Revised Bus-Link at Nailsea & Backwell

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

"Two new weekday bus services have been launched in Nailsea and Backwell by North Somerset Coaches.

One is an all-day service linking the two towns via the railway station and is timed to arrive at the station shortly before trains leave for Bristol and Weston.

The other is a Nailsea town circular service, operating hourly during the mornings only, from Monday to Friday."

For full details, see http://www.thisisclevedon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=223432&command=displayContent&sourceNode=224133&contentPK=21285933&folderPk=104742&pNodeId=224152

[Lee]

One is an all-day service linking the two towns via the railway station and is timed to arrive at the station shortly before trains leave for Bristol and Weston.

Excellent stuff 

[John R]

Shame hardly anyone uses the new services. Even the peak commuter ones (which do wait for the services from Bristol to arrive) only have 2 or 3 people on them. I can't see it lasting.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I agree with John R - the bus does indeed wait patiently at our station in the evening, but only one or two people use it.  I might, if it was raining heavily, but otherwise I'd prefer to walk - I live only ten minutes walk away.

I get the impression that those who persist in driving to the station live further away from the bus route - so it continues to make sense for them to drive, rather than catch the bus and still have a ten minute walk from their nearest stop?

To be fair, there is also a commendable number of people who cycle to the station - perhaps an extension to the perspex cycle shelter, with increased (and more secure) parking for cycles, would be an improvement?

[John R]

At Nailsea & Backwell station, we have an excellent bus service, provided by a bus company unconnected with FGW^▸ (First Great Western), where the bus timetable is linked to the train timetable - and the bus waits (within reason) if a train is running late!

But does anyone use it? I've never seen more than 1 or 2 pax on it.

[Chris from Nailsea]

To be brutally honest, John: neither have I.

I think the fact that it turns left down Queens Road, rather than right down Trendlewood Way, on its way into Nailsea town centre, is part of the reason for that - it's not running the route most potential passengers want?

It's a commendable initiative - but I'm not sure it's commercially viable.  Even less so, if we get all those additional car parking spaces in the station car park?

On the other hand: we could then perhaps re-brand our station as Portishead Parkway? 

[The SprinterMeister]

To be brutally honest, John: neither have I.

I think the fact that it turns left down Queens Road, rather than right down Trendlewood Way, on its way into Nailsea town centre, is part of the reason for that - it's not running the route most potential passengers want?

It's a commendable initiative - but I'm not sure it's commercially viable.  Even less so, if we get all those additional car parking spaces in the station car park?

On the other hand: we could then perhaps re-brand our station as Portishead Parkway? 

If the operator your talking about is North Somerset Coaches I suggest you contact their manager (who is known to me) I think you will find he is quite an ameanable chap and would be quite prepared to discuss any suitable changes to routes that increase custom, provided it can run without increasing the fleet size to maintain the service intervals or sends buses down unsuitable roads.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, TheSprinterMeister!

To be fair, since I posted that comment last year, the route has been revised, and North Somerset Coaches do indeed now run past my back garden! 

[NSCoaches]

Hello, we've just joined the forum here... any comments or suggestions about the Nailsea Bus-Link will be welcome, and if we can make any improvements to attract more users then please let us know. David, North Somerset Coaches.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hello, David - and a very warm welcome to the forum! 

I'm probably going to be embarrassed by some of my previous comments now. 

[NSCoaches]

Thanks for the welcome, and it is interesting to know what people think of the service we provide. It is hard providing an "integrated" service that actually works! We still have occasional hiccups but I think the connections usually work, and the drivers hang on the promised extra 5 minutes (10 on last bus) if trains are late. If it doesn't happen, I need to know!

We have thought about changing the route to serve Trendlewood - as more people seem to come from that side of town - but haven't yet for two reasons: 1) Risk of losing the people we already have from Kingshill and 2) First have run half-hourly 364s from the Station to Trendlewood - so it seemed sensible for us to provide something different.

However, from 6th April 364 is replaced by an hourly 362 via Long Ashton village - and stays hourly through the afternoon peak (loss of four PM peak journeys). We have a new Express service from Nailsea to Bristol starting on the same date, and may consider in due course changing the 2A to run via Trendlewood to Link Road, and back to the station via Kingshill. Comments on that proposal are most welcome!

[John R]

Dave

Slightly off topic, but thanks for operating your special services yesterday. The family really enjoyed the journey in a 1948 vintage bus, and although I'm not quite that old, it brought back memories of travelling to school on buses with crash gear boxes that did well to climb hills at 10mph.  I hope you raised lots for charity and repeat it next year.

In answer to your question, I'm not sure I have any suggestions. I suspect a lot of people are put off buses as they are perceived to be unreliable  (due to traffic) and they couldn't guarantee to make the train connection. I'm sure that isn't the case around N&B, so maybe a targetted mailshot of a week's trial at a nominal cost might persuade people to try the service. If they discover that it is in fact reliable then they could be persuaded to become regular customers.

         

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks from me, too, Dave!

Driving into Nailsea yesterday, I was rather startled to see a green vintage bus, on its way down towards Backwell - unfortunately, I hadn't heard about that special service, so thanks to John R for posting here to explain it!

I agree with John, too: a mailshot could well benefit the excellent regular station bus service.

Regards, Chris. 

[NSCoaches]

Advance Information for Nailsea commuters- we are changing our rail-link services from 30th August...

The new routes will be half-hourly in both peaks.
2A becomes the afternoon (anti-clockwise) circular, Station to Station via Trendlewood Way, Lodge Lane, Stock Way, Silver Street, Hannah More Road and Whiteoak Way
2C becomes the morning (clock-wise) circular, Station to Station via Whiteoak Way, Hannah More Road, Silver Street, Link Road, Lodge Lane and Trendlewood Way.

There will be a new extra evening journey at 1842 to connect out of the 1630 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from Paddington (and local DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) 1825 ex.Temple Meads)

Afternoon times will be xx12 and xx42, and buses will still wait up to 5 minutes (10 on the last journey) for delayed trains.

Also due in the autumn is (at long last!) a new bus shelter for the Nailsea-side bus stop.

Timetables will be available on our website (www.northsomersetcoaches.co.uk) shortly or you can request one by email (sales@northsomersetcoaches.co.uk).

[JayMac]

Nice to see a bus operator planning their timetable around train arrival times with a bit of leeway for late running services. Good work North Somerset Coaches!