My understanding is that I can use my North Somerset bus pass in Wiltshire on weekdays after 9:30am - and I have done so, with no issue on my part.

CfN.

 

The Wiltshire Council website says 09:00 to 11:59pm Monday-Friday in Wiltshire for holders of Wiltshire issued passes, but 09:30 to 11pm in Wiltshire if pass was issued in different county

So acceptance time is different when at a Wiltshire bus stop depending on where it was issued.

 

Red diesel is indeed still a feature of the fuel supply - allowed for agriculture, forestry and domestic power (not propulsion) on private narrowboats, for example. 

Our local garage used to sell it - from a specific pump, which had a separate key to operate it, and which had to be obtained from the garage office by legitimate users for each transaction. That facility disappeared when our local garage changed hands, and, to be honest, we never had that many tractors (or narrowboats) passing under the railway bridge at Nailsea & Backwell who would have refuelled there. 

CfN. 

 

Announcement of Chiltern date

 

I appreciate that - perhaps a bit more than I made out.  I did understand that these is a special "agricultural diesel" rate - "red diesel" at a much lower rate- or is that a thing of the past past?


Yes - and of course some public transport IS road transport  . ...  I did a "reductio ad absurdum" exercise and, agreed, it WOULD be absurd to take it all the way!    There's is some scope though - and the example a gave at looked at a single year, where in practice investment in one year would reap benefits for many years thereafter.

 
Dft have announced update to rail public ownership programme

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/great-british-railways#full-publication-update-history

It's about 3 months since previous operator conversion date was announced, but I cannot work out what has been updated.

 
In Gloucestershire the rules are the usual 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays and any time at weekends and bank holidays.  In addition it can be used before 09:30 on certain routes - I think these are very infrequent rural routes where there otherwise be a big gap or even no other service that day.

 

Graham this isn't just about people and their private cars

Fuel duty affects manufacturers, distributors, retailers, logistics, haulage and agriculture.

Increase these costs and inflation will rise with them as they are passed on through supply chains to end users, who are quite often already struggling to make ends meet, and it potentially has a devastating impact on an already shaky economy.

Public transport complements road transport - it cannot and will not ever take its place in the way some aspire to, it is simply not living in the real world to suggest otherwise, and politically I think you will find there are far more appealing homes for additional tax revenue than the railway, at least in the proportions you are suggesting.

 
Worse time to catch a bus in Swindon is 09:15.  You seem to get an endless stream of people who then appear surprised their pass is not valid.   I am sure some of them do it regularly in the hope they will be waved on board.

 
From the BBC


The headline rate on standard petrol and diesel is 52.95 pence per litre, which has been frozen since 2011-12, including a "temporary 5p cut" introduced in 2022-23 which is supposed to be being withdrawn later this year.  Fuel Duty - £24 billion - £835 per household

For the financial year April 2024 to March 2025, the UK rail industry's income from passenger fares was £11.5 billion (and £12.6 including other sources). Government funding for the UK rail industry in 2024-25 was £11.9 billion, supporting nearly half of the total £25.9 billion in industry income.

52.95 pence in 2011 would be equivalent to 77.89 pence today.  If that 25p fuel tax that has been foregone were to have been taken this year and invested in the railways, it would amount to an extra investment / income of around £12 billion. So fares could be halved and £6 billion invested too.

Of course, it gets more complicated; reduced fares and increased investment (if it's done right) will rocket passenger numbers, and passenger numbers will grow; being mass transit, the cost per passenger reduces and you have whole new balance of sustainable public transport becoming the norm.  UK electification rates more in line with other counties in Europe?   People moving even more rapidly away from fossils fuels?  `Inflation stoked by the tax increase and political unrest from those reliant on private cars?

 

Our machines were set to accept them from 0927, so we could load for a 0930 departure ready to depart on time.

Plymouth city council issue passes with a + symbol on top right to holders who are over 80 or visually impaired. These passes are valid at all times.

 
From the BBC:

 
In West Berks, it's 9-30 am to 11 pm!

 

Very likely - though I'm not when. Not there to observe


Something to do with the 11:56 arrival at Westbury from Paddington not getting there until 12:31, per chance?   The 12:17 to Swindon left at 12:34.   Thank you [whoever] for not cancelling the round trip to Swindon as has happened too often in the past with this train.

 
Heading off-topic: the other day, a road closure to enable services to be taken to a new-build. The road has a one in seven slope, and in the transverse trench, existing runs of various things - a c. 6" plastic pipe, somewhat enwrapped, and a cheerful c.18" jointed ceramic pipe, still not at great depth, both inclined to match the road's 1/7 gradient, the joint that was visible being in less than perfect condition with at one point a triangular piece as big as a thumb allowing access to the inside - though on the upper side of the pipe - and the joints being more or less aligned.

The workforce beavering away methodically on their new stuff.

On the third time of passing I plucked up the courage to ask them what was what and they immediately switched to cheerful conversation mode: "The grey pipe, that's your gas - the ceramic pipe, that's the fouls." (I think they called it that...). When I expressed surprise at the, er, poor condition of the foul sewer's joint, they said "Yup, everything underground in Bath is broken - that one's actually quite good!"

