Great Western Coffee Shop

A bit of history on Bristol Buses....racism ruled 50 years ago....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23795655

Indeed it did - the unions were right behind the bosses!

took 'em 50 years to apologise, I note.....

Hmm... actually I think the normally-reliable Morning Star is being a bit disingenuous; I have a sneaking feeling that the unions actually led here..!

Edit: wikipedia agrees:

About sorting the racism or apologising? Certainly not the former....

In being racist! See my edit above.

Edit: N.B. when I say 'led', I don't mean to attach any postive connotation to the word.

Indeed, the BBC article concurs too

And as the BBC article mentions, many Bristol streets and landmarks are named after slave trader, Edward Colston.

Yes, he was very philanthropic and altruistic, but that doesn't hide the fact he made that money from slavery.

I, for one, was glad that the new shopping centre wasn't named after him.

Was there a suggestion that it might have been? Wasn't the original plan to call it the Merchants Quarter (with no apostroscope)?

I agree that we should be careful not to appear to celebrate people who don't match up to today's impeccable standards of moral rectitude in public life, though probably the best way to achieve this is to follow the motor industry and just give everything a made-up name or a number.

Good call.

So let's have Alystro Hall in the centre and The Zan'zuri Girl's School on Cheltenham Road.

From the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-28949801):

From Bristol Live (https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/first-buses-hit-rock-lobbing-5155870)


When I post news on the forum, I do not usually post my views initially but rather leave it to members to come in first.  I am going to make an exception in this case - in my view throwing rocks at buses and racially abusing staff is unacceptable, and those responsible should be sought out by the authorities and brought to justice.

I will read any "likes" on this post as an endorsement of my view and NOT in support of the perpetrators

Unfortunately this sort of thing is nothing new. Have a read of some of the Flickr captions posted by Stephen Dowle aka Fray Bentos describing his time on Bristol's buses.

Fred Wedlock also did a comedy song back in the 60s which contained the lines:

"If you want a bus to Southmead, I'm afraid you'll have to wait
For the crew on the seven thirty are riding shotgun on the ten past eight"

One of those gags that contained a grain of truth, I'm afraid

This sort of criminal behaviour seems to be on the increase. In general, not just against public transport.

The answer in my view is not to withdraw services (except perhaps in a very short term emergency) but more police patrols to deter or catch the criminals, and stiffer sentances by the courts.

It's happened before and First Bristol have warned of suspending services before.  There comes a point when the safety of both the drivers and passengers makes this necessary, if only temporarily and that point seems to have been reached unless things change very quickly and in a sustained manner.
What dismays just as much is the young age of some of the culprits.  I've witnessed (in Bristol but not in Hartcliffe) stones being thrown at buses by youths appearing not even yet to have reached their teens.

I would support short prison terms for stone throwers and the like.

Much is made of the huge costs of imprisionment, and lack of space in prisons. I could run basic prisons very cheaply by eliminating most of the present costs.

A simple concrete cell with a barred window, a WC, a cold water tap, and a bench.
Give the prisoner a blanket and two packets of biscuits, and lock them up for from 24 to 72 hours according to the nature of the offence.
Provide an intercom or alarm button for use in case of emergency. Add 6 hours for each misuse of this.

No education, counselling, training, exercise or other facilities need be provided, it is only for up to 72 hours. No drink needed beyond the cold water tap. No food needed apart from a couple of packs of biscuits. No kitchens, workshops, classrooms, or the like are needed.
They can pray to any god, but no facilities for religous obseervance need be provided.
No visitors, therefore no need for any visiting facilities. No heating or electricity supply needed. (allow two blankets in very cold weather)

After releasing the convict, pressure wash the cell and launder the blanket. Very little else is required.

I wrote "and punished to the full extent of the law" and replaced it by "and brought to justice" in my post at yesterday lunchtime. "Let the punishment fit the crime" reminds me - I'm sorry - of a Victorian comic opera and is an oversimplification. Follow up needs to fit and consider the offender, the deterrence of others, the effect on other involved, the budget, the humanity and to a degree the offence. I am not saying "be soft" - rather "be effective in outcomes".

