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Title: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: grahame on January 18, 2023, 21:26:39 Report from a meeting in Keynsham today ... all "as I understand it from the reports"
Weca has NOT renewed contracts on supported bus routes. They have voted in favour of converting the majority of supported bus services in the area to a DRT system. Affected services include 5/47 22 96 172 174 178 179 506 513 514 516 672. They are now going to do the final planning for the DRT system to start, from nothing in two months time. They have finance for 2 years. Concerns: How will it be financed after the 2 years? How will it be set up so quickly? Will DRT work for these service - is it practical? It has been suggested by cynics that the mllions that WECA have received under Bus Back Better cannot be spent on supporting existing servives, so they're scrapping existing sevices and introducting new service which they can then support from that money. There ARE good cases for replacing / revamping some services, but on this scale it looks like madness to me! Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: Bmblbzzz on January 18, 2023, 22:19:44 DRT: Directly regulated transport?
Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: grahame on January 18, 2023, 22:30:57 DRT: Directly regulated transport? Demand Responsive Transport - sorry - should have clarified. Not a fixed route at a fixed time - you phone (or text or use an app) to arrange for the bus to go your way and pick you up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand-responsive_transport Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: grahame on January 19, 2023, 11:42:39 From Citistar on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/citistar/posts/pfbid031hAV8A8qmWcK483R2Zng27pFoifWgVMisSiXYDZZ13Ewaw5iEYkZ4dUYhgFn8LUQl)
Quote This afternoon, WECA under the leadership of Dan Norris and the leaders of B&NES (Kevin Guy), South Glos (Toby Savage) and Bristol (Marvin Rees) have voted to pass a package of cuts to support for local bus services. This package of services continuing includes most current funded bus services in the urban areas of Bath and Bristol, but barely anything outside of the two cities. Every supported bus service in Norton Radstock and the Chew Valley should be expected to be withdrawn at the end of March. This affects the following services in B&NES: 82 (Libra) Paulton - Radstock Tyning 172 (First, evenings only) Bath - Norton Radstock 178 (Citistar/Abus) Paulton - Keynsham - Brislington 179 (CT) Midsomer Norton - Timsbury - Bath 185 (CT) Paulton - Radstock - Trowbridge 640 (CT) Bishop Sutton - Keynsham 668 (CT) Peasedown - Bristol 672 (Eurotaxis) Blagdon - Bristol 683 (CT) Keynsham - Blagdon - Wells 752 (B&NES) Chew Valley - Bath 754 (B&NES) Chew Valley - Clutton - Radstock 768 (CT) MSN - Timsbury - Priston - Bath These services represent the only remaining bus services to: Bishop Sutton, Blagdon, Camerton, Chew Stoke, Chew Magna, Compton Dando, Compton Martin, Dundry, East Harptree, Englishcombe, Nailwell, Priddy, Priston, Publow, Tunley, Ubley, West Harptree, Woollard These services also represent the vast majority of journeys to High Littleton, Timsbury, Farmborough, Marksbury and Burnett. Dan Norris and Kevin Guy have APPROVED these withdrawals whilst RETAINING funding for bus services in Bath where no stop is more than 200 metres from another bus route. Norton Radstock and the Chew Valley are being completely abadoned by politicians of all colours. Not a single Bath city area service running via the city centre will be affected, or even reduced for efficiency. The only proposed replacement for any of these services is some nonsense scheme of minibuses operated by a company who run those Ambulance liveried minibuses which take people to hospital appointments. WECA's staff seem to think they can magic up this new demand responsive system in two months and that it will cope with the demand of bus services which carry thousands of passenger journeys every day. After introducing a fare capping system which makes it economically impossible for any company other than First Bus to provide bus services without financial support, Dan Norris now turns around and withdraws that financial support. This isn't forced cuts, it is wanton vandalism. With WECA's staff having told bus companies over the past two years that they had "no intention" of replacing bus services with demand responsive transport and that it was intended to "complement" the bus network, the opposite has been done at the first opportunity. Bus service providers have been deliberately and repeatedly lied to by WECA's staff to force through their deluded vision of a single transport provider (First) and a demand responsive transport system which has never proven to be financially sustainable anywhere else in the UK. The new DRT system has two years to become financially viable before cash for that runs out too. Dan Norris, Kevin Guy et al have deliberately put locally based, tax paying employers out of the bus market with these actions. Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: ChrisB on January 19, 2023, 14:10:28 Wow! That's some passenger numbers being dispossessed - and will probably need the largest DRT operation in the country to cover everyone.
