitor base who call day in, day out. Thank you all. But visitors also arrive impulsively, via a search engine. The year started very interestingly as people piled in having entered “Fotopic problems” or similar into Google. The peak was 3 & 4 January but this term still accounts for a trickle of users (we’re no. 1 on Google for this).

Visitors arriving here searching for Erica Roe won't find what they're looking for

Another popular and wholly unexpected term is “Erica Roe”. At one stage, Omnibuses2.0 was in the top eight at Google. Even now, way down at no. 28, Erica *still* provides daily callers. I bet that they’re all very disappointed when they arrive. Erica’s a popular lady although I bet she never expected such immortality via the internet. Poor Erica, will she ever live down her topless Twickenham ordeal? She emigrated with family to Portugal yet no one seems to want to leave her alone.

Bristol VR RUA 461W contributed to visitor numbers significantly, with a search spike immediately before and after its appearance on Dr Who.

What about operators? Dunn Motor Traction (2nd) and Your Bus both continue to prove popular, disproportionately to the size of its fleet and impact in Nottingham. Omnibuses is currently no. 1 at Google for Luxton & District. Meanwhile, Eastbourne Buses, Cavendish and associated Stagecoach searches still draw in the visitors and I wonder whether some of them are now from the OFT. On the other hand, fewer than anticipated arrive having entered Plymouth Citybus sale.

In terms of Bournemouth, the withdrawal of the X12 to Burton this spring saw new visitors arrive over an extended period. And the introduction of the Purbeck Breezer (no. 5) is a climber.

Both Harry Blundred (4th) and Loonat Coaches (14th) have unaccountably seen a renaissance this year.

And the perpetually popular and regular terms such as Omnibuses and the Mercedes 608 continue to attract searchers daily.

How do we Measure Up?

Last week, we asked you to consider how you felt we all measured up to the six targets set by Bus Users UK. The targets were included in the “BUUK Good Practice Guide: What passengers want from a bus service”.

There were few surprises. And a pattern emerged throughout.

1. Are timetables for significant bus service changes made available for passengers at least two weeks prior to the change?

While there was a clear majority who felt timetables were always or often available two weeks before a change, a third felt otherwise

2. At bus stations, is information readily available as long as bus services are operating? [If the booking office is closed in the evening, this might include an alternative e.g. directions to an inspector’s office].

This was surprising as I felt “never” would be more prominent. Nevertheless, a third felt that information was never available during the entire span of bus service operation. This was the highest percentage recorded under “never” for the survey.

3. During office opening hours, are telephone enquiries answered within 45 seconds? [To include Traveline but here I include lost property, etc].

If you count 45 seconds, it’s actually quite a long time when you’re waiting on the phone. It’s about 12-24 rings so BUUK’s allowance is quite generous. Over three quarters reported that someone always or usually answered the phone during this period.

4. Do all bus stops carry timetable cases with clear and up-to-date service information, ideally including fares?

Few felt this never happened but otherwise, the result was mixed. About a half of respondents felt this was usually the case. Often, this is the result of local authorities rather than bus operators.

5. Do operators provide clear instructions about the use of wheelchair/buggy spaces and are drivers well briefed to enable them to deal with enforcement?

This was heartening, as the subject of buggies and wheelchairs is a difficult and confusing one—for passengers & drivers. 20 per cent felt that such information was available. If you add in those who felt this was often, two thirds were content or reasonably so. This was a surprise.

6. Are complaints acknowledged and dealt with courteously within five working days?

Not everyone answered this question, perhaps because not everyone has made a formal written complaint. Nevertheless, what was outstanding here was the percentage who felt they didn’t get a constructive reply within BUUK’s timescale.

Conclusions

We don’t do that badly but we could do better.

This survey is by no means a scientific one. Well enough people took part to make it as realistic as possible. While the responses are encouraging with “usually” featuring quite highly, too many respondents opted for “occasionally” or “never”. Generally, if you add these categories together, a third of respondents felt that the industry was only meeting the BUUK targets somewhat intermittently. This was most pronounced in response to the question of bus station information where the percentage increase to nearly 50.

It’s easy to go back to the years before deregulation when staff numbers were plentiful and say that timetable cases were always kept up to date and bus stations always staffed by supervisors till the last departure. In reality, this practice tended to cease in the 1970s.

What the survey does is point to a gap between public perception and industry reality, something the industry might consider addressing. It’s what the passenger wants.

Contrast

Compare Llandudno, Wales with Bournemouth. Both enjoy good reputations. In the age of cheap continental holidays and even cheaper flights, both have more or less survived if not intact then certainly stronger than many similar resorts. And both are expecting to see increased visitor numbers this year. It’s the recession, you know.

Visitor numbers is one reason why the new Arriva Buses Wales today launches its open top tour of Llandudno. In total contrast, Bournemouth will for the first time ever see no local open top buses at all (and, indeed, none on the Bournemouth-Lymingtons, either).

Today and only today, you get an opportunity to ride on the service 1 Llandudno-Conway service free of charge, albeit at half the frequency it will operate when it starts in earnest, tomorrow. Tomorrow, an all day ticket will cost £7.

Till now, open tops in North Wales have been in serial decline and have stabilised at just two short routes, east and west of neighbouring Rhyl, one of which is high season only. The 1960s were different, when Crosville Motor Services operated a range of open top routes across the Welsh region. There was a minor renaissance during the immediate post-privatisation years.

Llandudno is an exception. It already sees City Sightseeing franchised open tops, in the shape of an hourly Llandudno-Conway service, which increases to half-hourly during high season. The operator is Alpine Travel who also runs a vintage coach trip around the Great Orme four times a day on the same route chosen by Arriva. Arriva Buses Wales and Alpine last competed in 1995, when Alpine left the local bus market on the Llandudno-Rhyl corridor to concentrate on private hires and school transport. Llasndudo-Rhyl was then half-hourly but increased after Welsh free travel to every 10 minutes but was reduced to every 12, last month.

We understand that the vintage coach won’t be the only old ’um going around the Great Orme as Arriva has brought an ex-Crosville Bristol VR back from its semi-retirement for the new venture.

