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Title: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on March 17, 2014, 12:23:02 From First Bus: (http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/travel_news/news_initiatives/?item=16751&conf=0)
Quote from: First Bus A number of changes are being made to bus services in and around Bath and in parts of Somerset and Wiltshire from 13 April as First alters its local network. Among the changes First is renumbering some of its services between Bath and Bristol so that buses travelling in similar directions will have similar, sequential numbers. Specifically services 332, 338, 339 (all of which travel between Bath and Bristol) are being renumbered to operate as Services 37, 38 and 39/X39 from April. These changes will make it easier for people to remember the numbers of the routes they want to use. In addition to this, a number of timetable changes are being made. In some places the frequency of buses is being improved, while elsewhere frequencies are being reduced to better match resources against the level of demand for services. In some places routes are changing slightly. Talking about the changes, Simon Ford, Commercial Manager for First in the West of England, says: "We're changing a number of our routes in April. In some cases we've reacted to customer requests for changes -for instance renumbering and retiming one morning and afternoon journey between Wells and Bridgwater to help people in the Somerset Levels travel to and from work more easily by bus - but elsewhere changes are designed to respond more to the changing demand for our services. "Some buses are being renumbered so that buses travelling in similar directions will have similar, sequential numbers. While we recognise that some changes can initially be a bit confusing, over time this will make it simpler for people to remember bus numbers more readily. "In Somerset there are a couple of significant changes. Firstly, following customer requests were reinstating one morning and afternoon Service 375 journey through villages between Wells and Bridgwater, to help people travel to and from work by bus. Elsewhere we are altering the route of Service 267 from April, which means that buses will travel directly between Woolverton and Beckington and will no longer serve Rode. This change is being made to cut the overall journey time and because passenger numbers in Rode are very low. "The new timetables for all the affected services will be available on our website, www.firstgroup.com/bath, by mid March and available to pick up from First Travel Shops by the beginning of April." ***IMPORTANT NOTE*** In addition to the changes detailed below, further changes affecting Services 37 and 319 are expected to be made in the coming days in response to the closure for six months of the A431 in Kelston. The detail of these changes will be publicised shortly. Specific changes affected buses in and around Bath and parts of Somerset and Wiltshire and, from April Service 1 (Combe Down - Upper Weston): In order to reduce congestion at Bath Bus Station the timetable of this service is being adjusted. From April journeys across all days of operation and in both directions will be brought forward by 15 minutes. Customers are advised to check the new timetable carefully to understand how the alterations may affect them. In addition to this, journeys towards Combe Down will no longer stop in the bus station but instead will use stops outside it on Dorchester Street. This change is being made to again tackle issues of congestion within the bus station. Service 18 (Lower Oldfield Park - University of Bath): The timetable is being adjusted to ensure that the frequency of buses best matches the demand for them. Amongst the changes there will be extra evening journeys and improved weekend frequencies during university term times and university holidays and some additional late night journeys during term time. Those who use the service are advised to check the new timetables carefully to ensure they understand what is happening. ***NEW NUMBER*** Service 37 (Bristol - Bath): Service 37 is the new number for what has previously been known as Service 332. It is being renumbered so that the more of the buses travelling in similar directions have similar, sequential numbers. From April buses travelling between Bristol and Bath will be known as Services 37, 38 and 39/X39 (these replace services 332, 338, 339 respectively). In addition to this the route is being altered slightly. In Bristol journeys, on departure from Bristol Bus Station, will travel via The Horsefair and Penn Street (rather than Fairfax Street and Broad Weir). This means one stop on Broad Weir will no longer be served, but does mean that buses travelling in a similar direction will use the same stops. Elsewhere, buses will no longer serve the Apsects Leisure Centre on Monday - Saturday evenings or Sundays and Public Holidays. This is because demand for stops at the leisure centre at these times is low. Finally the timetable is being adjusted, with Monday to Friday departure times from Bristol and Bath made more consistent throughout the day. From Bristol buses will generally leave at XX15 and from Bath at XX20. In addition an extra early morning journey is being added in, from Bath to Bristol, and some other changes are being made to improve the punctuality and reliability of the service. *** IMPORTANT NOTE: In addition to the changes detailed above, a further change affecting Service 37 is expected to be made in response to the closure of the A431 in Kelston. The detail of this change will be publicised in due course *** ***NEW NUMBER*** Service 38 (Bath -Bristol): Service 38 is the new number for what has previously been known as Service 338. It is being renumbered so that the more of the buses travelling in similar directions have similar, sequential numbers. From April buses travelling between Bristol and Bath will be known as Services 37, 38 and 39/X39 (these replace services 332, 338, 339 respectively). The route will remain the same although there will be a few minor changes to the timetable. ***NEW NUMBER*** Service 39/X39 (Bath - Bristol): Service 39 is the new number for what has previously been known as Service 339. It will continue to work in tandem with Service X39 to provide journeys between Bath and Bristol. The service has been renumbered so that the more of the buses travelling in similar directions have similar, sequential numbers. From April buses travelling between Bristol and Bath will be known as Services 37, 38 and 39/X39 (these replace services 332, 338, 339 respectively). The route will remain the same. Service 184 (Bath - Frome): Following a council consultation the route and timetable of this service is changing slightly. Specifically the Monday - Saturday daytime frequency of journeys beyond Midsomer Norton to Frome will be reduced: from April there will generally be one bus every two hours between these two points. Monday to Friday peak time journeys will be unaffected though, remaining