In the case of Hareclive Road.
  Bristol Buses we all love you in your British Racing Green
    When we're waiting at the bus stop Seldom Heard and never Scene.

It is shocking, but sadly not new, as has been pointed out. First pulled out of Inns Court at one point for very similar reasons. There have been other hotspots in the BS13 area - the spanky new bus shelters installed a few years ago were trashed long before the first bus arrived. Hareclive Road hasn't featured prominently in past times. The remedy should lie with the people who live in the area, not the powers that be, but that is far easier said than done.

on 8th July,some nice film footage on the local news of the bus going over the pride crossing in Wine street Bristol.

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/im-not-a-bus-enthusiast-i-just-like-buses/?ct=t(B247_newsletter_180721)&mc_cid=62fd02d016&mc_eid=86ae7efe71

Or, to expand a little:

Source: Bristol City Council (https://news.bristol.gov.uk/news/new-cabinet-member-will-move-transport-forward-in-bristol)

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees took on this role after Cllr Kye Dodd lost his seat in the recent council elections, but has now passed it on to Cllr Alexander.

on monday 19 july about the wearing of face masks on public transport and also doing the travel updates for the region.

I guess that most local and and national news organisations will be sending reporters down to bus and railway stations to assess the situation and produce a predictable balance of vox pops about the wearing or otherwise of face-masks.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect will be the size of the increase in numbers returning to work by public transport.

Tuesday 3 August on the John Darvel show from 10:00am

john darvell show on monday morning from 10:00am

https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/news-and-service-updates/current-issues/service-cancellations-red-weather

being reported on BBC points west local news on Thursday morning.

Didn't know anything about it,did any one?

Stagecoach blame the disruption due to on going covid issues.

planned for TUESDAY 10th May from 10:00am

on Monday 9th May,sorry, forgot to post on monday morning.

Well, that's a teaser!  :) Why, I wondered, so Googled: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/stagecoach-bus-services-cancelled-bristol-7055255 (https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/stagecoach-bus-services-cancelled-bristol-7055255)

...and to spare anyone else having to wait for one of those infernal <Townname>Live websites complete with endless adverts and videos to load, the gist of it is:
"The transport company has issued an apology as more than 40 journeys which were scheduled to happen throughout the day have been abandoned. Stagecoach's website says that the disruption has been partly caused by staff shortages. "

No problem for me. Admittedly it's "my" link but it loads within seconds. I do have Adblock Plus installed.

https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/routes-and-maps/yate-park-ride

after 09:00am on Monday morning(30 may 2022)

to take place on Sunday 31st July at Brislington Park and Ride BS4 5LR

https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/plan-journey/north-somerset-free-travel-day-tuesday-26-july

with the rail strike on wednesday, maybe its an encouragement to use the bus's on the wednesday.

St Augustine’s Church, 2 East Dundry Road, Whitchurch, BS14 0LL
wednesday 3 Aug 2022 at 18:30 to 3 Aug 2022 at 20:30

Brook Way Activity Centre, Brook Way, Bradley Stoke, BS32 9DA
Thursday 4 Aug 2022 at 18:30 to 4 Aug 2022 at 20:30

Received a WECA eNewsletter in my emails a while back which included the following regarding a bus consultation:

"Metro Mayor Dan Norris wants local people to be a key part of the important conversation about the future of public transport across the West of England.

He will kick off the discussion by holding a series of “big choices on buses” public meetings in Yate, Southdown, Whitchurch and Bradley Stoke in the first week of August."

After that was the following link leading to a questionnaire:

https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/transport/bus/big-choices-on-buses/?dm_i=7AGD,8BXN,1LV3X9,ZKE0,1

It occurred to me while reading through it that because I've only used buses in Bristol a handful of times since effectively retiring three and a half years ago (I've used the bus services in South Devon more) and despite not driving a car, I really couldn't give meaningful answers to the questions.

There's a bit about the WECA/Metro Mayor event at Yate in Bristol Live on this link:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/villagers-living-just-eight-miles-7416217

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-62397167

Radio Bristol reporting there were approx 120 visitors to the event in Whitchurch.

