Demand Responsive v Scheduled buses -

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Does anyone have good information / usage evidence / cost and pricing data / comparison / capacity / data on user profiles to compare demand responsive bus services versus scheduled services?

[bobm]

Depends on the exact definition of demand responsive bus services.

Most areas have a dial a ride organisation where people can book a journey 24 hours in advance and then a route is drawn up to cater for the bookings with the minimum number of vehicles and mileage.

It may not be quite what you are after as it tends to cater for people who cannot use mainstream transport because of age or infirmity.  However the Community Transport Associaton may be able to help.  http://www.ctauk.org/

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Oxon CC supports an off-peak on-demand bus service on its Charlbury Taxibus service that provides bus rail connections to Charlbury rail station. I do not know what use it gets but I imagine it is low. For more info see  http://www.railbus.co.uk/charlburytaxibus_Sept2011.htm

[LiskeardRich]

Corlink in Cornwall requires a 2 hour notice period. More details can be found

http://www.cornwallpublictransport.info/gen_corlink.asp

http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=4469

http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=22510

[Rhydgaled]

This article: http://www.tivysideadvertiser.co.uk/news/10625476.Award_winning_bus_service_provides_vital_link/ says how many passengers Bwcabus has carried since it started. Two 19-seat Optare Solo SlimLines were reported (see: http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=2894&categoryid=4) as being ordered for the orriginal area which has since been expanded with additional vehicles introduced for the larger zone.

There was quite an upset when the expanded area was launched, as the hourly scheduled service between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen was accelerated by bypassing some villages, leaving these with only the new Bwcabus service.

[anthony215]

The BWCABUS service in Carmarthenshire etc is actually a very good idea especially since service X40/40 wasnt getting much use from some of the villiages so the option was taken to speed up the services and have a local bus provide connections.

The Vale of glamorgan area has the Villiage bus network which was both scheduled and demand responsive with certain villiages being served on request. Sadly funding cuts meant the network along with a lot of other bus services have been cut.

[CLPGMS]

Oxon CC supports an off-peak on-demand bus service on its Charlbury Taxibus service that provides bus rail connections to Charlbury rail station. I do not know what use it gets but I imagine it is low. For more info see  http://www.railbus.co.uk/charlburytaxibus_Sept2011.htm

Unfortunately, Oxfordshire County Council has not updated that website recently - the timetable shown is for 2011.  The Taxibus service is now operated by GoRide and details are available on http://www.goridebus.co.uk/go_ride/timetables_&_fares_files/C1%20T1%20Charlbury%20Railbus%20from%2003%2006%202013.pdf

[81F]

Rather surprisingly, since you have to ring to book an off-peak journey, no telephone number is shown on the Charlbury Taxibus timetable.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I can only suggest that you try

Oxfordshire Services Bookings
Telephone: +44 (0)844 870 7835 Operations
Telephone: +44 (0)844 870 8479