as they are. Journeys operating between Bath and Midsomer Norton will be similarly unaffected, they will continue to operate hourly, but on arrival in Midsomer Norton will terminate at Old Mills Tesco. Service 234 (Frome - Chippenham): The route and timetable of this service is changing. From April buses will no longer serve the section of route between Frome (Market Place) and Frome (Sainsburys). Customers who wish to travel between will be able to use Services 184 and 267 (although they should note that Service 267 will operate a circular route from the Market Place via Critchall Road, not serving Sainsburys). In addition to this the timetable is being tweaked in places, and while departure times from Frome and Chippenham will be broadly similar to what they are now customers are advised to check the timetable carefully before travelling to ensure they understand what is happening. Service 267 (Bath - Frome): The route and timetable of this service is changing. From 13 April buses will no longer serve Rode but instead will use the A36 to travel between Woolverton and Beckington. Service 234 will provide some alternative for people in Rode wishing to travel to and from Frome, but the opportunity to travel directly to and from Bath will be lost. The changes are being made because demand for services in Rode is low and the alteration allows for the overall journey time to be reduced making the service more appealing to others using it. In addition to this the route that buses take around Frome itself will change. Buses will operate a circular route from the Market Place via Critchall Road. They will no longer serve Sainsburys. Finally, the timetable is being adjusted. From April buses running Mondays - Saturdays will generally leave Bath at half past the hour (15 minutes later than at present) and Frome (Market Place).at 36 minutes past the hour. Customers are advised to check the timetable carefully before travelling to ensure they understand what is happening. Service 319 (Bath - Cribbs Causeway): A change to this service is expected to be made in response to the closure of the A431 in Kelston. The detail of this change will be publicised in due course. Service 375/X75 (Bridgwater - Wells): Following customer requests and to help people in travel to and from work in Bridgwater, one morning and one afternoon X75 journey are being retimed and re-numbered. From April First will provide a Service 375 journey at 0640 hours (Monday to Friday) from Wells to Bridgwater and a 1750 hours journey from Bridgwater to Wells. The following services will also be renumbered: Service 332 - Renumbered as Service 37 Service 338 - Renumbered as Service 38 Service 339 - Renumbered as Service 39 A number of interesting aspects to this: - Have First fallen out with Sainsburys? As a result of these changes, the Frome store will only be served by 2 First buses in every 2 hour period (services 161 & 184) during the daytime. Faresaver will continue to serve Sainsburys every 30 minutes on the X34, I should point out. - The retiming of First service 267 means that in combination with Faresaver 267, the pattern will be nearly half-hourly in both directions, rather than the two services running close together as at present. It looks as though this evenly-spaced pattern may be remain in place for a reasonable period of time too, as there is no sign (yet) of the usual Faresaver counter-registration that we have come to expect in such circumstances. Unfortunately, those in TransWilts-land hoping for something similar to happen with the changes to the 234 service on the core Trowbridge-Melksham-Chippenham section are likely to be disappointed, so I'm told - a missed opportunity. - It obviously wont exactly be welcome news to Rode passengers that the 267 will be missing them out from April, and it will be very interesting indeed to see whether the resultant reduction in overall journey time does attract more passengers. The omens aren't necessarily that good - They tried something similar with villages on the 375 Wells-Bridgwater route recently (turning journeys into X75s) and are now having to put some route 375 journeys back in. - I'm not sure I would describe the reduction in service 184 frequency between Midsomer Norton-Frome from hourly to 2-hourly as a slight change in the timetable! Indeed, the Rural Services Network have picked up on this example - http://www.wellsjournal.co.uk/Bus-cuts-devastating-villages-near-Wells/story-20812408-detail/story.html - Note the appearance again of a certain generic quote I highlighted earlier. Personally, I think they have got it wrong here. I used the service myself last week, and we were well into double figures on the "country" section, passenger-wise. I will end with a shameless plug - if you do use service 184, then stop off for a pot of tea and some cake at the fab Walled Garden at Mells (http://www.thewalledgardenatmells.co.uk/). Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: grahame on March 17, 2014, 12:56:42 A number of interesting aspects to this: - Have First fallen out with Sainsburys? As a result of these changes, the Frome store will only be served by 2 First buses in every 2 hour period (services 161 & 184) during the daytime. Faresaver will continue to serve Sainsburys every 30 minutes on the X34, I should point out. Stated by First as being to add robustness to the route. Quote - It obviously wont exactly be welcome news to Rode passengers that the 267 will be missing them out from April, and it will be very interesting indeed to see whether the resultant reduction in overall journey time does attract more passengers. The omens aren't necessarily that good - They tried something similar with villages on the 375 Wells-Bridgwater route recently (turning journeys into X75s) and are now having to put some route 375 journeys back in. Suggestion is that passenger numbers in Rode were minimal, but First are getting a lot of flack. As well as the 375, I also note 264/5 at Winsley and the upsets there, and others too. Quote - I'm not sure I would describe the reduction in service 184 frequency between Midsomer Norton-Frome from hourly to 2-hourly as a slight change in the timetable! Personally, I think they have got it wrong here. I used the service myself last week, and we were well into double figures on the "country" section, passenger-wise. There was, I understand, a subsidy on the extra services. Subsidy withdrawn, and services gone. Comment is made in the original post quoting First about "peak journeys unaffected" - I understand that's into Bath in the morning and out in the evening; the busiest bus out of Frome in the evening at around 17:30 has gone. Brief answer - only got a few minutes gap in my real job to post, but important to fill in on what the customer panel was told. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on March 17, 2014, 13:19:32 Subsidy comment on the 184 is a fair one. I did quote the First press release which stated that the cut was a result of a council consultation, and my comments should be seen in that context.
No harm in clarifying that though, along with the fact that it will be the commercial First journeys that remain between Midsomer Norton-Frome on the 184. Interestingly, its the exact opposite situation to when the 161 services between Shepton Mallet-Frome were cut from hourly to 2-hourly, in that only council-subsidised journeys remain on that section. You mention Winsley - First will no doubt point to their recent route alterations through the village on the 265 service as having improved the situation there. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on March 18, 2014, 21:12:18 Relevant First Bus timetable leaflets valid from 13 April 2014 can be found here. (http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/journey_planning/booklets/)
Also, Faresaver have published a revised X34 Chippenham-Melksham-Trowbridge-Frome timetable (http://www.faresaver.co.uk/timetables/5328771999f50.pdf) valid from 31 March 2014. The main change is that the X34 will now serve Sainsburys and Methuen Park in Chippenham before heading towards Lacock and Melksham, which means that services will leave Chippenham Bus Station a few minutes earlier than at present. Never fear though - By the time the service reaches Lacock it will have resumed its natural position slightly ahead of First service 234, and the noise of the engine as it approaches will no doubt provide a fitting accompaniment to the sound of grahame banging his head against a brick wall... (http://www.wellho.net/mouth/4247_You-wait-a-long-time-then-buses-come-in-threes-It-s-timetabled-that-way-.html) Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: grahame on June 12, 2014, 06:21:57 Fare changes are announced in a press release that was unembargoed at midnight - see
http://atrebatia.info/woe_bus_prices.pdf [quote]Bus fares set to change as consultation results announced *** Children and young people will see cost of travel slashed *** *** Flat fares for Bath and Weston-super-Mare *** *** Fares for regional services directly linked to distance travelled ***[/quote] Changes are from 6th July - at a first glance many changes look like sensible ones that sort out issues. I was at the First Bus user group meeting yesterday evening and have some more background and will attempt to answer questions if anyone has them. First's expectation is that revenues will initially be hit (i.e. it is not a price rise in general, with winners and losers), but people will come back and come back in bigger numbers as the pricing is more tuned to current requirements and meets new markets. Of course, that may lead to the need to provide extra services. Another headline is that return fares GO ... just singles, or the ^7 WoE freedom ticket for the day. I suspect that the WoE freedom replaced the SW freedom and severely reduces the area covered for the price, but my reading of that needs confirming. Distance pricing on interurban routes is sensible. It should reduce Corsham->Chippenham prices, for example, which have been silly. Beware of distances quoted though - they are bus route distances, not distances as the crow flies. So I think that passengers will end up paying a pound extra for that long and slow loop through the Chippenham suburbs (for example). Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: grahame on June 29, 2014, 08:17:10 Further feedback on First's bus prices in the Bath / Wiltshire area.
A week before the fares come in, and we've still not got any confirmation of which of the 3 mile zones the journey from Bath to Melksham will fall into - in other words, we don't know what the bus fare will be as from 6th July. It may be ^4.50 or it may be ^5.50 depending on how the milage is worked out; that relates to measuring the bus route itself (so passengers may end up paying more for that trip around the lanes at Purlpit and Whitley). Or it may be ^5.70 or ^6.70 or ^7.00 ... From First's "Fairer fares for all" booklet Quote If a journey begins within a flat fare zone but travels beyond the border of the zone, the fare will be calculated as follows: Flat fare to the border of the zone, the ^2.50, ^3.50, ^4.50 or ^5.50 depending on the distance travelled thereafter Clear as mud ... it reads to me as ^2.20 to Kellards, plus a mileage fare from Kellards to Melksham. And if it exceeds ^7.00 then a freedom of West of England will be sold. This is different to we were told at the Bath bus users meeting a couple of weeks ago. So I phoned up and spoke to the (shift) manager of the call centre on the leaflet. Who didn't have a copy, went away to find out and came back with an honest "don't know". She will put it to her boss, and her boss's boss (who we know from the customer panel) and get back with me. However, these people are stretched and response times not brilliant, so we may just discover that the only way to find out what's going to be charged from 6th July is to get onto a bus and see! What could and should have been a simple system may not be. The re-assurances that it was simply ^2.50 then increments of a pound, verbally to the user forum, seem muddied and complicated by what the booklet says - the wording tends to suggest something different. I would put it down to just a miswriting / misunderstanding for many companies, but I've seen First sneak too many things in under the radar before - indeed, the ^7.00 freedom bus pass has very quietly changed from being all First buses in the West of England to First West of England. May sound semantic, but that means the ticket is now only for Bath / Bristol / Weston based services and outliers, and doesn't let you ride down to Taunton or Exeter any more. P.S. I note it talks about journeys that BEGIN within a flat fare zone, not "begin or end", so are we in for a different single fare from Bath to Melksham as compared to the Melksham to Bath fare? Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 05, 2014, 10:07:29 Answer from Karen Baxter, who handles PR for First West of England:
For single journeys that START INSIDE the Bath Flat Fare Zone: Wholly within Bath Flat Fare Zone - ^2.20 Three to six miles - from ^2.50 Six to nine miles - from ^3.50 Nine to 12 miles - from ^4.50 Over 12 miles (within West of England area) - ^5.50 For single journeys that START OUTSIDE the Bath Flat Fare Zone: Up to three miles - From ^1.50 Three to six miles - from ^2.50 Six to nine miles - from ^3.50 Nine to 12 miles - from ^4.50 Over 12 miles (within West of England area) - ^5.50 Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 06, 2014, 23:00:30 From First's "Fairer fares for all" booklet Quote If a journey begins within a flat fare zone but travels beyond the border of the zone, the fare will be calculated as follows: Flat fare to the border of the zone, the ^2.50, ^3.50, ^4.50 or ^5.50 depending on the distance travelled thereafter There is no doubt that the above quote was vague and open to several different interpretations. However, now the new fare structure is in place and I^ve had the chance to study a number of different fare tables, I reckon I can see why they left it somewhat cloudy. First of all, I would point out that single journeys that don^t involve travel into, out of or through the Bath Flat Fare Zone do appear to be