Experienced it for the first time a couple of days ago,its okay,but I wish there was another "tap out" point.

Some passengers were having a problem with not being able to tap out (for what ever reason).

A queue then built up with approx six passngers trying to get off as well trying to "tap out"

Not sure if it is the same system as in Swindon, but here if there are issues with tapping out on the usual reader you can also use the one in the driver's cab where you tapped in.

I didn't know Bristol even had tap in, tap out. I see it was introduced on 17 July. As the last time I took a bus was in February, I presume that means July this year – but maybe not!
https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/tickets/new-tickets-more-choice/tap-tap

Shame it doesn't work for three-stop hops. As the WsM and WoE fares differ by distance or zone, it seems the system does know where you're tapping in and out, so is there a reason for excluding the three-stop hop?

Yes, July 2022. I've used it and it worked OK. Slightly oddly, it seems to charge you an initial 10p and then sort out the true fare later.

It does seem odd that it can't work out that you've done a 3-stop hop, though I presume they have their reasons... also it doesn't cater for children or young adults.

I can understand that it can't differentiate between children and adults, as it doesn't know who's holding the card. The bank presumably knows the age of the card's owner but probably won't divulge it to third parties and in any case can't confirm that a card registered to Mr R. Squirrel was not actually being used by Master Kit Squirrel, or vice versa.

Borrowing an extremely cynical hat from other parts of the forum: people who know the system and know where they're going will ask the driver for a 3-stop hop. Others will be content to suck up the 90p for the convenience of tapping in and out. People making irregular short trips are less likely to hit the £5.30 daily cap, so the effective average price per user is raised.

Yes; First would have to set up a system where users registered a card and then declared themself to be a student, child or other concession. Which is sort of what TfL do, isn't it? I can see that First may not want the added complication of this, but I wonder if the benefits of making buses easier for young people to use (and maybe gaining lifelong passengers) might outweigh these costs?

I thought TfL simply didn't charge children? Maybe it's changed, haven't been to London for a while.

15 August at midday,about planned cuts to bus services.

And after years of saying what a good idea tap-in-tap-out would be for Bristol, it has finally arrived, but I won't be using it. My days of paying for bus travel are behind me, and I now refuse to out before 9.30.

Refuse to go out or just not up by 9.30?  ;D

If your in Cornwall,bus pass's are valid from first thing in the morning 24/7

Sadly, not in Devon yet, and won't be if I visit Bristol. Plus, you still need a bus.

TfL don't do discounts on bank card travel, only on Oyster. For security and data protection the processing that works out what fares to charge for a day or week's travel on a bank card (or phone etc) is kept entirely separate from the bit that is eventually told to bill the passenger's bank account for that travel.  The fare bit deliberately has no way of knowing who the person is and so can't charge for a child or for having a Railcard.  They're working towards possibly doing something to link the two in a secure way but there may well end up being just too many hoops to jump through.  Rather more likely is some form of virtual card on a phone, holding any discount entitlement, that could then be linked to a bank account for billing.

I think they do - try looking at the TfL fare finder (https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares/single-fare-finder). I chose randomly, picking Euston station to liverpool Street station. An adult single fare is £6.30 cash, but "only" £2.50 by Oyster OR contactless card.

I think the Oyster discounts referred to are things like adding a railcard to your Oyster for the discount.

Correct. If you select any discount on the TfL Single fare finder it labels the result only as Oyster, whereas a full adult also shows Contactless.

Ah - I get it.

Tapping in and out aside, the card reader on the pillar next to the door. Anyone else think its placement is a bit iffy as thats actually intended as a handhold?

To add to this, the rather aggressive edge to the rigid pinky purple plastic notice that wraps round the card reader is a bit of a meat slicer even before the bus driver has to do an emergency stop etc.

If you're fortunate enough to board one of those smaller Optare buses and there's someone sitting in the sideways seat at the front nearest the card reader, do admire the position of their head relative to the well supported plastic blade.

All fittings on the bus with rounded edges, and then someone adds this...

Mark

First, though, you need a bus. While the Bristol mayor is working out his lame duck period, drawing fantasy underground lines in crayon on local maps, First Bus and another of the local mayors are busy cutting the existing services, according to the Bristol Post (https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/anger-over-plans-axe-18-7517381).


The article continues at source, with First saying they can't say anything until they have finished the consultation, but a lack of drivers is apparently to blame. The Post's commitment to "Quality with a Capital K" journalism is evident, with no expense incurred in trawling the internet for comments by agry locals. The article adds:


Marvin might doodle and dream of mass transit, but the reality seems to be transit mess.

TBF nearly every bus does seem to carry an advert along the lines of "If you'd like a job where you sit down and chat to people, come and be a bus driver." I guess we're all just so antisocial nowadays...  ::)

The bus drivers with HGV on their licence who wanted to work with people seem to have been attracted back to driving lorries by the increased pay being offered by hauliers, in particular store chains, and the fact that their cargo doesn't insult or attack them.

It isn't just buses. I recently signed up to a local service, part of a national franchise. The first email I got was the standard "Welcome, our local team will be in touch soon". The second was "We are hiring in your local area".

Yep. I know someone who, having been a kitchen fitter for a firm that went bust during the pandemic, took an HGV course a few months ago and is now doing agency work in the Midlands for one of the big parcel firms, earning far more than he ever did fitting kitchens.

Monday 5th septemmber from 10:00am

Wednesday 30 november from midday.

Thread reminded me of something I saw on the local news recently; FirstBus to end all services in Southampton:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-63797546

Hopefully Bristol's outlook is brighter.

in the City of Winchester,even he knows what a shambles Bristol transport is.

News item on Radio Bristol on Thursday 22 december

James Freeman? He’s been driving buses in the Winchester area pretty much since his retirement. Some people just can’t retire it seems and he’s come back to being just a driver

Anyone who has heard James Freeman speak will know that his first, foremost and quite possibly only love is driving buses.

He’s always the first one on the driving roster for heritage events too. As you say Froome it’s his passion and hobby as well as his career.

There are many others just like him. Look at many of us in the heritage bus preservation world, we are lucky enough to have day jobs in our hobby and interest. Many of my preservation friends spend their working life driving the modern stuff in service and majority of their spare time working on heritage stuff whether that’s mechanical, cosmetic or driving at rally’s and running days.
Just attend a running day event like Penzance (3rd Sunday April every year) or Isle of Wight may and October events, and look at the huge numbers of volunteers and enthusiasts to realise that buses are a huge hobby in this country.

Report from a meeting in Keynsham today ... all "as I understand it from the reports"

Weca has NOT renewed contracts on supported bus routes. They have voted in favour of converting the majority of supported bus services in the area to a DRT system.  Affected services include 5/47 22 96 172 174 178 179 506 513 514 516 672.  They are now going to do the final planning for the DRT system to start, from nothing in two months time. They have finance for 2 years.

Concerns:
How will it be financed after the 2 years?
How will it be set up so quickly?
Will DRT work for these service - is it practical?

It has been suggested by cynics that the mllions that WECA have received under Bus Back Better cannot be spent on supporting existing servives, so they're scrapping existing sevices and introducting new service which they can then support from that money.

There ARE good cases for replacing / revamping some services, but on this scale it looks like madness to me!

DRT: Directly regulated transport?

Demand Responsive Transport - sorry - should have clarified.   Not a fixed route at a fixed time - you phone (or text or use an app) to arrange for the bus to go your way and pick you up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand-responsive_transport

From Citistar on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/citistar/posts/pfbid031hAV8A8qmWcK483R2Zng27pFoifWgVMisSiXYDZZ13Ewaw5iEYkZ4dUYhgFn8LUQl)

Wow! That's some passenger numbers being dispossessed - and will probably need the largest DRT operation in the country to cover everyone.

One correction - it won't mean DRT buses are much more modern & comfortable - see various blogs on the Bus & Train User website for photos. But my concern definitely stands...

Bristol Live (https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-west-england-bus-cuts-8049830) not exactly impressed

According to Dan Norris on Radio Bristol this morning, some of the cuts are down to the three councils concerned not increasing their bus funding, contrary to previous promises.

So it's flexible, can pick you up more or less when you want and presumably from your door, or nearby? That's good. But for each journey, you won't know the route or how long it will take? So totally unusable for commuting, hospital appointments, catching a train, etc.

The wonders of a complex system in which the buck can be passed around and the public doesn't know who the ***'s really responsible for an alteration and ends up feeling short changed and confused.

In the right place and properly organised, DRT can work - especially with modern technology to help.  But I'm utterly not convinced about this setup;  I hope it's just because I'm uninformed on the details and how they'll be addressing the issues that others have started to mention.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/accessible-minibus-service-bristol-scrapped-8073257?utm_source=bristol_live_newsletter&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter2&utm_medium=email

comment on the article


OR ... will DRT in the WECA area be picking up all these people being deprived of their community service?

Before I reply to the quote below I have heard from more than one source that Stagecoach have picked up at least four routes in the WECA retendering. These are, from what I understand:

- Portway Park & Ride
- Brislington Park & Ride
- Service 47 (Bristol - Yate, via. Emersons Green)
- Service 505 (Long Ashton Park & Ride - Southmead Hospital)

Of their existing routes - services 10, 11, 13, 462, 513, 514, 622, 663, 664 & 665 - I know not. Although it is true that some are being withdrawn there were, from what I could see on the list, replacements in the offing for some of those routes: see below.


Although this list is not good there were, from what I could tell, replacements in the pipeline for some of the routes in that list albeit under different route numbers. The list on the WECA minutes included the following routes:

517 (Chew Magna - Wells) (part replacement of 672?)
518 (Midsomer Norton - Radstock) - could be replacement for the 82 if it served Paulton.
519 (K'ham) (Chocolate Quarter - High St - Charlton Rd - Queens Rd - High St - Wellsway - Minsmere Rd - High St - Chocolate Quarter) (replacing 663-665?)
520 (Southmead - Longwell Green) (not sure about this one)
521 (Hengrove Park - Brislington) (probably combining 513, 514 & 516 into one route?)
522 (Brislington Park & Ride - Paulton - Odd Down Park & Ride) (replacing 178?)
523 (Brislington Circular) (probably part replacing 513 & 514?)
524 (Long Ashton Park & Ride - Hengrove Park, via. SBL) (new route)
525 (Emersons Green - Yate) (replacement of Service 86?)
526 (Chew Valley Link) (part replacement of 672?)
527 (Chew Magna - Bristol, Anchor Road) (part replacement of 672?)

I don't know if these are the planned DRT routes or whether they will materialise or who will run them though: the registrations will appear soon enough though and tell us who has won what and the final date for registratons to be with the TC to ensure a prompt start date was 20th January but I have not seen any registrations yet.

HTIOI,
Dave

https://www.facebook.com/ReclaimOurBuses

How does franchising buses tackle the issues of unreliability caused by congestion, streetworks etc, the shortage of drivers and the ability of any ability of local authorities to support services from already stretched budgets?

On the assumption that you want a bus service that's reliable, and takes people where they [want/need] to go when the [want/need] to go, these issues you list are amongst those that much be tacked by any system. That whether you have buses run in-house by a governmental authority, run under franchises operated by a local authority, running commercially under a regulated system, or as a free-for-all where anyone can just buy a bus and carry passengers.

No coverage on ITV west or BBC local television news channels.

tuesday 23 may at 10:00am

Talking about what?

Not much info, man.  ::)

The West of England Combined Authority have announced that bus users can apply for a pass valid for free bus travel in the WECA area during the month of their birthday. The scheme starts on 1st July 2023.

WECA covers Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Anyone living in those areas can apply for the pass for the month of their birthday, by providing proof of address and date of birth. A 'Birthday Bus' website is due to go live soon.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-65690176

What a fun idea to promote bus travel. Although I suppose the cakes in the photo do not actually come with the pass.