Additional information from Omnibuses’ Northern Correspondent

Nottingham (2)

Nottingham is reputed to have the highest levels of public transport use and accessibility* outside London...

Nottingham’s a colourful place. Should the casual observer parachute in, they would find it difficult to identify the operator or operators there present. Trent Barton’s frequent Nottingham inter-urban routes are variously Rainbow colour-coded or named, using individual all over liveries. In fact, Trent Barton was the pioneer of route branding some 20 years ago.

Such routes are so successful, they are contributing to the Nottingham £1.6mil concessionary travel shortfall, the second highest in England. While free travel is spread across a number of authorities towards Nottingham, the city takes the entire hit upon each passenger’s return.

Most of Nottingham City Transport’s routes are similarly route branded, either as part of Network Nottingham (green, with a First Group-style overground colour identifier) or individually liveried as part of the Go2 network. Go2 dates back to 2001 but has seen development. Go2 has been described as a kind of brand promise: low floor service at frequencies at least of every 10 minutes.

Nottingham is therefore one of England’s rarities. No standard, corporate identities here; you won’t find any liveries of the Big Three (First, Stagecoach, Arriva). The only nod to international coporatism is the former Dunn Line routes now in Veolia red (and, like the passengers thereon, they seem few and far between).

Such marketing individualism has paid a huge dividend to both operators who, between them, have experienced considerable increases in ridership—whether fare paying or free. Both are rated among England’s best bus companies and both have won awards.

The obvious question for both is, where next. What else is there to do to grow their businesses still further?

Trent Barton has moved from “just satisfying passengers to delighting them”. For new buses entering service, Trent Barton has introduced the highly marketable Café Nero-style internal upgrade—wooden style floors & leather seats. In Nottingham, these include 10 for the Rainbow 2 and promised new vehicles to replace Optare Excels on the Calverton Connection, due August. 25 such vehicles at £3.5mil appeared in 2008 on the frequent Nottingham-Derby and Nottingham-Loughborough services now marketed as Indigo (replacing Rainbow 5). Indigo also features onboard announcements.

You certainly need to pick your leather routes well. You’d think that their use on the more bread & butter NCT routes would be unlikely to contribute to meaningful growth. NCT has nevertheless introduced 11 new Scania OmniDekkas (above) this month on its Go2 Navy Line 48 to Clifton (which is due a frequency upgrade in August from every 10 to 7½ minutes). 11 further OmniDekkas are to follow. Each has leather-effect seating with extra legroom (and extra buggy space, too). Otherwise, NCT concentrates on frequency, network benefits and route branding.

Leather appears more resilient than many in the industry first thought, though are more difficult when repairs become necessary.

Don’t expect to find many Dennis single deck buses in Nottingham. Though there are NCT Tridents aplenty, smaller municipally owned Dennises are confined to equally colourful refuse vehicles.
* Vehicle accessibility and in terms of reaching destinations

Photo Fit

See also:

• Law in Action
• Omnibuses2.0’s Guide to Safer Photography
  

Two small articles in July’s Buses magazine indicate that there is cause for optimism for those who wish to photograph buses.

For some while, this innocent activity has been vilified—by onlookers, by jobsworths and by the police. The disgraceful attitude shown by the police towards Austrian enthusiasts in London resulted in MPs seeking clarification from the metropolitan police. London’s police now have new guidelines and we’ve updated our Guide to Safer Photography accordingly.

Elsewhere in next month’s issue, Buses reproduces a Stagecoach North East staff notice warning drivers they may face disciplinary action if caught making rude gestures at photographers. The notice points out that such photography is not against the law. Enthusiasts are doing no harm, the notice concludes.

Indeed, we’d suggest there is a serious reason why the industry should keep enthusiasts on side.

For those who indulge their hobby by taking photographs, it seems common sense may yet prevail, rather than the threat of arrest or worse.

No News is Good News

The long awaited monthly New Transit arrived yesterday (or oddly, in my case, two copies identically labelled).

It’s good. It’s packed. It’s interesting. As predicted, it contains analysis, comment and features, far more than within each of the fortnightly copies of old Transit. Comment & analysis is what Transit does best and although I have yet to read it all, I see nothing so far that causes concern save perhaps a column by the chairman of BRT UK which, to me, seems like journalism on the cheap.

Eye-catching Transit: this from New Transit Page Three page 16, about a M&S PR coup in brand protection. New Transit compares M&S to unimaginative transport operators

Again as predicted, there’s no news. Better to get that from the web where subscribers have access to an updated and up-to-date service via TransportXtra.com. But the short(ish) pithy Transit comment on news items remains under “Reflections”, which is comforting.

Starting with the cover, New Transit has the look and size of The Economist, though the paper weight is far heavier. It’s well laid out, too. Advertising isn’t intrusive, generally on the verso or left hand page. It’ll all take a little getting used to, as regular old Transit readers used to know where to turn for specific items. Disappointingly, there’s no bus monitor looking at operator results. We’re not sure about the centre spread photograph.

New Transit’s editorial talks about how the public transport market has changed and that the journal should change with it. Where once operators concentrated on their rivals, now they must focus on expanding the public transport “cake” rather than steeling their rival’s slice. It is this mantra that New Transit aims to service. Or is the change of format a result of reduced advertising spend, particularly in the jobs sector? Can a monthly publication serve this market well?

While New Transit is a vehicle for quality analysis, there are pitfalls with a monthly publication. A one-page feature on social media that used Bath as an example was unfortunately out of date moments before printing—with the recently announced closure of First’s Bath blog & twitter update service.

New Transit went out to some 5,000 readers. Transit appears to have listened to those who are concerned that its £95 p.a. subscription is now excessive by offering an introductory £80 offer. The New Transit team read this blog so here’s your chance to tell them what you think—anonymously or otherwise.

Quack, CWAC

Omnibuses2.0’s Northern Correspondent reports from Chester

The city of Chester has morphed from a premier heritage city to something slightly down at heel. To be fair, this isn’t Chester’s fault. Though still busy, the all-too-evident gaps in city centre shops are a testament to the times in which we live. Then there’s the local competition, all offering free parking: the edge of city Sealand Road retail park, a large designer outlet near Ellesmere Port to the north, and strong competition from Broughton retail park to the west.

Chester needs to fight back. To do so, it now offers free central parking after 1500 and this, in turn, threatens the punctuality of bus services as cars once kept out of the city by park & ride now flood in. Still, perhaps this is just a temporary expedient for, last week, the new-since-April Cheshire West & Chester unitary council launched its armada of brand new park & ride vehicles. The fight back begins. And a fifth park & ride site loooks planned to the city's east.

It might be true that the first thing any self-respecting newly born council would do is change the boundary roadsigns. Then it can set about making a name for itself with its buses.

A Volvo seen inside a Chester garage now leased by First from Taylor Woodrow where once Chesterbus leased it from the city council. Note the cobbles and tram line

Though they’d been with First for about six weeks, last week was the first time its 14 Volvo B7RLE/Wrightbus park & ride vehicles had been on service together, in force. They were diverted from a First order for Bradford.

In the colours of the already nicknamed CWAC, the blue was slightly reminiscent of the former Chesterbus’. The off-peak frequency is reduced to every 15 minutes. Perhaps poor by park & ride standards, the buses can’t cope with current loadings, so expect this to increase very soon back to every ten. To think, there were once older deckers on these services.

Outside the former Chesterbus garage was one of Helm’s of Eastham’s eclectic mix of vehicles, ex-Chesterbus no. 1, here used for a crew change on the 41. The buildings behind remain boarded up and, with the bus garage, are unlikely to see the promised development any time soon

The new Volvos replaced a mixture of vehicles including older R-reg Wrightbus Scanias and those unfortunate Turkish-built BMC Falcons, off the road since March and, some would say, barely on the road before that. The Falcons were Chesterbus’ newest vehicles.

An 09-reg First Volvo passes an Arriva Bus Wales 58-reg VDL as used on the Chester-Wrexham service every 10 minutes

Coincidentally, the Stafford Bus Centre was advertising the Falcons for sale last week. Its advert in CBW stated a “choice of many”. In something slightly reminiscent of Arthur Daly, the dealer said, “Only used on light work hence very clean”. While at Chesterbus from December 2003, these eight 40-seat utilitarian low-cost Falcons had proven a poor buy, with their niggles that kept them out of service far more than they should have been. Though the contract called for new buses, it seems spoiling the ship for a ha'p'orth o’tar slightly dulled what was to be the salvation for Chesterbus.

Also new are four leather seated Optare Versas for a combination of commercial and contract work on the 35s and 41s for Helm’s of Eastham, branded as Chester Village Link

Meanwhile, as rumours continue that a smaller operator is to be bought by rapidly expanding GHA Coaches and a second is possibly on the verge of closure, the Chester & Wirral bus scene continues to offer much of interest.

Do you Measure Up…

… or does your local bus operator? Today we ask whether you (as an operator) or your bus services (as a passenger) measure up to six key targets set by Bus Users UK. Click here to take the simple six-question survey now…

I’m not sure how it got to my desk but I’ve just noticed a copy of a 16-page booklet “Bus Users UK Good Practice Guide: what passengers want from a bus service”. It certainly isn’t date stamped in.

And I’m not sure when it was published. It’s not a cardinal sin but neither is it venial, either: BUUK has failed to date it! So much for good practice? Looking at the registration marks of the buses within, the youngest is 07-reg, so it must’ve been published in the spring of 2007 or later.

BUUK acknowledges that there are operators that get things right most of the time. Pointedly, it also suggests that there are minimum standards that passengers should expect throughout the country, with all that that implies. In theory, BUUK’s minimum standards should align quite nicely with operators’ own commercial interests.

In considering information, bus stops, the vehicles themselves, fares, punctuality, complaints and consultation, BUUK sets out what it believes passengers need and want, from the basic to the aspirational. It’s evident that much of its guidance comes from perpetual complaints made to BUUK. It’s also evident that some things are beyond the control of operators (often bus infrastructure).

Within, BUUK introduces six key targets. If you are an operator, how do you shape up? If a passenger, how do you rate your operators? Kindly tell us how you fair, using Click here to take the simple six-question survey now…

Scenic

Having reached adulthood in its 21st year, it’s worth hunting down the latest edition of the Scenic Britain by Bus booklet if for no other reason than to admire the usual high quality of stunning photography.

Many of the photographs include buses often in a very seductive way. The message within the photos is sublime. The understated message is that buses are an essential (and often overlooked) part of the fabric of the town- and land-scape that are open and available to the tourist to enjoy.

Take the front cover of an ageing KMP Dennis Dart (now owned by Padarn) dwarfed as it climbs towards what I think is Penny Pass in Snowdonia, Wales. A Stagecoach bus passing through Oundle blends well into the townscape whereas a First Olympian climbing near Land’s End is majestic, even if the sea looks like it’s been touched up slightly. You have to look hard to see the two buses on Brighton’s busy seafront.

The problem with the guide’s photography is that they are all fairly small. Even the website’s dreaded PDF doesn’t expand the pictures well.

The answer to the question as to why there are quite some gaps in the east suggests few sponsors from that neck of England are prepared to contribute.

i Scenic Britain by Bus

Blogwatch

i http://www.bathcsc.info/

One of First Group’s inaugural forays into social media is to close next week. Let me rephrase that. First Group’s *only* foray into social media is to close next week.

After just nine months on active service, the praiseworthy Bath Bus Station Customer Services blog, Facebook account and Twitter feeds are all being withdrawn, after last operation on 26 June.

The reason? Cuts. First Group is centralising its south west customer services in Exeter. Interestingly, First has no garage there. While the Bath bus station’s information facility will remain open, there will be no room (or presumably staff) to engage the world in nu-media. And just when one of the Biggest Three had taken the initiative in embracing the social revolution to its fullest along comes a body blow.

The blog was always jauntily written. It was an ideal way of keeping people up-to-date on fares, punctuality and services in general. It proved useful when the city became gridlocked and invaluable at keeping people informed during this winter’s heavy snow.

Its literate leading light portrayed a thoughtful attitude that counters the often prevailing perceptions about First—if indeed these perceptions pertain to Bath. Even at the end, the writer has maintained a suitably stateswomanlike dignity and appears in no way bitter about the change. Well done, Kirsty. Look hard on her site and you'll see a picture of her (though she doesn't reveal too much—see left). And we think this is an opportunity missed by First (the blog, not any more revealing!).

i http://www.islandbuses.info/wordpress/

We welcome back From the Driving Seat, the official blog of Southern Vectis, after almost a month’s vacation. Well, not so much a vacation as ensuring visitors to the island enjoy their own vacations, with festivals finished and to be planned for.

i http://manchesterbus.typepad.com/

Manchester Buses is another positive and entertainingly written blog. The blog’s reference to the new chair of GMITA as a transport ‘geek’ is amusing and interesting at the same time, without being insulting. It provides an usual and off-beat glimpse at the man who is at the top job at GMITA.

i http://www.plymothiantransit.com/

If ever there was a story that’s ideal for a blog then it’s the potential sale of its local bus operator. Add to this sweeping changes in the city and Plymothian Transit is necessary read if you wish to keep up to date with the now fast moving developments in the city. Plenty of material for the author and reader alike.

Bring ’em on

Motorists have never respected bus lay-bys. Lay-bys adjacent to shops or banks seem continually blocked by selfish drivers. It’s really no different on housing estates. Wherever they are, motorists feel bus stop lay-bys are positioned solely for the drivers’ convenience.

This makes life difficult for passengers who need level access from kerb to bus. It forces passengers to move out into the road between parked cars to flag down their bus. It can obscure vision so that a driver may miss waiting passengers.

We should therefore be grateful for the rise in humble bus build-outs that let buses pull up in the line of traffic unhindered at the kerbside. A build out temporarily extends the kerb line out towards the running lane as a sort of nib. Cars can park either side but the 2 or 3m build out creates an unhindered sanctuary on which passengers can see their bus arrive and board directly.

In effect, the space around a build-out actually creates more parking space than previously. In spite of this, you can’t expect motorists to like build outs. A bus stopping in the running lane means it will temporarily block cars behind it. Tough. If motorists were a little less selfish in the first place, there’d be no need. The build out also ensures the bus can re-enter the traffic flow without the usual delay as motorists no longer pour by, ignoring the Highway Code’s instruction to let buses out. A build out’s like a simple form of bus priority.

Did anyone see the Wales Online piece on this yesterday? Never shy Clayton Jones said that the new generation of selfish motorists had a “Margaret Thatcher opinion of society... there’s no other person except me”. He’s wrong, of course. There’s nothing “new generation” about it. Everyone’s been at it for years.

The normally sane Institute of Advanced Motorists felt build-outs were “high handed”. Passengers had equal status with other road users, they said. If only that were true! It’s about time passengers were treated more equally (sic) than motorised road users as befits the social inclusion and environmental agenda.

“If there’s no lay-by, [motorists are] going to try overtaking the bus and move into the other carriageway.” Isn’t that precisely what used to happen when a bus had to double park because it couldn’t get into a blocked lay-by? Build-outs. Bring ’em on..

Afraid So

A note of controversy for a Thursday morning...

Why is the bus industry so afraid of community transport (CT) operators? Don’t CT providers have a role to play in delivering integrated transport? The government thinks so.

Professionals within the bus industry will know that there are calls, especially from the north, to support a so-called “fighting fund” to stop Section 19 CT operators gaining school & social services contract work.

But why? Is the industry so intimidated by usually small-scale charitable special interest community groups that it needs to appeal to the courts to have them stopped? Do small-scale CT operators really pose a threat to the long term sustainability and viability of the industry? Are licensed operators facing extinction at the hands of CT operators who, let’s face it, are probably more vulnerable?

Licensed operators point to an unfair advantage when it comes to CT and contracts: no requirement to hold an operator’s licence with all that that implies; “volunteer” drivers who may hold no vocational entitlement or CPC requirement; readily available grant funding to replace assets...

Yet, CT groups also struggle for finance (not all, admittedly). The on-going MiDAS training scheme has the potential to alter driver behaviour perhaps far more than preparation for a PCV test. It’s conceivable CT offers a more “caring” service to vulnerable groups in the community and one that is potentially more accountable.

If strapped for cash councils can save a few bob in the process—while maintain standards, meeting unmet needs, supporting the core community service PSV operators are likely to shun and sweating assets already paid for—what is there to lose?

Dottingham

Dottingham is reputed to have the highest levels of public transport use and accessibility outside London...

Recently and for the first time ever, as an adjunct to a business trip, I got my chance to ask for a “second class return to Dottingham”. This follows the memorable, classic 1970s blocked nose Tunes-make-you-breathe-more-easily TV adverts. The young railman behind the plate glass looked at me very curiously but issued said ticket with little hesitation. With my ticket and a shortish train ride, what might I find? Of particular interest were six unusual Scania single decks...

Dottingham City Transport has three all-Scania OmniLink 14m integral buses on its Citylink 1, running alongside conventional 12m Scanias on that route. Tri-axle, the three are the first oversize service buses in Britain (as opposed to coaches).

The six-wheelers look terrific but are not terrifying. A steering trailing axle means that the driver notices little difference when compared to a 12m when negotiating the tighter radii in the city centre. Progress is therefore almost as good for both. The suburban sections see sweeping curves and wide roads that cause no problems whatsoever.

The tri-axles seat 53 passengers, eight more than those of 12m. To think that the Bristol RE of the 1960s seated up to 53 and the Leyland National of the 1970s up to 52, both in 11m form. On the 14m Scania, there were just 12 forward facing seats on the low floor section, plus a further six tip-ups. Other passengers needed to negotiate up to three steps.

If you want to experience these oversize buses for yourself, you have till August when Citylink 1 becomes all double deck, less than 2½ years since the six wheelers arrived.

Multi-coloured destination displays set the Ecolink buses apart

DCT was the first operator in Britain to power some of its vehicles by ethanol. Used on the three per hour Pink Line Ecolink 30, the livery chosen is green, not pink. The choice was again the Scania OmniLink. This follows a grant from the city council for three vehicles and a fuel system. Though the buses’ rears trumpet the reduction in CO2, the ethanol fuelled vehicles seemed considerably noisier than their pure diesel counterparts, or so they seemed. On the evidence I had, a reduction in pollution in one area noticeably resulted in an increase in another—noise.

A trip to Dottingham wouldn’t be complete without reference to Dunn Motor Traction’s new Your Bus. Though competing squarely with the Dottingham Express Transit tram, from what I saw, I don’t think DET should be unduly worried by the newcomer.

Even More Limbo

If Omnibuses2.0 blog readers are anything to go by, few felt now was the right time for Plymouth council to sell its Citybus arms length bus operator.

Not that the 24-hour survey held between 0700 Monday 15th and 0659 Tuesday 16th June was especially scientific. Nevertheless, about three-quarters of respondents felt that Plymouth should not sell Citybus.

News that Plymouth was considering a market valuation only emerged a little over two weeks ago. Since then, there’s been the predictable black & white debate about whether Plymouth’s cabinet made the right decision. In Plymouth’s case, this debate has been rather emotional and vocal (when compared, for example, to that held in Bournemouth at the time of Yellow Buses’ sale). While this blog takes no view, understandably in Plymouth itself, the argument has polarised along party political lines. That debate looks set to be lengthened as Labour councillors in Plymouth have called the matter before a scrutiny process following some alleged revelations of a conflict of interest during the debates last week. Meanwhile, Plymouth Citybus must manfully continue to turn out a garage full of buses each morning...

Limbo

And so the Citybus privatisation debate continues. In spite of a report in the Plymouth Herald, we very much doubt whether Plymouth Citybus is on the verge on bankruptcy.

The newspaper carried a quote from entrepreneur John Preece who is heading a consortium interested in Citybus. Said Preece, “The council has taken Citybus to the precipice of bankruptcy.”

Power of the web. The above site is registered to one Peter Lilley of Plymouth.

We assume he's not formerly of the parliamentary Conservative shadow cabinet

We understand that Citybus’ accounts are due any second. The results will more than likely show a reduced profit. Citybus will attribute this to the rise in fuel and the slowing down of the economy. But in the context of the bus industry and measured against bus industry norms, expect the results to be reasonable. And remember this is the municipal sector with its social dividend.

It’s clear that any company—whether at arms length or as part of a group—facing reduced revenue, reduced subsidy (as is the case in Plymouth at the moment) and increasing costs will need to take action. The question for Plymothians is whether the action is more palatable under arms length ownership. Currently, Citybus cannot act at all. Corrective measures now will force the debate into the hands of the pro-privatisers who will argue the business isn’t run well. Not acting where it’s necessary reduces the potential sale price. Citybus is in limbo during the privatisation process.

Preece has already promised to reduce fares if he’s to take over the helm. This is a noble gesture but would it compromise both a recovery from “bankruptcy” and reduce valuable free travel revenue? Remember that Citybus fares are already below those charged by neighbour First.

In the same article, one of the council’s officers stated that Citybus was both profitable and viable. He warned, though, that a sustained attack by another operator could undermine Citybus and that this was a significant business risk for the council. Is such an attack likely? And is Citybus as vulnerable as was Eastbourne Buses or Chesterbus?

In spite of the 7,000 who have signed the save Citybus petition in just one week, we must also remember that life in public ownership isn’t always a bed of roses. Some of us (well, me) recall the 1983 Plymouth Joint Services review that brought in the Citybus brand name. It also cut many cross-linked services and reduced frequencies. A very good example was the 7, then operating from Saltash Passage to RAF Mount Batten via the city centre. It was crew operated every 15 minutes in 1979, had reduced to every 20 in 1981 and to half-hourly in 1983 (albeit every 20 at peak).

More on Eastbourne

A far higher proportion of people answered the question on whether Stagecoach was a Good Thing in Eastbourne than considered whether Transit magazine was right to go to monthly.

About two thirds who responded felt that Stagecoach’s move into Eastbourne was the right thing. They no doubt had in mind sustainability, network benefits and vehicle investment—all previously absent in the town.

There was a time when I was surprised at the level of comments to my posts. This was because, when I started this blog, I hardly noticed the Comments facility. Not any more. The debate is at a very high standard and no more so than after Friday’s post on Eastbourne and the OFT. Here are some snapshots. I’d encourage anyone interested to see all the comments in full, adding their own if they feel so moved.

One anonymous contributor stated, “Councils rarely make good bus operators as they are not commercially-minded concerns”. On the other hand, this can also give a social dividend which, though hard to measure, supports the view that companies should stay under municipal control. The difference in Eastbourne was the operator was loss making.

There was a comment from (an occasional?) Eastbourne buses user who contrasted experiences under Eastbourne Buses and Stagecoach, in favour of the latter.

Two commenters, Venturer and Observer, considered the referral a waste of public money (and I wonder whether we ever get to know how much this costs—perhaps worth a freedom of information request). Observer also stated that the OFT fix the evidence.

Two commenters considered Stagecoach’s reputation in the 1990s. Andecker said, “Stagecoach argues that the industry has matured and so too has its negotiation techniques” then citing Preston was somewhat dubious. Andecker was pleased that the OFT was considering the Eastbourne situation.

An anonymous person pondered whether any of the other larger industry players, other than Stagecoach, were particularly keen on Eastbourne. He further felt that “Cavendish seem only to have been successful on the back of Eastbourne's weakness.”

Pretentious? Moi?

Miss Piggy (and indeed Sybil Fawlty) used the term “Pretentious, moi?”...

Last month, Nottingham council was the first unitary authority to join the P.T.E.G. This stands for the Passenger Transport Executive Group hitherto reserved for England’s larger metropolitan areas such as West Yorkshire Metro, Liverpool Merseytravel & Greater Manchester (plus observers TfL, Strathclyde, Scotland and now Nottingham).