based on the actual distance travelled as you would expect. But what of single journeys that do involve the Bath Flat Fare Zone? Answer from Karen Baxter, who handles PR for First West of England: For single journeys that START INSIDE the Bath Flat Fare Zone: Wholly within Bath Flat Fare Zone - ^2.20 Three to six miles - from ^2.50 Six to nine miles - from ^3.50 Nine to 12 miles - from ^4.50 Over 12 miles (within West of England area) - ^5.50 For single journeys that START OUTSIDE the Bath Flat Fare Zone: Up to three miles - From ^1.50 Three to six miles - from ^2.50 Six to nine miles - from ^3.50 Nine to 12 miles - from ^4.50 Over 12 miles (within West of England area) - ^5.50 4 out of the 7 Bath Flat Fare Zone border points exit into the West of England Zone. One of these, Odd Down Recycling Centre through which buses on the Radstock/Midsomer Norton corridor run, has single fares from Bath Bus Station that also appear to be based on the actual distance travelled ie from Bath Bus Station itself to ultimate destination. Example below: SERVICE 173 ADULT SINGLE FARES FROM BATH BUS STATION To Wellsway - ^2.20 (flat fare) To Peasedown St John - ^2.50 To Radstock - ^3.50 To Midsomer Norton and Chilcompton - ^4.50 To Gurney Slade, South Horrington and Wells - ^5.50 However, the other 3 Bath Flat Fare Zone border points that exit into the West of England Zone (Midford Clearbrook Farm for the Frome corridor plus Batheaston Kellands and Limpley Stoke River Bridge for the Wiltshire corridors) have single fares from Bath Bus Station that do NOT appear to be based on the actual distance travelled ie from Bath Bus Station itself to ultimate destination. Instead, there is a subtle but significant change in how the formula is applied - single fares from Bath Bus Station through these border points appear to be based on the distance travelled from the border point to ultimate destination. Example below (the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice an interesting anomaly ^ more on that later) : SERVICE 265 ADULT SINGLE FARES FROM BATH BUS STATION To Bathampton - ^2.20 (flat fare) To Winsley - ^1.50 To Bradford-on-Avon - ^2.50 To Trowbridge - ^3.50 To White Horse Business Park - ^4.50 To Yarnbrook - ^4.50 To Westbury, Warminster and destinations through to Salisbury - ^5.50 Its relatively clear why First would choose to do this ^ Applying the distance-based formula in its pure form would have resulted in noticeable increases in some single fares from Bath to destinations along the Bath-Frome & Bath-Wiltshire corridors, which in turn would have conflicted with the PR ethos of the Fairer Fare changes, which is to send out a message of some increases, some decreases, but ultimately balancing out for the better. What would be interesting to know is whether this was planned all along, or whether, given that many fare charts were not signed off until there were less than 48 hours to go to implementation, it was a decision made at the very last minute. We will probably never know for sure. So how will the new West of England Zone fare structure affect passengers in practice? Well, it^s no surprise that First have focused the majority of their publicity on the effect on single fares, because that^s where most of the good news is. In general terms, the biggest savings are to be found on single journeys at either end of the distance spectrum ie the shortest and longest distance journeys ^ Shortest journeys because single fares have historically been on the high side compared to distance travelled on such trips, and longest journeys because the new fare structure sets a cap of ^5.50 for adult single trips over 12 miles. Middle-distance single journeys tend to see either slight increases or slight decreases in price. The following key adult single journeys from Melksham illustrate this: MELKSHAM-BATH ^ Was ^4, now ^4.50 +50p MELKSHAM-CHIPPENHAM - Was ^4, now ^3.50 -50p MELKSHAM-TROWBRIDGE - Was ^4, now ^3.50 -50p However, the Fairer Fares publicity hardly mentions the effect on 2-way journeys in the West of England Zone, and when one looks deeper it^s easy to see why. Under the old fare structure, almost all adult return journeys in the West of England Zone were priced below ^7, in order to keep them below the ^7 charged for the First Day South West ticket. However, the new fare structure abolishes return tickets, effectively leaving 2-way journeys capped at the ^7 charged for a First West of England Day ticket (see grahame^s earlier post for the subtle but significant difference between ^South West^ & ^West of England^). In practice, this means that almost all 2-way journeys in the West of England Zone (including all the key Melksham journeys mentioned above) where the adult single fare is ^3.50 or more will increase in price under the new structure. The only 2-way journeys that will reduce in price are some, but by no means all, of the 2-way journeys in the West of England Zone where the adult single fare has been reduced to ^2.50 or less. Interestingly, this relative minority of journeys includes some of the fares that were most considered by the public to be unreasonably high. Examples include Bradford-on-Avon to Trowbridge, where the adult 2-way journey reduces from ^4 return to ^3 for two singles, which in themselves should have priced at ^2.50 under the new structure, but some judicious section-tweaking has seen that drop to ^1.50 single, half the price it was before. The relatively high previous price of Bradford-on-Avon to Trowbridge fares was cited as a key reason that working-age Bradford residents were put off using the bus, according to extensive surveys I myself was involved with last year. Also, grahame mentions in a previous post the long-held public view that Corsham-Chippenham bus fares were too high. However, under the new fare structure, the 2-way journey reduces from ^5.40 adult return to ^5 for two singles, whilst the adult single reduces from ^4.10 to ^2.50. Finally, remember that interesting anomaly from earlier that the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed? Winsley, which as both grahame & myself have mentioned in previous posts has been the scene of much acrimony in the past between bus users and First over route changes, comes out as one of the biggest winners of the new fare structure, with an adult single from Bath Bus Station reducing from ^4 to ^1.50. This is a cheaper adult single journey than Bath-Bathampton, which is reached well before Winsley but will cost ^2.20 for an adult single from Bath Bus Station. It's a funny old world. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 06, 2014, 23:42:04 Another interesting aspect that people may not realise (because First have kept it very quiet indeed) is that Weston Zone adult tickets cost ^4.20 day, ^18 week, ^64 month and ^690 year under the old fare structure, and were valid for travel as far as Glastonbury, Burnham and Wells. However, the Weston Zone now only covers Weston Town itself. One woman from Cheddar only found out from Twitter this morning that her weekly ticket has gone up from ^18 to ^25 overnight. At least she knows in advance though - I can see tomorrow morning being a tough one for bus drivers and passengers alike.