1. Why do buses frequently just disappear from the display at bus stops? @Janneruk4

“This is something often referred to as ghost buses, where they appear on the app or on display screens and then suddenly disappear. There are a number of reasons this may happen; buses may suffer a fault which means they suddenly need to be taken out of service or a driver may have reported sick at short notice.

“Whatever the reason, we know how annoying this can be and we are taking steps to reduce the times that this occurs; we have hired additional staff to update the screens live and we are looking at how we can improve our technology to get information to customers as quickly as possible. But in some cases, having to take buses out of service can be very sudden and unexpected.”

2. Why is St Anne’s so poorly served by First? @PourMeAGin

“It’s sad to hear that some people think there is a poor service in this area. St Anne’s has its own dedicated service, the number 36, which offers a journey in and out of the city centre every half hour, and hourly on Sundays.”

3. How did one of your buses recently get stolen and driven all the way to Wiltshire? @char1iewatts

“That incident is currently being investigated by the police and, while I’m not trying to dodge the question, we’re restricted in what we can say while that investigation is ongoing.”

4. You’ve cut some services on the outskirts of Bristol that have meant older people have lost some independence. Do you understand what it means to them? @JaneConway18

“I completely understand how important transport routes are for those who rely on them. But, at the same time, we have to juggle the funding available to us with providing services where they are needed and will be used.

“It’s simply impossible for us to provide a bus in every neighbourhood across our area and, with limited funding coupled with lower passenger numbers post the pandemic, making decisions on routes is becoming harder.

“That said, our recent changes in the West of England, which included increasing a number of services and extending the 73 service in the north of the city after discussions with the local community, shows that we are listening and doing all we can to save routes, even if that means slightly adjusting services.

“But I have to stress that in order for these new and existing routes to work, the public has to use them to save them.”

5. Why do bus drivers think they own the road? @f19_dan

“The question sounds like it’s from someone who has had a bad experience with one of our drivers, and I apologise if that’s the case. Thankfully, complaints about our drivers are in the minority. Our drivers go on extensive training before taking to the roads in buses, and we have good processes in place to monitor how they’re doing. That said, it is important to recognise that buses are on our roads to help those who don’t have access to other modes of transport, to encourage people out of their cars, especially in cities where congestion can be a problem, and to help our natural environment by reducing our carbon footprint. It’s therefore important that motorists recognise this and, where they can, give way to bus drivers to allow them to carry out this important service.”

6. How much are you paid? @florenz0

“With the fear of sounding like a stereotypical politician, while I won’t go into the detail of my pay, let’s just say that pay for my role as a managing director, which is in charge of a £200m business, is benchmarked against other similar roles.”

7. Why is the Airport Flyer ticket so expensive? @smythonian1

“The Airport Flyer is one that is provided for and managed by the airport and we provide the bus and driver to deliver the service, so any decision on ticket prices is down to the airport.”

8. How do you get to work and what sort of car do you drive? @ranger1uk

“Like many others in this post-Covid world, some of my work can be done from home. However, because of the nature of our work and the fact I live just north of Bristol, I take the bus or train as much as I can. Like many of my colleagues, who also use our buses, this is why making changes to services or seeing buses running late or not showing up can also have a real personal effect, so we’re very often walking in our customers’ shoes.”

9. What is your favourite bus route and why? Anna Vines via email

“It has to be the 376 service, which is a great trip out to Wells, Glastonbury and Street, where there is lots to do and very scenic – in fact, it was named one of the country’s most picturesque bus routes. I’d recommend it for anyone who wants to escape the city for a bit. And also, don’t forget to take advantage of the £2 fare – the 376 is our longest route at about 30 miles, so you’d be getting the best value out of your £2, which works out at about 7p per mile.”

10. What are your thoughts on bus franchising for the South West? @Aden_Harris_

“Like my colleagues, I’m passionate about getting more people to use buses. First Bus has years of experience of running buses, so we have a deep understanding of what customers want, where routes are best placed to attract the most people and how we can get even more people to use public transport. Whichever way the authorities decide to go in the South West, we’ll use our decades of experience delivering high quality bus services to support them. In the meantime, I’ll continue working closely with local authorities and communities and remain flexible so we can meet the changing needs of our local areas.”

