Great Western Coffee Shop

An interesting piece at http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=7997&categoryid=0

I don't know where to start - lots of interesting stuff in there ... one thing struck me


They sound like they were surprised.  At times we find trains complicated, and information sources unclear with some data completely missing.  But those problems pale into insignificance beside some really simple bus questions like "what's the return fare to Bath" which I don't think (from Melksham) I can find on either the First or the Faresaver sites.  Nor can I find "is my bus on time?"

Go to any train station, and you'll find a timetable / list of departures.  It may be imperfect in various ways, but at least it's there.   There's no timetable at all on 3 of the 4 stops on our street.   The fourth one has a 2008 timetable, since when the times and route have been radically altered.  Across the road, where the buses were withdrawn in July (improving to a loop route), there's a brink new "from 28th July 2013" timetable showing the 271 / 272 south east bound service ... which doesn't actually call there.   I reported the issue in late September, and have been told to report it again if not fixed by the end of October.  It looks like I'll be reporting it again ...

It's no wonder passengers don't know what's going on!

Does the lack of knowledge refer to the buses themselves as well?

Such as are you travelling on a Volvo Olympian Northern Counties Palatine 2 or a Volvo Olympian East Lancs or a Volvo Olympian Alexander Royale.

Most rail travellers will know they are a travelling on a HST or a 150 etc, but I'd bet they would have a clue on the model of bus they are travelling.
I know my buses fairly well but certainly don't know which type of Volvo Olympian I am on.

Regarding bus times and arrivals, down here in Cornwall the prime 14/18 route has seen the normal route buses fitted with transponders and the stops fitted with displays telling us how many minutes from the stop the next bus is.

Not sure about that last statement. I'd guess they would recognise that they are different types of train but I doubt the general public would know what they are called. Also, given something like an IC125 versus an IC225 I'm not sure that 100% of the general public would realise they are two different types of train without parking one of each next to each other, unless the passenger pays attention to the details.

Also, while I can tell an Optare Tempo X1260 from an X1200 (count the windows) my knowlegde of bus models is fairly limited.

There are a few bus-stop LED indicator displays in Pembrokeshire too. Oddly (unlike the ones at rail stations) they don't always seem to tell you what the time NOW is.

Purely anecdotal but my mother still refers to the main bus route through Reading as "the trolleybuses" and calls HSTs "the loud trains".

The cast majority of pax couldn't care less how the industry manages their workload or with what type of vehicle. So long as the timetable runs, they're happy

I still remember as a child seeing the trolleybus wires in Reading.  The roundabout next to Tilehurst Sation was a terminus as recall and was where they used the roundabout to turn round

I lived near the other end, and the highlight was watching them turn and the booms falling of the wires leaving them stranded outside the fire station.  ;D

WELL! Where do I start?
14/18 in Cornwall fitted with transponders. Some are, most not.
As per earlier posts, vehicles are very frequently swapped, so many on the 14/18 route do not have transponders, so the displays will not show a 'not fitted' bus,  Drivers frequently are told by passengers "your display isn't working correctly".  How to explain in simple English...........
Some busses are showing a fault on the transponder display screen (i.e. not in service, or no stop list) which would add to the public display problem.
As a driver with just over three years experience, I know very little of vehicle descriptions.  To me, they are Darts, B7's, Tridents, deckers, Vario's & Optair's  The finer knowledge is lost on me.
I would guess most of our passengers are thankful something turns up.

This thread also mixes (in my thoughts, anyway) with

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=12612.msg142143

I don't think that Jo Public is so much concerned with the model detail of buses. We tested that out for trains when the loco hauled was running and it was more about facilities, comfort, time keeping than where the engine was!

There is so much that could be done with the buses.  Yes, it's expensive to put a display at every stop and to fit automated and state of the art equipment all around.   But is that the only option to improve things, and is it really that expensive, or does the system preclude even modest extra investment and improvement?   Would a subsidised tender be awarded to company "A" who came in a thousand pounds less for the year, or company "B" who offered a web site and backup phone number during bus operation hours that let you find out where your missing bus was?

Company "A" operates locally on Sundays around here ... better than nothing, but last Sunday they lost me to the car - and that lost me to the connecting train too ... because I knew I had no way of finding out where the bus was if it didn't turn up.