In fact the changes to areas of ticket validity on the Weston border would make an interesting follow-up to grahame's blog post at http://www.wellho.net/mouth/4257_Over-a-pound-a-kilometre-my-bus-in-Weston-super-mare.html Note the reply from an expert that he tacked on to the end? Interestingly, both of the workarounds suggested are longer possible as a result of the changes, leaving the ^7.50 return fare (remember "buses of Somerset" will still offer returns) he was charged as the only option. Indeed, this affects me directly as I enjoy using my First Month South West ticket to travel to Burnham for the day. However, my monthly pass will no longer be valid to Burnham, so I will also have to face buying a similarly expensive "buses of Somerset" return ticket add-on from either Weston or Bridgwater. You may recall that "buses of Somerset" underwent their own fare restructure in April 2014, which you may or may not consider "fairer" than what the West of England are getting. Quote from http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/news.shtml Quote from: buses of Somerset This Sunday 13 April we're simplifying our fares, and at the same time cutting the price of many tickets. We're cutting the cost of a week's unlimited travel from ^25 to just ^15, and the cost of a month's unlimited travel from ^100 to just ^55. Both weekly and monthly tickets are also now sold on board our buses. We've also simplified our single fares into four easy to remember fares... ^2, ^3, ^4 and ^5 ...with better value return fares that are now one-and-a-half times the single fare... ^2 single - ^3 return ^3 single - ^4.50 return ^4 single - ^6 return ^5 single - ^7.50 return Return tickets are also now valid for up to 5 days - so you can make a journey one way one day, and complete the return journey up to four days later. We've adjusted some of our return fares down to make them better value for money too. If you're aged between 5 and 16 all our tickets are now available for half price. Interestingly, a Taunton or Bridgwater flat fare ticket can be used on a combination of routes if the journey involves a change of buses and is wholly within the Taunton or Bridgwater town zone, which will not be the case in Bath or Weston. Finally, you will note that, at the bottom right-hand corner of every page of the "buses of Somerset" website, the First logo and the wording "we're part of First" has been added, which at least proves that they read the Coffee Shop Forum! (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=13563.msg147812#msg147812) Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 07, 2014, 08:06:08 Some ticket machines are protesting against the new software update and still charging the old fares, apparently. First Bus report that they are working as fast as they can to resolve this.
Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 08, 2014, 08:06:10 Labour activists call Radstock public meeting over fare changes for Friday 11 July 2014 (1930 at Methodist Church) - http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/Debate-bus-fare-rises/story-21321849-detail/story.html
Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: grahame on July 08, 2014, 09:15:40 Labour activists call Radstock public meeting over fare changes for Friday 11 July 2014 (1930 at Methodist Church) - http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/Debate-bus-fare-rises/story-21321849-detail/story.html Quote Radstock town councillor Chris Dando, said the response to the First's consultation earlier this year was only 1,800 people and, a series of roadshows on the issue did not include the Somer Valley area. In the election at which Chris Dando was elected as a councillor, only 736 ballot papers were issues. There are 4 councillors for the parish/area he represents (so that's max 4 votes each voter). 2204 votes cast, he got 19% so that's about 420 votes from an electorate of 1725 http://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?XXR=0&ID=280&RPID=7667451 Proportionately, 1,800 responses isn't high but there was certainly considerable effort put in to getting responses, including in the areas outside Bath (I am not grumbling about not being consulted in Melksham). And there has been a lot of analysis and reading and thinking about the inputs; I have heard / see some of that. Whether those inputs have been used to provide what the majority of customers want, or to help establish the most acceptable way to remain as profitable as possible, could be open to question. There has been such confusion over the last 10 days as to how the fare principles are applied in practise that I have to wonder, and indeed short term confusion could be an excellent way to take the fire off the criticism of some price rises which will have a much more significant long term effect. Please excuse a cynical comment there! Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Tim on July 08, 2014, 11:43:14 Some ticket machines are protesting against the new software update and still charging the old fares, apparently. First Bus report that they are working as fast as they can to resolve this. Happened to me on the 38 home last night. Driver and machine tried to charge me ^2.50, not ^2.20. Driver appeared poorly briefed on the new fares and wouldn't accept ^2.20. Rather than argue, I got off the bus and boarded the A4 airport bus that had pulled up behind (which only charges ^2.00 for my journey anyway) leaving a queue of other people to argue the toss with the driver. Problem was that the First bus was parked such that the A4 was stuck behind it (not completely the driver's fault - the poor road layout is also a factor here). Eventually the driver of the A4 got out and joined in the argument. don;t know what the outcome was in the end but we eventually left 15 minutes late. The driver of the 38 could have shown better customer service skills. but I have some sympathy for him. What is really inexcusable of First is that the bus appears to have been allowed to leave the bus station moments earlier without a correctly programmed tricket machine and without the driver having been told that he had an incorrect machine. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: grahame on July 08, 2014, 15:20:16 Some ticket machines are protesting against the new software update and still charging the old fares, apparently. First Bus report that they are working as fast as they can to resolve this. Happened to me on the 38 home last night. Driver and machine tried to charge me ^2.50, not ^2.20. Driver appeared poorly briefed on the new fares and wouldn't accept ^2.20. Rather than argue, I got off the bus and boarded the A4 airport bus that had pulled up behind (which only charges ^2.00 for my journey anyway) leaving a queue of other people to argue the toss with the driver. Problem was that the First bus was parked such that the A4 was stuck behind it (not completely the driver's fault - the poor road layout is also a factor here). Eventually the driver of the A4 got out and joined in the argument. don;t know what the outcome was in the end but we eventually left 15 minutes late. The driver of the 38 could have shown better customer service skills. but I have some sympathy for him. What is really inexcusable of First is that the bus appears to have been allowed to leave the bus station moments earlier without a correctly programmed tricket machine and without the driver having been told that he had an incorrect machine. Tim / Lee ... an answer from the Regional Customer Services Manager - South West & Wales, First Bus - who I know, and alerted to this thread ... Quote Hi Graham, Thanks for letting me know. If you could post an answer asking them to contact us via email at contactwestofengland@firstgroup.com, that would be great. In the meantime, I'll get the operational team to look into this. Kind regards, Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 08, 2014, 18:20:30 I'm currently sitting on a service 231 bus from Chippenham to Bath, where everybody is travelling for free due to a "broken ticket machine" - which is probably the Fairest set of Fares that First Bus West of England have issued since Saturday evening! ;D
Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 09, 2014, 07:50:00 Mind you, there is always the danger of misinformation in situations like this. One woman on the bus this morning was telling anyone who would listen that "it's the (unnamed) council's decision" and "once the council makes its mind up, it won't back down". I did briefly try and debate this point with her, but you know what it's like when you come across someone who is convinced they're right, and just isn't listening...