The P.T.E.G., perhaps pretentiously, likes to call itself by the single word acronym pteg (always italicised and fashionably with a small “p”). The P.T.E.G. prefers to pronounce itself as puh-TEG, emphasis on the TEG. Hmmm. Perhaps pteg is English’s millionth word (a world-wide story of dubious worth that emerged last Wednesday about the growing number of words in the language).

Why would Nottingham wish to join the big boys? Well, Nottingham is seeing both public transport growth and innovation in an environment that is quite literally very colourful. Though the city population is relatively small, greater Nottingham is apparently the seventh largest urban area in Britain. Perhaps greater Nottingham even has aspirations to become a new Integrated Transport Authority as allowed under the Local Transport Act 2008.

And it has a tram. Large conurbation transport executives in P.T.E.G. love trams.

Nottingham looks set to learn from the professional networks within P.T.E.G. And having Nottingham alongside its full members will strengthen P.T.E.G.’s belief that it is central to the English urban transport planning policy debate.

Perhaps like The Muppets’ Miss Piggy, Nottingham is convinced it’s destined for stardom. And, again like Miss P, there ain’t nothin’ that’s gonna stand in their way.

i P.T.E.G. website

OFT Rules

Stagecoach argued that passengers would enjoy better connections, higher frequencies and whole network ticketing upon the purchase of Eastbourne Buses and Cavendish Motor Services. Stagecoach also offered guarantees that fares in Eastbourne would not rise beyond those in East Sussex. It further waived the anti-competition clause Cavendish’s former parent Renown signed when Stagecoach bought Cavendish.

In spite of this, it’s still not surprising that the OFT has taken the view that the merger should be referred to the Competition Commission, given the history of the OFT versus Stagecoach.

At the back of the OFT’s mind is its March 2009 decision to examine the bus industry in some detail. This is in the light of the take-over frenzy over the last couple of years that leaves considerable chunks of the industry in the hands of the Big Five. And a paucity of competition (on commercial services or for tenders). There are very sound reasons for these take-overs and in the vast majority of cases, no one is forcing an operator to sell.

On a more local basis, the OFT may be unimpressed by some of Stagecoach’s claims. A better and more coherent network from March 2009, certainly, but frequency enhancements? About half of the routes see no improvement in terms of frequency but that was because they couldn’t stand the uplift. Nevertheless, Stagecoach has introduced regular, clockface departures where once two competing companies ran around & on top of each other. Perhaps the OFT can’t recognise a good thing when they see it.

And Stagecoach in Eastbourne has invested in its fleet, with the timely introduction of a dozen ADL Enviro 300s. Given the parlous position in which Eastbourne and Cavendish found themselves, such investment was otherwise unlikely.

Eastbourne is a classic case. Here was an ailing, lower cost operator with equally lower cost competition that was hæmorrhaging the network. Both were making losses. If Stagecoach is unable to argue that the benefits of consolidation and financial sustainability outweigh the loss of competition, what chance has the wider industry got in persuading the OFT to leave it be?

Large Take-over & Small Meeting

Reports have been surfacing since last month that both Keolis and Veolia’s transport arm are looking to merge with Transdev. It appears that of the two, Veolia is the most likely suitor. If true, such moves would create a new European and indeed world-wide transport super group.

Veolia York now over to Transdev

In the UK, there’s quite a contrast between Transdev and Veolia. Veolia has already closed its Lincoln garage; and sold its Kingston-upon-Hull operation to East Yorkshire and its York business has already gone to Transdev. Alongside much needed vehicle investment in south Wales, Veolia has also suffered what seems a poor reputation, and some withdrawals. Veolia controversially scooped many Powys, Wales, local bus contracts back in 2007.

Transdev, on the other hand, enjoys a relatively blemish free reputation as the owner of England’s (hitherto?) most profitable operator. It has inherited the largely successful Blazefield Group and enjoys an 18 per cent stake in successful Nottingham City Transport (plus it runs the city’s trams).

And then there’s Bournemouth, where Transdev Yellow Buses seemingly can do little wrong, with a much vaunted increase in ridership of 40 per cent since the new 2006 network.

Meanwhile...

... fellow Dorset operator Wilts & Dorset is fairing less well, at least in the eyes of Christchurch MP Christopher Chope. Yesterday, the Echo reported that Chope is seeking a meeting with the western traffic commissioner over the way in which W&D arbitrarily holds the community to ransom over its changes. This, in particular, is in response to the withdrawal of the X12 from Burton.

Said Chope, who is of the same party that introduced deregulation, “I want to get to the bottom of the extent to which the traffic commissioner can intervene”.

That should be a fairly short meeting.

Morebus m2 now terminates at Boscombe, not Burton

It’s true that Burton’s seen more than its fair share of changes since deregulation but is no worse off than in 1986 when it had an hourly bus to Bournemouth on the erstwhile 238. Since then, and in rough;y the right order, it’s been hourly, half-hourly, hourly again, every 20 minutes short to Christchurch, every 20 minutes to Bournemouth & then Poole on the 105, back to hourly, half-hourly and every 20 minutes, every 20 minutes on the Morebus m2, half-hourly on the X12 and, currently through a temporary arrangement between TYB and Dorset council, hourly.

Weigh this up with the overall position on the south east Dorset coast. W&D has invested considerably in new Mercedes Citaros, Vovlo B7RLE/Wrightbus Eclipses; and Volvo B7TL/East Lancs Mylleniums (Myllenia?), all-Scania N230UD Omnicities, and Scania/Optare Olympus double decks. It offers night buses, Morebus m1 & m2 between Bournemouth & Poole at every 3-4 minutes, m5 & m6, the Wimborne Flyer and the X3. There’s a simplified network that has seen some chipping away but, renumbering aside, is not too far short of the service offered by Hants & Dorset at the sea change of 1978.

Let’s Face It

We’ve long held the view that the web has a real part to play in mobilising support for and interest in bus services. Rather than pick up the phone or stroll into the booking office, a well-designed and accurate website is probably the first port of call these days for people wishing to find out about services and times. Traveline’s web searches, for example, are progressively more popular than its phone service. But what about ancillary web activities?