One correction - it won't mean Quote run those Ambulance liveried minibuses which take people to hospital appointments DRT buses are much more modern & comfortable - see various blogs on the Bus & Train User website for photos. But my concern definitely stands...Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: grahame on January 19, 2023, 14:28:28 Bristol Live (https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-west-england-bus-cuts-8049830) not exactly impressed
Quote The West of England initially sent out a press release after the meeting saying 27 cuts would be axed — before later clarifying that 27 would be saved, and 42 would be axed. A list was then sent out of potential services facing withdrawal, which was "not double-checked for accuracy" and only included 36 services. According to this list, which may not be entirely accurate, subsidised services facing withdrawal from April include: 506 Bristol city centre to Southmead Hospital 179 Bath to Midsomer Norton 672 Bristol to Blagdon 185 Paulton to Trowbridge 636 Whitchurch to Keynsham 640 Bishop Sutton to Keynsham 668 Peasedown St John to Bristol city centre 683 Keynsham to Wells 757 Combe Hay to Midsomer Norton 172 Bath to Paulton 178 Midsomer Norton to Brislington Park and Ride 752 Hinton Blewett to Bath city centre 754 Hinton Blewett to Radstock 768 Bath bus station to Radstock and Midsomer Norton 52 Hengrove Park to Bristol city centre 516 Knowle to Hengrove Park 622 Chipping Sodbury to Cribbs Causeway 626 Wotton-under-Edge to Bristol city centre 511 Bedminster to Hengrove 512 Totterdown to Bristol city centre 513/514 Knowle to Brislington 17 Southmead Hospital to Kingswood 82 Radstock to Paulton 84/85 Yate to Wotton-under-Edge 623 Hollywood Lane to Cribbs Causeway 634 Tomarton to Kingswood 663 Somerdale to Chandag Road 664 Keynsham to Saltford 665 Somerdale to Longmeadow Road 684 Wick to Keynsham 22 Twerton to Bath Uni 202 Chipping Sodbury to Winterbourne 963 Patchway to Bradley Stoke and Winterbourne 948 Pucklechurch to Mangotsfield and Sir Bernard Lovell School 967 Westerleigh to Chipping Sodbury School and Brimsham Green School 680 North Yate to Chipping Sodbury and SGS College Filton Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: rogerw on January 19, 2023, 17:34:11 According to Dan Norris on Radio Bristol this morning, some of the cuts are down to the three councils concerned not increasing their bus funding, contrary to previous promises.
Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: Bmblbzzz on January 19, 2023, 18:04:56 DRT: Directly regulated transport? Demand Responsive Transport - sorry - should have clarified. Not a fixed route at a fixed time - you phone (or text or use an app) to arrange for the bus to go your way and pick you up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand-responsive_transport Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: grahame on January 19, 2023, 19:59:27 According to Dan Norris on Radio Bristol this morning, some of the cuts are down to the three councils concerned not increasing their bus funding, contrary to previous promises. The wonders of a complex system in which the buck can be passed around and the public doesn't know who the ***'s really responsible for an alteration and ends up feeling short changed and confused. In the right place and properly organised, DRT can work - especially with modern technology to help. But I'm utterly not convinced about this setup; I hope it's just because I'm uninformed on the details and how they'll be addressing the issues that others have started to mention. Title: Re: WECA Bus Contracts Post by: DaveHarries on January 31, 2023, 00:44:51 Before I reply to the quote below I have heard from more than one source that Stagecoach have picked up at least four routes in the WECA retendering. These are, from what I understand:
- Portway Park & Ride - Brislington Park & Ride - Service 47 (Bristol - Yate, via. Emersons Green) - Service 505 (Long Ashton Park & Ride - Southmead Hospital) Of their existing routes - services 10, 11, 13, 462, 513, 514, 622, 663, 664 & 665 - I know not. Although it is true that some are being withdrawn there were, from what I could see on the list, replacements in the offing for some of those routes: see below. According to this list, which may not be entirely accurate, subsidised services facing withdrawal from April include: 506 Bristol city centre to Southmead Hospital 179 Bath to Midsomer Norton 672 Bristol to Blagdon 185 Paulton to Trowbridge 636 Whitchurch to Keynsham 640 Bishop Sutton to Keynsham 668 Peasedown St John to Bristol city centre 683 Keynsham to Wells 757 Combe Hay to Midsomer Norton 172 Bath to Paulton 178 Midsomer Norton to Brislington Park and Ride 752 Hinton Blewett to Bath city centre 754 Hinton Blewett to Radstock 768 Bath bus station to Radstock and Midsomer Norton 52 Hengrove Park to Bristol city centre 516 Knowle to Hengrove Park 622 Chipping Sodbury to Cribbs Causeway 626 Wotton-under-Edge to Bristol city centre 511 Bedminster to Hengrove 512 Totterdown to Bristol city centre 513/514 Knowle to Brislington 17 Southmead Hospital to Kingswood 82 Radstock to Paulton 84/85 Yate to Wotton-under-Edge 623 Hollywood Lane to Cribbs Causeway 634 Tomarton to Kingswood 663 Somerdale to Chandag Road 664 Keynsham to Saltford 665 Somerdale to Longmeadow Road 684 Wick to Keynsham 22 Twerton to Bath Uni 202 Chipping Sodbury to Winterbourne 963 Patchway to Bradley Stoke and Winterbourne 948 Pucklechurch to Mangotsfield and Sir Bernard Lovell School 967 Westerleigh to Chipping Sodbury School and Brimsham Green School 680 North Yate to Chipping Sodbury and SGS College Filton Although this list is not good there were, from what I could tell, replacements in the pipeline for some of the routes in that list albeit under different route numbers. The list on the WECA minutes included the following routes: 517 (Chew Magna - Wells) (part replacement of 672?) 518 (Midsomer Norton - Radstock) - could be replacement for the 82 if it served Paulton. 519 (K'ham) (Chocolate Quarter - High St - Charlton Rd - Queens Rd - High St - Wellsway - Minsmere Rd - High St - Chocolate Quarter) (replacing 663-665?) 520 (Southmead - Longwell Green) (not sure about this one) 521 (Hengrove Park - Brislington) (probably combining 513, 514 & 516 into one route?) 522 (Brislington Park & Ride - Paulton - Odd Down Park & Ride) (replacing 178?) 523 (Brislington Circular) (probably part replacing 513 & 514?) 524 (Long Ashton Park & Ride - Hengrove Park, via. SBL) (new route) 525 (Emersons Green - Yate) (replacement of Service 86?) 526 (Chew Valley Link) (part replacement of 672?) 527 (Chew Magna - Bristol, Anchor Road) (part replacement of 672?) I don't know if these are the planned DRT routes or whether they will materialise or who will run them though: the registrations will appear soon enough though and tell us who has won what and the final date for registratons to be with the TC to ensure a prompt start date was 20th January but I have not seen any registrations yet. HTIOI, Dave This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |