GWR replacement bus services - absolutely DREADFUL!!!

[whole diary]

[eightf48544]

Surely it should be possible to print a Google map or even programme a sat nav with the route (including warning of  low bridges) for the driver.

Although I don't blame the drivers Bristol is one place I avoid if posible.

[froome]

I used one of these services today for the first time, going to and from Sea Mills. The driver certainly didn't take the most obvious route to get there or back.

I see that particular route is advertised as once an hour, whereas when trains run along that line, they are at about 40 minute intervals. The bus ran non-stop to Clifton Down, and there didn't appear to be any other service to go to the intermediate stations (there was very little information at all, certainly nothing on any bus to say where it was going).

I was also intrigued to see the signs saying passengers should buy a ticket at the earliest opportunity, but there was no opportunity on the bus as the driver couldn't sell a ticket. And as the bus picked up half a mile away from Sea Mills station, I'm not sure where that 'earliest opportunity' is supposed to be.

[LiskeardRich]

Very few of the drivers are local, they probably were trained, but you can’t expect them to pick up a whole new area!

But not only were some of the drivers going the wrong way, one of them(at least anyway) when a person was waiting at the correct rail replacement bus stop and put their hand out to stop the bus - just shook his head at them and failed to stop!  Absolutely appalling and unacceptable. This should NOT be happening!  I'm still awaiting my reply from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) in reply to my complain about that particular lousy driver!

All the drivers should have been trained more intensively in my opinion.  The correct routes to take AND the correct bus stops to stop at.

But that driver May have been instructed to run fast to x stop. This is a common practice, bus 1 run fast to y, bus 2 run semi fast calling only x and y, and bus 3 calling all stations.

[XPT]

Very few of the drivers are local, they probably were trained, but you can’t expect them to pick up a whole new area!

But not only were some of the drivers going the wrong way, one of them(at least anyway) when a person was waiting at the correct rail replacement bus stop and put their hand out to stop the bus - just shook his head at them and failed to stop!  Absolutely appalling and unacceptable. This should NOT be happening!  I'm still awaiting my reply from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) in reply to my complain about that particular lousy driver!

All the drivers should have been trained more intensively in my opinion.  The correct routes to take AND the correct bus stops to stop at.

But that driver May have been instructed to run fast to x stop. This is a common practice, bus 1 run fast to y, bus 2 run semi fast calling only x and y, and bus 3 calling all stations.

No, the driver of that service should have definitely stopped at that Redland rail replacement bus stop at that time.  That day, the 0900 service(calling at all stations) to Temple Meads didn't turn up.  Then after that there was supposed to be another service at 0945(calling at all stations), and the next service after that not till 1045(again an all stations service).  The 0945 service came round the corner from Redland Grove into South Road at about 0948.  I put my hand out, and the driver just shook his head and failed to stop!  And continued on down to Montpelier.   For the services, that run non-stop between Clifton Down and Bristol Temple Meads, they wouldn't run via(but not stopping at) Redland and Montpelier.  Anyway, I complained about that particular driver 10 days now.  I'm expecting to get a reply from GWR within the next 4 days.  Let's see what they have to say about it....

On a positive note. My experience of using the services on Friday was positive.  The 0800 from Redland to Bristol Temple Meads turned up just a minute or so late, which is nothing to complain about.  And the 1729 from Stapleton Road to Clifton Down turned up only about 7 minutes late, which isn't too bad. 

[LiskeardRich]

Very few of the drivers are local, they probably were trained, but you can’t expect them to pick up a whole new area!

But not only were some of the drivers going the wrong way, one of them(at least anyway) when a person was waiting at the correct rail replacement bus stop and put their hand out to stop the bus - just shook his head at them and failed to stop!  Absolutely appalling and unacceptable. This should NOT be happening!  I'm still awaiting my reply from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) in reply to my complain about that particular lousy driver!

All the drivers should have been trained more intensively in my opinion.  The correct routes to take AND the correct bus stops to stop at.

But that driver May have been instructed to run fast to x stop. This is a common practice, bus 1 run fast to y, bus 2 run semi fast calling only x and y, and bus 3 calling all stations.

No, the driver of that service should have definitely stopped at that Redland rail replacement bus stop at that time.  That day, the 0900 service(calling at all stations) to Temple Meads didn't turn up.  Then after that there was supposed to be another service at 0945(calling at all stations), and the next service after that not till 1045(again an all stations service).  The 0945 service came round the corner from Redland Grove into South Road at about 0948.  I put my hand out, and the driver just shook his head and failed to stop!  And continued on down to Montpelier.   For the services, that run non-stop between Clifton Down and Bristol Temple Meads, they wouldn't run via(but not stopping at) Redland and Montpelier.  Anyway, I complained about that particular driver 10 days now.  I'm expecting to get a reply from GWR within the next 4 days.  Let's see what they have to say about it....

On a positive note. My experience of using the services on Friday was positive.  The 0800 from Redland to Bristol Temple Meads turned up just a minute or so late, which is nothing to complain about.  And the 1729 from Stapleton Road to Clifton Down turned up only about 7 minutes late, which isn't too bad. 

I assume you’ve a copy of that drivers running card? If not you’ve no evidence he was due to stop. He may have been non stop and lost!

[XPT]

I assume you’ve a copy of that drivers running card? If not you’ve no evidence he was due to stop. He may have been non stop and lost!

Well put it this way.  At about 0918 I saw that very same bus and driver going up South Road(Redland) on a Bristol Temple Meads-Clifton Down service.  And then approx 0948 that very same bus and driver came back again, but failed to stop.  It wouldn't have been a Clifton Down-Temple Meads non-stopper, as that would have been the 0913 Avonmouth-Bristol Temple Meads service, calling Clifton Down 0930. I am therefore absolutely positive that that driver was driving the 0945 service(the 0935 Clifton Down-Bristol Temple Meads) from Redland.  And I await GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s response to this....

[XPT]

My journeys on them Monday-Wednesday this week have been OK and not any problems.  The 0800 service from Redland towards Bristol Temple Meads turning up pretty much on time.  And on the journey home, the 1729 from Stapleton Road arriving no more than about several minutes late.  On a side note though, yesterday evening when a rail replacement double decker bus turned up at 1729 I boarded it, and the driver helpfully mentioned that that was a service to Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway.  So would have been the late running 1705 service.  Good job he mentioned that as otherwise I would have just assumed it was the 1729 to Clifton Down.

This morning though, not so good again.  Whist I know the 0800 service from Redland(the 0750 Clifton Down-Bristol Temple Meads) appears to be a reliable service, it does get me into work miles too early.  So I took a chance and waited for the later 0815 service.  Not a good idea!  As once again as I experienced before, the 0815 service did not turn up, nor the 0830 service!  From my experiences anyway, it seems both these scheduled services - the 0805 Clifton Down-Bristol Temple Meads and the 0820 Clifton Down-Bristol Temple Meads don't actually run atall every day! Crap!  I shouldn't have took that chance, and should have just got the 0800 service as normal.   Anyway, after waiting 40 minutes at that bus stop a bus finally turned up at 0850.  Traffic was ridiculously busy though.  Took about 15 minutes just to get down South Road and Zetland Road!(a distance of only about 1/4 mile for those not familiar with this area).  And further heavy traffic down Gloucester Road and through St. Pauls and St. Werburghs.  The scheduled 16 minute journey time of this service between Redland and Stapleton Road actually took about 35 minutes.

At least with the train services, it tells you on the National Rail website if any of the services are delayed(and with an estimate of how long) or cancelled.  Yet with these rail replacement bus services, they all just show as ON TIME, when they're not all ON TIME!

Only one more day left now of using these services tomorrow.