Let us hope that she didn't get that from First Bus Customer Services, eh? Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: grahame on July 09, 2014, 08:44:55 Mind you, there is always the danger of misinformation in situations like this. One woman on the bus this morning was telling anyone who would listen that "it's the (unnamed) council's decision" and "once the council makes its mind up, it won't back down". I did briefly try and debate this point with her, but you know what it's like when you come across someone who is convinced they're right, and just isn't listening... Let us hope that she didn't get that from First Bus Customer Services, eh? There is indeed a rumour around that First Bus offered Wiltshire Council lower fares in exchange for a subsidy of some sort, and that prices have gone up because Wiltshire Council refused to play ball. As I understand it, service 271 is already a contracted / subsidised service, as are evening buses on route 234, and my understanding of the new fare structure is that ticket costs on these subsidised services are the same as ticket costs on the parallel (272 / daytime 234) services. First Bus are perfectly free to have made such an offer - nothing illegal in them doing so if they did. Very naughty (in my view), however, as I think that for Wiltshire Council to have accepted without going out for contract on the services would have been breaking the rules, even if they had been tempted. I have no way of knowing if the rumour is true ... of course, if someone at First Bus has been telling customers about such an offer ... Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 09, 2014, 15:50:12 A very swift, and very comprehensive denial:
Quote from: Wiltshire Council No truth in it whatsoever. By law we cannot subsidise fares on commercial bus services. No conversation has been held with First on this matter. Title: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: grahame on July 10, 2014, 19:50:49 I'm probably going to Radstock tomorrow evening to observe a meeting at the Methodist Hall there that starts at 19:30, so ideally I would arrive at around 19:00 and leave back at 21:30
First Bus do a 16:25 Melksham (my starting point) to Bath service on route 272, getting to Bath at 17:18, and then I can see an onward bus at 18:15 on route 173 to Radstock getting there at 18:44 Returning, as far as I can see the last First (!!) bus into Bath is a 178 at 20:59, getting there at 21:25 and in exceedingly good time for the 23:20 bus (route 271) to Melksham, arriving back at 00:05 There's a Wessex Connect service 178 at 21:33, and another at 22:33, getting to Bath at 21:56 and 22:56, both of which connect with the Melksham bus. Questions a) For the initial routing, I think I just need a 7.00 Freedom of West of England ticket. Or do I need to buy something extra because I'm finishing my journey early next morning? b) What fare / ticket do I need if use the Wessex Connect 178 - as it's a council subsidised service, does my First Freedom ticket let me use it? (Asking that because I know that Faresaver returns are valid on SUBSIDISED competing services on the same route from Bath to Wiltshire). c) Travelline http://www.travelinesw.com , Transport Direct http://www.transportdirect.info and Connecting Wiltshire http://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk all offer me a variety of alternatives to the above, offering me quicker routes but ones which I think are going to be much more expensive. How do I get these sites to give me prices, and to optimise my journey by price? d) Am I the only one who wants to know prices as well as times when I choose my bus travel route? Title: Re: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: Phil on July 10, 2014, 22:26:43 d) Am I the only one who wants to know prices as well as times when I choose my bus travel route? First and only person in the history of bus travel ever, judging by the near universal lack of provision of pricing information across the board... Title: Re: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: LiskeardRich on July 10, 2014, 22:35:13 The only ticketing information I can find is that of "Rover" tickets.
I was shocked a return from Redruth to Falmouth is ^7.50, a journey of 8-9 miles each way. A Cornwall Day ticket is ^10 which is valid the whole of Cornwall all day. No wonder they hide their ticket prices. The best value ticket I found was the Cymru Clipper Day ticket at ^5, which was incredible value to get me from Porthcawl to Cardiff and back recently. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 11, 2014, 07:32:51 Noticeable emptying of First buses reported since new fare structure came into effect, particularly on routes such as 231 and 234 where alternatives exist. Faresaver are an obvious beneficiary, see news release on their continued issuing of return tickets - http://www.faresaver.co.uk/newsitem.php?i=9462622
Also noticeable is a "blind eye" approach being adopted by a number of First Bus drivers to over-travelling. For example Chippenham town centre-Valley Road/Furzehill in Corsham is ^3.50 adult single, but to Kings Avenue or Newlands Road is only ^2.50 - passengers have a natural habit of asking for "Corsham", leading to them getting charged the lower fare and being allowed to end their journey in the next section. One bus driver last night on the 234 took it a step further, specifically advising passengers from Melksham to ask for Rowden Hill and then stay on the bus until Chippenham Bus Station, which would reduce their single fare from ^3.50 to ^2.50. I should end by saying that my driver on the 231 this morning is asking everyone exactly where they are going, and charging accordingly - a perfectly proper approach. Title: Re: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: grahame on July 11, 2014, 10:08:55 I've just called First's enquiry line to check on point (a) and enquired about travelling back into tomorrow morning. Initially I was told that I needed to buy another ticket, but when I expressed unhappiness at that I was told my West of England day ticket should be OK until 2 or possibly 4 a.m. On asking where that information's available on line, I was told that it probably isn't - it's in the driver's manual ... great fun trying to work out terms and conditions on tickets when only the company and its staff have access to them, and even the customer enquiry team is unsure. Makes train fares look easy!