Last week’s Coach & Bus Week ran an incredible four page spread on the Facebook phenomenon. CBW argued that there was no easier way of targeting the difficult-to-reach 16-25 market segment so fundamental to the industry. CBW reckoned that a medium such as Facebook was something with which youngsters felt at easy. Businesses in general use Facebook to good advantage; why not the bus industry?

That said, the power of Facebook is even better demonstrated by the campaign to retain Plymouth CityBus in its arms length form. Currently, this has 4,268 members in just two weeks.

If, for example, you thought Facebook was just about individuals and their inconsequential chit-chat, it’s actually a powerful, subliminal and possibly a cynical advertising tool. CBW quoted Metrobus who managed an incredible 1.7mil views for a Facebook advertising spend of just £290. We can’t help but wonder, though, whether younger people realise the potential manipulation that paid-for Facebook advertising might involve.

Facebook is therefore perhaps better at broadcasting and engaging, rather than as a purely nu-age advertising campaign. Keeping customers happy, informed, and countering any negativity in a pleasant, honest manner are its main strengths. And feeding back—something often neglected. Virally, it can easily self-promote all by itself, as each Facebook friend apparently has an average of 100 others.

Take up among operators is still slow. The largest number of bus industry fans to date is at The Big Lemon in Brighton. Quite something for a one route operator, though throughout The Big Lemon’s slightly idiosyncratic life it has targeted the Brighton student market very successfully. It’s no surprise that its Facebook page is so popular.

Lemon is closely followed by Metrobus. Aside from First at Bath, it would appear that other than Go Ahead (Bluestar), none of the Big Five have yet to embrace Facebook. That’s possibly because Facebook lends itself to local or individual rather than national identities. Local identities in the bus industry are, of course, now few and far between.

Could it be that blogs and websites are passé? Perhaps in a few years, Facebook, too, will have burnt out, as we all Tweet via Twitter as a means of broadcasting bus industry news. Who knows. It’s interesting that Velvet Bus has regressed (successfully) to old fashioned instant messaging alongside its strong Facebook & web presence. Indeed, after 20 years of IM, it’s the first bus operator to do so proving, again, that web is a fundamentally important tool. Assuming people still us IM.

Facebook popularity:
The Big Lemon	931
Metrobus	903
Diamond Bus	221
Velvet Bus	377
Bluestar	164
First Bath	50

One of Britain’s Best

It might be regional in nature but the Oxford Tube is one of England’s best known bus brands. Stagecoach’s Oxford-London express service is arguably more recognisable than the Oxford Bus Company’s rival and successor to the original 190, the Oxford Espress. This is perhaps because of the 25 Neoplan Skyliner double decks that ply 24/7 (including Christmas Day) between the two cities at frequencies of up to every 10 minutes—said to be the most frequent coach service in Europe.

The brand exposure’s set to increase still further with a £9mil order announced yesterday by Stagecoach for 26 87-seat Van Hool Astromega double decks. This is the third time Stagecoach has renewed its Tube fleet in one shot.
Who said the bus & coach manufacturing sector was in recession? Actually, this is very much a one-off as, for example, Scania has recently joined its UK rivals in announcing special measures (a four-day week). It’s interesting that Stagecoach has again sourced its Tube vehicles entirely outside the UK.

Deregulation is working well in Oxford, probably better than any English city, though the recent rejection by the council of a joint Oxford Bus Company/Stagecoach partnership for Oxford city centre in the light of plans to take buses out of the city centre may well end several decades of pro-public transport planning.

And not just bus deregulation, coach dereg, too. Why? There are plenty of commuters who prefer the coach over the uninspired rail service perceived as haphazard. Then there are plenty of relatively affluent students who don’t yet benefit from their own transport. Plus there’s a large support market of shoppers and those who wish to benefit from a proximity to central London. In fact, Oxford’s ideally placed for coach commuting in terms of distance and attractors at both ends, linked since 1974 by the M40. Being first with on-board wifi has helped the market.

The coach market grew significantly at the relaunch in 1977 of the 190 (later X90) as City of Oxford Motor Services’ Oxford-London City Link. This was the prelude to the then National Bus Company’s push to attack the London-based commuter market. It saw suburban as well as central Oxford pick-ups. In 1987, Harry Blundred of Devon General’s Thames Transit launched the rival Oxford Tube which, along with Blundred’s business including South Midlands, passed to Stagecoach in 1997. The coach route became an early double deck coach adopter.

Returning to the Astromegas, what we’d give to test drive one of those £300,000 coaches… though will they have the same presence on the road as the Skyliner?

Plymouth, Bournemouth, Chester

As news comes in this morning from Plymothian Transit of an interestingly timed and possible £200,000 cut in council bus subsidies, we take a further look at possible Plymouth privatisation.

At first glance, the current Plymouth situation is somewhat like Bournemouth five years ago.

Plymouth		Bournemouth
The municipally owned operator is increasingly under attack on its core routes from "country" operator First Devon & Cornwall. The increased risks to the council ignited the latent & hitherto on-off debate about privatisation. The council has come clean and aims to test the market.		The municipally owned operator was increasingly under attack on its core routes from "country" operator Wilts & Dorset. The increased risks to the council ignited the latent & hitherto on-off debate about privatisation. The council eventually came clean and announced it would sell.

But there are significant differences. One is the amount of public support for the status quo that, thus far, seems higher in Plymouth. This is perhaps a reaction against two buyers already linked in the public’s eye to Citybus: there’s a perception that quality and delivery let First down, making them less than ideal Citybus suitors. Then, there appears a distrust of former Plympton Coachways’ proprietor and part-purchaser of the privatised Western National John Preece. Contrast this with Bournemouth. The public was ambivalent about W&D and towards Excelsior Coaches’ Ken Robbins

Another difference is that Citybus continues to grow its market and seems to be responding well under competition. Citybus seems to have the lion’s share and is reported as doing well where Citybus has stepped in following reductions by First.

Yellow Buses on the other hand was struggling under the weight and quality of W&D competition and, before that, had previously been losing three per cent of its passengers per annum.

Citing 20 per cent increases year-on-year since Bournemouth sold its operator, Plymouth council uses Bournemouth (among others) as a good example of a recent successful sale. There’s no denying considerable Bournemouth growth but would this be replicated in Plymouth? Most obviously, the old Bournemouth started from a lower (and declining) base. The resultant improvements were easily marketed. Citybus could do something similar now, without being privatised but there’s less need.

Secondly, Transdev Yellow Buses’ new network had a crack at the Bournemouth-Poole corridor. Rich pickings and even though W&D presence is significant, TYB’s numbers are still important. Its deckers help during the June/July peak.

Thirdly, TYB’s new network coincided with local then national free travel. Bournemouth is more of a honey-pot than Plymouth and this could actually be a medium term business risk for TYB.

Fourthly, growth was pre-recession. Things are flattening off in most places at the moment, whoever operates.

What the initial Plymouth council report fails to say was that the Bournemouth sale was anything but smooth, being probably the most difficult municipal sale ever.

The same was true of the Chesterbus sale. The Plymouth report uses Chester to warn of the destabilising threat of competition that could happen in Plymouth which, in Chester’s case, surely *followed* an announcement of a sale...

i Plymothian Transit is keeping a watching brief on the possible Citybus sale

New Transit

Transit Magazine is changing. In about 10 days’ time, it will concentrate on a monthly (not fortnightly) magazine with greater comment & analysis, while expanding its web-based daily news delivery service via TransportXtra.com.

I can't believe Landor Publishing has left all this sort of thing to chance so I for one will eagerly await my copy of New Transit when it arrives. But, what do blog readers here think? We offered them a chance to complete a brief survey open from 0700 Wednesday to 0659 Friday 3-5 May 2009.
About one third of respondents felt that New Transit print/web will continue to offer value for money at £95 p.a. About half did not.
If Landor Publish finds this slightly uncomfortable, staff there will be happier with the answer to the second question. Nearly three quarters of respondents agreed that comment & analysis was Transit’s strength and that by concentrating thereon the magazine was moving in the right direction.
Over half of respondents felt that a web-based news delivery service was the best way forward, though here, a significant proportion questioned the £95 p.a. subscription. About one third felt news was best delivered both online and in print.

Finally, about 20 per cent of respondents would have preferred more notice of the change. About one third classed themselves as “unhappy” at the change whereas only slightly more than a tenth were content. About a sixth were contemplating cancelling, or so they said.

So, what is this saying? Because we’re all used to and benefit from the current setup and probably rate Old Transit above other printed sources, there’s an understandable resistance to change. Landor Publishing has anticipated a certain degree of opposition but, in the words of Justin Andrew, Landor’s web services manager, “we think the improvements to TransportXtra and the e-newsletter service will become assets that subscribers will really value.” Undoubtedly. We can sample the web side of things now but the problem for subscribers at the moment is that we can only speculate upon what the printed version may look like…
Most respondents kept to thw quantative questions. Here, nevertheless, is a flavour of *qualitative* comments received (and I paraphrase)...

• Rip off (several)
• Needs a sweetener e.g. 15 months for the price of 12
• Should keep some news as it’s always factual (several)
• routeONE & CBW are better placed than Transit to offer a printed news service
• Reserve judgement till we see the printed version (several)
• Read news when I have the time so favour print over web

Recessionary Times

The recession and a pending loss of council contract work seemingly claimed its latest casualty this week. Yesterday, Essex council stepped in to secure the bus services formerly operated by 60-vehicle Stansted Transit. Established in 2001, Stansted operated half a dozen routes at largely hourly intervals, others less frequently and school buses. A lower cost operator, the improving Stansted Transit was using a mixed fleet, including a small number of young Enviro 200s, some of which were reported as already gone before the closure. Its website had not been refreshed since February 2007 with news last updated in 2006.

(Updated 7 June 2009)

The Wow Factor

A £2.4mil investment. In Swanage. Wow. With the arrival of the first Wilts & Dorset Scania/Optare Olympuses, the conversion of an entire garage from the rather ordinary… to the very exciting is now well underway.

Buses for the W&D Swanage services are progressively entering service, not in the red & dark blue you might expect, but a modern and wholly appropriate mid-blue and light green that compliments the vehicles’ modern looking front and the routes upon which they will work: the 50 Bournemouth-Sandbanks-Swanage and 40 Poole-Wareham-Swanage.

And very striking they look, too. The name “Purbeck Breezer” takes its cue from Southern Vectis, as does the individual branding though, of course, SVOC itself has moved away from what it felt was a once fashionable route branding—with the exception of the open tops, in SVOC’s case to differentiate step entrance buses from a low floor standard brand.

Three are conventional for use on the 40 and six are convertibles. That leaves three and these are the most interesting. They are semi-open tops with their lockable doors that mean the upper open element can be made inaccessible. This is a pragmatic solution avoiding the need to remove and refit roofs while providing more capacity in winter than a midibus. Open top transport can then be provided at the shoulders of the season, as weather permits. In their winter format, are these Dorset’s first double deck midibuses?

As you can see from the pictures, the bus and Impressive livery are very much in balance.

And there’s a certain irony in the investment when you consider Transdev Yellow Buses will no longer operate open tops. But there are good reasons why one should be expanding while the other contracts. The results is a seasonal half-hourly service where once it was hourly.

Just think, it wasn’t so long ago that Hants & Dorset operated Bristol/ECW LHs with cutaway fronts (without ferry lifts) on the Sandbanks ferry. Buses seating just 43 as once the Bristols did can no longer cope on hot sunny days on the 50 (147 & later 150 back then). More on this conundrum in the recent & valuable comments to this blog post. (Thank you to all who’ve commented).

If passenger growth of the kind experienced on sunny days (without the largest weather-related spikes experienced on the Isle of Wight) can’t justify such a hearty investment here, where can it?

i Pictures by Leanne Hurley (used with permission)