It was then time to reflect on the widespread existence of jointed ceramic pipes beneath the streets of the UK, of indeterminate age and often at no great depth, and now coping with increased loading and ground movement brought about by present day road traffic.

Mark

 
There is intention to add another 175 in to passenger service from 16 March to run Plymouth - Penzance - Exeter St Davids - Penzance - Plymouth as there are now 6 serviceable sets that can run in passenger service.  However 175006 broke down again today with a bogie fault and 5Z13 training run was cancelled as a result.

 
Oxfordshire: - different again

Within Oxfordshire you can use your pass during the following times:

    Monday to Friday 9am - 12am (midnight)
    Saturday - anytime
    Sunday - anytime
    Bank Holidays - anytime

 

https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/4986/Concessionary-fare-pre-9am-exemptions-effective-from-April-2025

 
Cornwall.
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/transport-parking-and-streets/public-transport/national-concession-bus-pass/
When and where can I use my bus pass?
Your bus pass allows you to travel free of charge at anytime on the majority of services within Cornwall, Truro Park and Ride is excluded from the scheme.

You can use your bus pass to travel on bus services outside of Cornwall between 0930 and 2300 Monday to Friday.  You can also use it anytime at weekends and Bank Holidays (not Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales or the Isle of Man.) Outside of these times you must pay the standard fare for your journey.

 
Wouldn't the re-routed trains appear on the station departure boards in some form?

 

I dropped a note to my supplier - tickets bought from GWR at Bath Sps Station for train and bus journeys to Ruthin, which were not honoured on the Chester to Ruthin bus ... note dropped at 07:31 on 16th February

Reply from GWR passing the query on (even though they were the suppier of the goods?), 24th February at 14:48
Definitive reply from TfW on 5th March AT 14:16

I sent a courtesy copy of my email to GWR to and they responded with a deinitive answer 15 minutes later -  at 07:46 on 16th February

15 minutes for the independent operator (who was not the person I purchased from and 16 days later through the responsible channels / big companies. Why is it that there's what at times to be such a systemic delay in answering questions in organisations that should have the resources to handle the enquiries they get efficiently?

Matter resolved in that the T8 team / operators and their drivers have now been briefed, I understand. But I have no confidence that there aren't other bus services / operator in Wales who are supposed to accept the "Explore" tickets - which are not cheap and sold to occasional leisure travellers who will turn away passengers with valid tickets.

 
North Somerset (and adjoining counties):

Journeys starting in North Somerset, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire:
 - disabled passes can be used at any time every day of the week, thanks to funding from the Bus Service Improvement Programme
 - older person's passes can be used off-peak from Monday to Friday (before 4am and after 9am) and any time on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays

Local buses starting anywhere else in England:
 - Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 11pm (some areas may allow passes to be used at other times)
 - anytime Saturday, Sunday or public holidays

 
Devon: https://www.traveldevon.info/bus/national-bus-pass/using-your-bus-pass/

Cards valid from 09:30 > End Of Service Weekdays

A mildly amusing, but somewhat childish, episode locally was the realisation by Devon County Council that until late last year the weekday card validity was set as after 09:30. However cards were still being accepted by Stagecoach drivers on the 09:30 departure of our local I service. Mr Jobsworth obviously spotted this and Stagecoach were issued with a 'cease & desist' instruction, which was given to all relevant drivers, which stated that any 09:30 card scans would not be reimbursed by DCC. For a while intending pax were directed to the next stop where the service departed at 09:31! Sanity has now been restored.

 

Ah yes - looks like it.   Wish they had told us ... first step of adding in stops is starting to work ... but lesson to be learned in terms of being able to quickly tell customers.

Interesting choice - adding Melksham and Swindon calls but not Trowbridge and Chippenham ones.  I understand it's a difficult call and there is no good solution.

 
But..

 
From National Rail

Description
A points failure at Bedwyn means all lines are blocked. As a result, trains between between Frome / Westbury and Newbury may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or diverted.

Perhaps they are cancelling local trains (via Melksham) in order that fast trains to/from the Westcountry can use the line?

 

Notified at 07:21 ... no alternatives offered.

But if the points just failed (where ?) there is some immediate sympathy on the day for the last minute cancellation.  And it's possibly too late to switch trains around.

What if I were travelling?  With both train and bus operations being pretty regulated, perhaps I should be allowed to catch the 07:44 or 08:25 bus at Trowbridge to Melksham or Chippenham - arriving at the railway station in Chippenham at 09:00 or at the bus station at 09:27.   

Yes - I know that the bus replaces a 20 minute journey by one that's over three times as long ... but it's doing the best for the customer when things go wrong - as would be reminding passengers that the may dogleg via Bath is they're joining at or before Trowbridge.   Is it really that hard to think of the customer at short notice?  Could AI and/or pre-emptive arrangements make customer consideration at the time of disruption to be automatic?

 
This topic has been moved to Diary - what's happening when? and merged with an existing topic there.

https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=20407.msg373151#msg373151

 
07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:34
07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:34 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.

08:44 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
08:44 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.