Melksham Connections

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I'm sat in the 19:32 Westbury to Melksham - coming 'tother way.  Down Transwilts just arrives (5 or 6 late?) and we're on our way!

[John R]

Conductor: You could get off at Trowbridge
Me: I tried that but the fuel bill was going through the roof
Conductor: You could get a bus connection
Me: It's ^4 for a single, 50% on top of my daily train fare*

*I've just done the maths again, worse than I thought. ^1836/365 = ^5.03 a day.

Trowbridge to Melksham - 7 miles.
Trowbridge to Bristol - 23 miles.

That price difference really doesn't stack up...

But who actually uses a season ticket 365 days a year? Around 230 is more typical.

There does appear to be the option of combined rail/bus tickets to Melksham changing at Chippenham. Do these not work with a season ticket?

[Kim]

Conductor: You could get off at Trowbridge
Me: I tried that but the fuel bill was going through the roof
Conductor: You could get a bus connection
Me: It's ^4 for a single, 50% on top of my daily train fare*

*I've just done the maths again, worse than I thought. ^1836/365 = ^5.03 a day.

Trowbridge to Melksham - 7 miles.
Trowbridge to Bristol - 23 miles.

That price difference really doesn't stack up...

But who actually uses a season ticket 365 days a year? Around 230 is more typical.

There does appear to be the option of combined rail/bus tickets to Melksham changing at Chippenham. Do these not work with a season ticket?

I believe you are referring to PlusBus, which is only available at the time of purchasing the season ticket as far as I am aware. Can anyone confirm?

I am not sure that a Chippenham Plus Bus allows one to go as far as Melksham. Until recently (I think he's given up now) there was a passenger travelling from Melksham to Salisbury who had a similar issue to me. When he enquied about Plus Bus, he found that Trowbridge doesn't have it and was told that Salisbury Plus Bus was only valid around Salisbury.

[grahame]

Chippenham PlusBus only covers the urban area of Chippenham.

At the First Bus Customer Panel meeting a few weeks ago, I asked if bus and train tickets between Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge could be made interchangeable as they're run by the same company.  It was explained that this isn't possible because the bus is commercial and the train is subsidised.  Not sure I follow that explanation, as the daytime buses are commercial and the evening one subsidised, and I can buy a return ticket from Melksham to Chippenham on the bus without having to specify whether I'm coming back later in the day (commercial) or evening (subsidised).

I know there used to be an arrangement whereby if the 19:01 Melksham train was cancelled and passengers from Swindon turned up on the 19:14 arrival, the statin staff would sensibly get the bus at 19:22 to take them rather than using taxis.  Not sure how that worked.   Now that the bus leaves at 19:16, and the train is usually a few minutes late, this isn't an option as the bus pulls out as the train approaches the station.  I've had a lift from CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains) twice in recent weeks and the bus left a few seconds before the train on both ... on a third occasion I think it happened too - train a bit late, no sign of the bus, and I took a 20 pound taxi.

[Chris from Nailsea]

At the First Bus Customer Panel meeting a few weeks ago, I asked if bus and train tickets between Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge could be made interchangeable as they're run by the same company.  It was explained that this isn't possible because the bus is commercial and the train is subsidised.

Posting in an impartial and dispassionate capacity: I think they were simply and blatantly trying to fob you off. 

[John R]

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/tickets/bus_rail/combined.php

No, not PlusBus. This link seems to imply that a combined ticket is available from Chippenham to Melksham.

[grahame]

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/tickets/bus_rail/combined.php

No, not PlusBus. This link seems to imply that a combined ticket is available from Chippenham to Melksham.

It's probably worth asking a bit more about those.   I'll let you know what I can find out!

[Southern Stag]

It's a bus add on fare, allows bus travel on the 234 from Chippenham to Melksham. The price is ^3.30 single, ^5.30 return, ^32.30 7 day, ^116.30 monthly, ^1163.00 annual. Tickets would be sold from your origin to Melksham Bus, with the ticket valid for train travel from your origin to Chippenham then onwards by bus to Melksham. Fares are also available in the opposite direction but would have to be purchased in advance. The combined ticket has to be bought all at once when purchasing your ticket, asking for Melksham Bus as the destination.

[JayMac]

As an example:

http://brfares.com/#fares?orig=PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)&dest=XBO&rlc=%20%20%20

Do note that there are only selected through fares in the system. Nothing beyond Paddington for example. And only the main InterCity stops to Paddington are included. If no through fare exists then separate tickets need to be issued. e.g. Melksham Bus - Chippenham and Chippenham - Berney Arms.

The separate add-on Day Single/Return is also Railcard discountable for those who have one.

Also, if there is no through fare you can't buy a separate period return add-on. It would have to be two Day Singles.

[grahame]

Having another look, and looking at the prices, I suspect that the bus add-on ticket adds to a train journey - in other words the 16.10 anytime day return from BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) (Bristol Temple Meads) to XBO (Melksham Bus) would not be valid for journeys from BRI to MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) (Melksham Railway Station) .  And even if it is interchangeable in the way we want, it's very expensive in comparison to the 10.60 anytime day return purely by train.

http://brfares.com/#fares?orig=BRI&dest=XBO&rlc=%20%20%20

[eightf48544]

Graham afraid you are flogging a dead horse with integrating of  bus and train fares. Treasury doctrine says buses compete with trains and both should be commercial. Unless the legislation has changed bus companies aren't allowed to cross subsidise services (original Bus Wars deregulation) so that an evening bus can't be subsidise by a profitable day time service even on the same route.

The fact that interchangable tickets between rail and bus between Melksham and Chippenham/Trowbridge would probably increase revenue doesn't come into the equation.

Interesting that there is full integration in London with Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services). Look how useage has increased particularly on the Overground.

[Kim]

Graham,

According to JourneyCheck and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Journey Check, the train that we were just waiting for that was on time/06:40 whatever/delayed/cancelled is not even cancelled!! Just about to get to Trowbridge and see what it says there.

[Kim]

Not even cancelled. Could you share that picture of the cancelled on the board please Graham? I'm going to send FGW^▸ (First Great Western) a complaint accompanied by a bill for the petrol. They probably won't pay it even though it was only wasted due to their misinformation, but it's worth a go.

[Kim]

The TransWilts left Trowbridge at 7:18, 31 mins late. Could have got that, connected onto the 7:24 and still got to work by 9. Petrol wasted for no reason, thanks FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

[BandHcommuter]

Graham afraid you are flogging a dead horse with integrating of  bus and train fares.

Although First appear to have managed some sort of fares integration in the Bristol/Bath area http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/tickets/bus_rail/freedom.php, so it must be possible in principle, and it would be very useful on routes where train or bus does not provide sufficient frequency . I wonder if the real barrier is simply the perceived complexity of the commercial and revenue allocation arrangements (even between bus and train operators sharing a parent company), and it is just considered too difficult in respect of the scale of benefits, and in the context of other management priorities?