T

I made the mistake once of using the number 36 to get to a hospital appointment in Hengrove, for which I was advised against using the car. I arrived 45 minutes late. They were very understanding - "Happens all the time". Going home, I took a bus to the centre then one back to Brislington, which was much quicker. Half-hourly isn't what I would think appropriate for a bus service within a city, and the question isn't answered. Unless the answer is "You get what you're given, so shut up."

I like his reticence on point 6 re: his salary - ironically the salaries of politicians, stereotypical or otherwise, are a matter of public record!

5. Sounds like it’s come from a car driver who lacks patience. As a bus driver elsewhere a percentage of car drivers seem to have the mentality they must be in front of the bus at any cost. The amount of times I see cars recklessly overtake or obstruct passage along a bus lane by straddling the line is unbelievable
Highway Code 223 stipulates you should give way to buses, coaches and trams, another item many car drivers fail to do.

A question I would have liked to have asked is what is the company's strategy for electric buses, given the recent planning application for Hengrove depot. Is that it, are buses on order, will other depots convert, plus when will the first First electric (proper, not the UWE trial) run.

Good question. I’ve ridden a few electric buses and from the passenger viewpoint they’re much better than diesel - much quieter, and without the vibration. I was disappointed when Bristol plumped for gas-powered buses a few years ago.

To be honest, I think that may have been a lucky delay. Bus, battery, and charging technology all seem to have taken a leap forward in the past few years, and electric buses are not the niche product they were when First introduced their early virtue-signalling vehicles in 2016. Those were basically plug-in hybrids,, and had a half-hour charge stop at UWE after each gruelling 15-mile round trip. Newer electric buses are pure electric with a 200-mile range, making it a good thing that they waited. I would imagine that the financial side of buying 130 new buses to replace 130 perfectly serviceable buses takes a bit of doing too, probably involving talking to DfT and lots of councils to try to get some cash and willing customers for cascaded kit.

The worst thing about the gas buses is the constant banging on about them being the "poo buses" running on gas from the sewage plant, as though the gas produced by said plant was being fed directly into the buses rather than pumped into the gas grid. It is good that the waste product of our collective waste product is being used, but it still would be if First didn't renew the contract when it expires. It's like those 100% renewable electricity contracts - an accounting trick, enabling power that would be used anyway to be sold at a premium in some cases. The other bad thing about the gas bus is that it still emits the dreaded CO₂, although not so much of the other rubbish pumped out by diesel engines. At least they weren't gullible enough to buy hydrogen buses.

A scrutiny report for WECA concludes that the scheme has benefited the better off more than less well off.
Other aspects of the Metro Mayor's bus initiatives are also questioned. 

I suppose there's always some element of trial and error with new initiatives and it remains to be seen what's going to be changed and what's to be abandoned.

The Beeb's report on it below:


https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-68068983.amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17064711141357&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com

https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/news/big-choices-citizens-panel-on-bus-services/

[Edit: - Subject changed to clarify the topic - Red Squirrel]

To, erhem, expand on this a little:

Source: West of England COmbineed Aithority (https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/news/big-choices-citizens-panel-on-bus-services/)

https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/plan-journey/get-out-and-about/travel-free-m2-metrobus

Edit - changed Subject for clarity (Red Squirrel)

If you can take advantage of this, do. if nothing else, you'll see at first hand what happens when local transport decisions are shaped by the need to bid for prescribed government funding.

Source (with more details, and map): First Bus (https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/plan-journey/get-out-and-about/travel-free-m2-metrobus)

https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/plan-journey/weston-bus/free-travel-days-north-somerset (https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/plan-journey/weston-bus/free-travel-days-north-somerset)

to promote and advise on bus's in the Somerset area.

Takes place in Wells on Saturday August 3rd 2024,can't find a location(outside town hall?) or meeting time.

But will make the journey on the 376 and enjoy the views from the top deck