Please Stop Using Bus Passes - Transport Secretary

hardpressed

A bus costs the same to run whether it has one passenger or is full, round our way you can't use a bus pass during peak times. There is one bus here that regularly only has one passenger on for the whole journey and she has a bus pass, but that bus has to run regardless, even if there are no passengers.

System

So popular is the service X53, Exeter to Poole, especially the bit from Weymouth to Wareham (for Swanage changeover), that they now have two buses running many days and they're all full of silverhaired pass holders, so they wouldn't run a second bus if they were running at a loss.

Mr_Oink

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

without the subsidy there would be NO late night / early morning bus services, and possibly none outside of rush hours because they just don't pay their way!

Then increase the cost of the fares! It's not right that people who have no need or interest in using buses find they have to subsidise them! It's almost akin to saying 'You don't live in my house - would you mind paying towards my mortgage each month?' :rotfl:

Really - these are *private* businesses - make it a condition of awarding them an operating licence - run *all* the services or we give the licence to somebody else

<START RANT>
Personally I think many bus companies get an easy ride of it with laws and rules flexed to suit their costs and commercial needs ahead of safety:

:eek:I find it somewhat bizarre that a lorry driver transporting Banana's around the UK can drive for fewer hours without a break than a bus driver with a vehicle full of people.

:eek:I find it bizarre that a lorry driver needs to have a tacho to prove he is not over his hours, when bus drivers do not.

:eek:I find it extremely bizarre that some County Council's subsidise school buses with operators like Stagecoach and then dress them up as 'public services' to be legally exonerated for the need to provide seat belts.

If I drive down the road in a 10 year old car containing four people, none of whom are wearing seatbelts, we are all breaking the law. However, I can cram 90 kids on a double decker bus and call it a 'public service' and it's quite legal.
<END RANT>

When I get my day as God, I've got lots to do first - but Brian Souter would be one of my first targets for a sacrificial crucifixion!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I could also mention the scam Stagecoach pulled last weekend to long distance bus people to Silverstone without the need for a tacho (It's something they do on a regular basis when providing long distance services and rail replacement.) - but suffice to say if I just leave it at calling them 'artful dodgers' or 'creative routing' that will be charitable.

Mr_Oink

hardpressed wrote: »

A bus costs the same to run whether it has one passenger or is full, round our way you can't use a bus pass during peak times. There is one bus here that regularly only has one passenger on for the whole journey and she has a bus pass, but that bus has to run regardless, even if there are no passengers.

I don't think that statement is technically correct. If you have a full bus it is under more load and will use more fuel. Making lots of frequent stops for more passengers could potentially lead to late running with associated knock on costs such as overtime payments.

Again this is all a bit OT

Savvy_Sue

Mr_Oink wrote: »

Then increase the cost of the fares! It's not right that people who have no need or interest in using buses find they have to subsidise them! It's almost akin to saying 'You don't live in my house - would you mind paying towards my mortgage each month?' :rotfl:

Any more than it's right that you should pay towards your local fire brigade when you never have a fire, or your local police station when you're never a victim of crime, or your local schools when you don't have children, or any of the well rehearsed arguments about local services. Which is very off topic.

I bet the bus companies would love to charge more for late and early services. As it is they already charge more if you want to travel in the rush hour. But it costs enough as it is - £3.50 for a single, I think (I buy pre-paid tickets). There were two of us on my bus home last night, about 7.30, an hour before the service stops. When shall we make the cut off point? I know, let's just double ALL the prices! That'd help ...

I agree with some of your rant about school buses, if it helps.

Mr_Oink

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Any more than it's right that you should pay towards your local fire brigade when you never have a fire, or your local police station when you're never a victim of crime, or your local schools when you don't have children, or any of the well rehearsed arguments about local services. Which is very off topic.

As Homer Simpson once said 'You bought all these smoke alarms we've never had a fire....'

There are 'essential' services and there are private 'transport' businesses - the two are not the same and you are intelligent enough to know your own analogy fails to stack up there Sue :-) Where there is insufficient demand perhaps instead of subsidising routes, drop them and let people use taxis/scooters/bikes/their own two feet? Perhaps we should subsidise other failing private businesses like Banks ? Bet that's popular :-)

Like you say - it's all a bit OT and I don't want to get into a row with you about it - if it helps Problem with passionate beliefs is I tend to rant... sorry...

dzug1

Mr_Oink wrote: »

Personally I find it a bit rum that County Councils use local charge payers money to subsidise routes run by the likes of Stagecoach. They need to take the rough with the smooth as operators and 'if I were God' I'd fix that before rolling up my sleeves on pensioner bus passes ;-)

Doesn't work like that.

County Councils specify a service requirement for routes or services that no-one has taken up commercially - or that a commercial operator has given up/is about to give up on.

They put them out to tender - to see who will run them for the least subsidy. Sometimes Stagecoach win - more often (round here anyway) it's a small private operator with clapped out buses.

thorsoak

I'll make a deal with Mr Hammond ....when he stops claiming parliamentary allowances, then I'll stop using my bus pass! In actual fact, I think I've only used it half a dozen times since I got it - because the buses don't go where I want them to go, when I want to go - and so I have to drive and pay to park!

It's the "let them eat cake" mentality surfacing!

Farway

islandman wrote: »

So popular is the service X53, Exeter to Poole, especially the bit from Weymouth to Wareham (for Swanage changeover), that they now have two buses running many days and they're all full of silverhaired pass holders, so they wouldn't run a second bus if they were running at a loss.

Similar round here, the 400 from Southsea to Brighton is now every 15 mins, was 30, mind you it takes 4 hours for the whole journey according to the time table, so doubt many silver haired passholders travel the entire distance

System

and I bet they do. I overheard another of us oldies telling someone she had been all the way to Poole and only bought an evening paper. Beats popping out to the corner shop for one.