As an aside discussion, it was confirmed that the senior bus passes are not valid on the last Bath to Melksham bus - "that's nothing to do with us - it's a council decision". Love the buck-passing game! Title: Re: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: LiskeardRich on July 11, 2014, 17:56:42 I've just called First's enquiry line to check on point (a) and enquired about travelling back into tomorrow morning. Initially I was told that I needed to buy another ticket, but when I expressed unhappiness at that I was told my West of England day ticket should be OK until 2 or possibly 4 a.m. On asking where that information's available on line, I was told that it probably isn't - it's in the driver's manual ... great fun trying to work out terms and conditions on tickets when only the company and its staff have access to them, and even the customer enquiry team is unsure. Makes train fares look easy! As an aside discussion, it was confirmed that the senior bus passes are not valid on the last Bath to Melksham bus - "that's nothing to do with us - it's a council decision". Love the buck-passing game! Online it states the day ticket is valid until midnight. T+Cs not in public availability would constitute an unfair contract from a legal point of view Title: Re: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: grahame on July 11, 2014, 19:26:54 Online it states the day ticket is valid until midnight. Ah ... do you have a link to that? Title: Re: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: LiskeardRich on July 11, 2014, 20:46:46 Online it states the day ticket is valid until midnight. Ah ... do you have a link to that? I have clicked on various conditions of carriage and its opens PDF, which I don't know how to link. Here is a copy and paste of the T+Cs I can find. Spot the conflicting T+Cs here: Quote Terms and Conditions FirstDay tickets are valid until midnight on the day of purchase. FirstDayOut and Half-Fare MetroDay are only available to young people aged 11-18 on production of a valid Young Person's or Scholar's photocard. You must show your photocard when you buy and use your ticket. Children aged under 11 do not need a photocard. When using FirstDay Family & Friends all customers travelling on the same ticket must board the bus together Not valid on event or other special services. Information correct at Sunday 27 April 2014. But further on in the T+Cs a little bit of conflicting information Quote 5. Tickets 5.01 Tickets may be used on until the end of service on the day of issue only but no later than 4am on the following day after issue. Return journeys may be excluded on certain journeys or routes where specified. Title: Re: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: grahame on July 12, 2014, 08:19:37 Good journey out ... I hadn't checked the secondary Bath to Radstock route (184) and got a good connection so time to look around.
Answer to (b) ... Wessex Connect's contract with BaNES requires them to accept the return half of First's returns on their evening subsidised 178 services. But as there are now no return tickets from First, they are not required (and don't) accept the Freedom of West of England ticket which you have to buy in place of a return. Some unhappy chap pies about that little gem! Meeting was http://www.todd4nesomerset.com/bus_meeting1 Report on my trip at http://www.wellho.net/mouth/4286_Reaction-in-Radstock-to-new-First-bus-prices.html Technical comments from meeting in "Frequent Posters" at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14250.0 (some meeting comments that I've reported are - err - questionable so it's not in public) Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 12, 2014, 11:29:24 Labour activists call Radstock public meeting over fare changes for Friday 11 July 2014 (1930 at Methodist Church) - http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/Debate-bus-fare-rises/story-21321849-detail/story.html grahame went to the Radstock meeting last night - see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14243.msg157228#msg157228 There is also a petition someone has set up calling for return tickets to be reinstated - http://busreturns.epetitions.net/ Any chance of a merge of the public (as opposed to the Frequent Poster) topic threads? Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Chris from Nailsea on July 13, 2014, 14:23:18 Thanks for the suggestion, Lee: now done. ;)
I've retained the original headings in the individual posts, purely in the interests of complete clarity. ;D Title: Re: BUS ... route and fare enquiry. Post by: Alan Pettitt on July 13, 2014, 17:44:13 d) Am I the only one who wants to know prices as well as times when I choose my bus travel route? First Bus Android phone app does give the single fare for your journey in the planner (and now that's all you need!) but I can't find anything similar on the desktop site. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: GBM on July 14, 2014, 09:17:54 The only ticketing information I can find is that of "Rover" tickets. [/i]I was shocked a return from Redruth to Falmouth is ^7.50, a journey of 8-9 miles each way. A Cornwall Day ticket is ^10 which is valid the whole of Cornwall all day. No wonder they hide their ticket prices. The best value ticket I found was the Cymru Clipper Day ticket at ^5, which was incredible value to get me from Porthcawl to Cardiff and back recently. In Cornwall day tickets are valid until the last service run, i.e. the last St Ives leaves at 00h20, but day tickets are still valid; the last Helston leaves 00h18, likewise day tickets still valid for return travel. After 6pm there is a little known (to drivers & passengers) "Nightrider" ticket. ^5 for for all evening travel. Useful if your return travel is after 6pm & will cost more than ^5! Sorry, it doesn't help those travelling out in the daytime. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Lee on July 18, 2014, 19:24:15 Labour activists call Radstock public meeting over fare changes for Friday 11 July 2014 (1930 at Methodist Church) - http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/Debate-bus-fare-rises/story-21321849-detail/story.html grahame went to the Radstock meeting last night - see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14243.msg157228#msg157228 There is also a petition someone has set up calling for return tickets to be reinstated - http://busreturns.epetitions.net/ Any chance of a merge of the public (as opposed to the Frequent Poster) topic threads? The usual suspects will be gathering at Melksham Town Hall on 30 July 2014 for a meeting on the bus fare issue and advising on which form of transport is now the better option for individual journeys - http://melkshamnews.com/2014/07/16/public-transport-meeting-following-bus-service-change-for-melksham/ They will doubtless be taking the following First Bus Fare comparisons into consideration: SERVICE 234 Melksham Market Place-Lacock George Inn ^2.50 single, ^5 return (two singles) Melksham Market Place-Chippenham Railway Station ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) Melksham Market Place-Chippenham Bus Station ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) Melksham Market Place - Hilperton Marsh Horse Road ^2.50 single, ^5 return (two singles) Melksham Market Place- Trowbridge Town Hall ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) Melksham Leekes-Lacock George Inn ^1.50 single, ^3 return (two singles) Melksham Leekes-Chippenham Railway Station ^2.50 single, ^5 return (two singles) Melksham Leekes-Chippenham Bus Station ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) Melksham Leekes-Hilperton Marsh Horse Road ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) Melksham Leekes-Trowbridge Town Hall ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) SERVICE 236 Melksham Market Place-Hilperton Marsh Horse Road ^2.50 single, ^5 return (two singles) Melksham Market Place-Trowbridge Town Hall ^2.50 single, ^5 return (two singles) Bowerhill Kingfisher Drive-Hilperton Marsh Horse Road ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) Bowerhill Kingfisher Drive-Trowbridge Town Hall ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) SERVICE 271/272 Melksham Market Place, Melksham Forest St Andrews Church or Bowerhill Kingfisher Drive to Bath Bus Station ^4.50 single, ^7 return (West of England Day Ticket) Melksham Market Place-Devizes Market Place ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) Melksham Forest St Andrews Church or Bowerhill Kingfisher Drive-Devizes Market Place ^2.50 single, ^5 return (two singles) As far as local journeys within the Melksham area as far out as places such as Shaw and Bowerhill, you are generally talking ^1.50 single, ^3 return (two singles), compared with ^1 single, ^1.50 return on the Melksham Metro 14/15 town bus services operated by Frome Minibuses. Also note that edge-to-edge journeys such as Shaw-Bowerhill on the First Bus 271/272 service cost ^2.50 single, ^5 return (two singles) All fares quoted above are Adult. As has been well-publicised, various discounted rates are available for younger travellers, as well as the usual ENCTS etc. Any obvious First Melksham area fares I've missed out, let me know and I will post them. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: grahame on July 18, 2014, 20:15:38 SERVICE 234 Melksham Market Place- Trowbridge Town Hall ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) SERVICE 236 Melksham Market Place-Trowbridge Town Hall ^2.50 single, ^5 return (two singles) Bowerhill Kingfisher Drive-Trowbridge Town Hall ^3.50 single, ^7 return (two singles or West of England Day Ticket) Huh? The 236 in the morning runs from the Market Place via Bowerhill to Trowbridge so the longer journey is cheaper! However, the comparison's of limited interest as the 236 is a very limited product indeed. Quote Any obvious First Melksham area fares I've missed out, let me know and I will post them. Will do ... it's a very interesting matrix out there now! Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: Alan Pettitt on July 18, 2014, 23:43:53 Just as a little aside, the Faresaver timetable for X34 route states that Faresaver return tickets are valid on the evening First Bus services back from Chippenham to Trowbridge (the evening services being subsidised). Does this still apply? If so, quite an anomaly because it means that you can use a Faresaver return on a First bus, but you can't buy a First bus return.
Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: mfpa on July 25, 2014, 22:07:00 Happened to me on the 38 home last night. Driver and machine tried to charge me ^2.50, not ^2.20. Driver appeared poorly briefed on the new fares and wouldn't accept ^2.20. The driver of the 38 could have shown better customer service skills. but I have some sympathy for him. What is really inexcusable of First is that the bus appears to have been allowed to leave the bus station moments earlier without a correctly programmed tricket machine and without the driver having been told that he had an incorrect machine. According to BANES Council's website <http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/parking-and-travel/public-transport/buses/fares-season-tickets-bathrider (http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/parking-and-travel/public-transport/buses/fares-season-tickets-bathrider)>, "The bus operators have a duty to provide all their drivers with a copy of the latest fare table available for inspection by any member of the public. Please note the fare table is for inspection only and cannot be taken off the bus." Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: GBM on July 26, 2014, 06:32:17 Happened to me on the 38 home last night. Driver and machine tried to charge me ^2.50, not ^2.20. Driver appeared poorly briefed on the new fares and wouldn't accept ^2.20
We have a few anomalies on our ticket machines. Outbound one stage from station is ^2 single/^3 return. Inbound fare is ^3 single/^4.50 return. IF driver aware (many new drivers) AND has time (running late inbound & a long line of hot passengers waiting) then he can issue a driver input ticket. Unfortunately that involves a multi stage process, which takes longer than pressing two buttons for the higher fare shown. Management aware, nothing done. Title: Re: First Bus service changes in and around Bath, Wiltshire & Somerset Post by: JayMac on July 26, 2014, 20:06:27 There are timetable changes from tomorrow for a handful of 'Buses of Somerset' services:
Changes to routes from 27 July route 21 Weston-super-Mare | Burnham-on-Sea | Bridgwater | Taunton We're changing the Monday - Saturday times, with buses between Taunton and Bridgwater leaving up to every 15 minutes. Sunday and public holiday times are unchanged. view new timetable (http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/pdfs/julytt/21.pdf) route 26 Creech Heathfield | Creech St Michael | Ruishton | Taunton This is a new route which runs every hour connecting these communities with Taunton. There is also one morning and evening journey in each direction for commuters and students. This route will also go to Hankridge Farm retail park. view new timetable (http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/pdfs/julytt/26.pdf) route 28 Minehead | Watchet | Williton | Bishops Lydeard | Taunton We're changing the Monday - Saturday times to help improve reliability. Most journeys from Taunton after 0900 will depart 5 minutes earlier and most journeys from Minehead after 0750 will depart 5 minutes later. Sunday and public holiday times are unchanged. view new timetable (http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/pdfs/julytt/28.pdf) route 29 Wells | Glastonbury | Wells | Taunton We're changing the Monday - Saturday times. Along with other minor changes, buses will run hourly between Taunton and Wells. view new timetable (http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/pdfs/julytt/29.pdf) route 54 Yeovil | Ilchester | Somerton | Langport | Curry Rivel | Taunton A revised Monday - Saturday timetable is being introduced, increasing the frequency between Somerton and Taunton to up to every 30 minutes. There will also be a new hourly Sunday/Public Holiday timetable introduced between Somerton and Taunton. view new timetable (http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/pdfs/julytt/54.pdf) route 102 Weston-super-Mare | Burnham-on-Sea | Bridgwater Due to a withdrawal of funding from Somerset County Council, this route will no longer run on Saturdays from 24 July. Monday to Friday times are unchanged. view new timetable (http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/pdfs/julytt/102.pdf) On a personal note, there are welcome changes to service 54, a service I use semi-regularly to travel to my Mother's in Curry Rivel. Good to see Sunday services back on this route. However, this change, and some of the others, appear to be part of the ongoing skirmish between First and Webberbus. A skirmish that has seen Webberbus lose the Taunton P+R contract to First and the poaching by First of many Webberbus drivers. Such is the Webberbus driver shortage that they have had to delay starting a new route by a month, have seen regular cancellations, and have been out to Romania to find new recruits. On the 54 route (Webberbus 38 as far as Somerton), if First prevail and/or Webberbus concede defeat then I confidentially predict that service 54 will return to one bus an hour. The route as far as Somerton at the moment doesn't really support two buses an hour (1x First BoS, 1x Webberbus), let alone the three buses an hour it will have (2x First BoS, 1x Webberbus) from Monday. This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |