Rail tickets should be valid on buses ...

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Line problem: between Bath Spa and Chippenham. Owing to signalling problems between Bath Spa and Chippenham all lines are blocked.
Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 45 mins or diverted at short notice. An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed.
Customer Advice:
First Great Western ticket holders can use First bus service 231/232 between Bath and Chippenham. Additional road transport will also run between Bath - Chippenham - Swindon.

Shouldn't First Great Western ticket holders between X and Y routinely be able to use First bus services between X and Y?

[eightf48544]

Shouldn't First Great Western ticket holders between X and Y routinely be able to use First bus services between X and Y?

Graham you should know better!

Tickets available on both bus and Trains (plus trams and ferries) is a nasty European integrated public transport concept.

Can't have that. Bus must compete with rail and you certainly and you can't have First train passengers using their tickets on First Buses as that would be anti competitive.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

60 years ago I could travel one way between Bridgwater and Taunton with either a bus or rail ticket and return by the alternative mode and this facility was well advertised but of course both rail and bus operations were nationalised undertakings, rail as BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) and Western National as a state owned company.
It just goes to show that Britain's transport infra structure has become more and more disintegrated with rail becoming even more so in that with some TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s tickets now you must use the TOC issuing the ticket both ways.

[trainer]

Of course in London where the Law is made and where there is full political control of trains and buses, the Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) scheme ensures that passengers can travel with many forms of transport and private enterprise has an opportunity to make money through concessions.  However, for the rest of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) (not Northern Ireland) we are forced to endure the downside of competition, deregulated services and nothing much on the roads outside urban areas after six in the evenings, rendering a day out on public transport difficult.  We have minimal democratic control over public transport policy locally, mainly because the local authorities have limited powers themselves.

First Group and Stagecoach Holdings being two huge conglomerates should be able to integrate trains and buses, but when I want to get to Yatton Station from Clevedon, the most convenient route is operated by an independent, so no incentive there to integrate. First do now run an hourly service in the day, but when I return on a Sunday or any late evening, I have to use a taxi or call out a friend.  Plus Bus is a good effort and works well in some places, but the main requirement for that is a bus!

I have still heard no satisfactory explanation why integration good for the capital city but not for us non-metropolitan types.

[vacman]

Some of you lot could find a problem for every solution, here we have a common sense approach to getting passengers to where they need to get to during disruption but that part has completely passed you by!

[inspector_blakey]

It just goes to show that Britain's transport infra structure has become more and more disintegrated with rail becoming even more so in that with some TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s tickets now you must use the TOC issuing the ticket both ways.

The counter-argument is that this may offer a better deal than was available when everything was "integrated": I have not done any research so I don't know if it's true, but it's definitely a possibility. I'm certainly more than happy to save myself money and accept the restrictions on a single-TOC ticket as long as they provide a reasonable service between my origin and destination.

[thetrout]

Shouldn't First Great Western ticket holders between X and Y routinely be able to use First bus services between X and Y?

Yes!!!!!! I've often said this... I don't know how many times...!

Sometimes my friend goes to Bath by Train, but wishes to return home by Bus to save the 1 mile up hill walk to his house. He gets "stung" for ^5.90 on the Train and ^6.40 on the bus.

However the downside to that is "if" there was such a thing as integration between Bus and Train. I have a concessionary bus pass, so would it be reasonable for me to expect it to be valid for free travel on the train provided I followed the validity restrictions of the 09:30 rule................

[swrural]

This is really an issue for our friends at SW Travel Watch to promote for us isn't it?  My ex-colleague Chris Irwin, and his trusty friends such as Gordon Edwards, have great energy in this sort of area.  Is anyone going to the meeting in March in Taunton?  I cannot, unfortunately.

[Richard Fairhurst]

In Thames Trains days, rail returns from Oxford to London were valid on the overnight X90 coaches. Supposedly this continued some time into the FGWL era - I presume it's no longer the case but haven't been able to find any documentation anywhere!

[inspector_blakey]

You're quite right, I had forgotten that. I would guess this came about because Thames Trains and the Oxford Bus Company (which operates the X90 bus service) were under the same owning group, Go Ahead. Ticket weren't valid on the rival "Oxford Tube" service operated by Stagecoach. Presumably once the trains ceased to be operated by Go Ahead this arrangement went by the wayside due to financial considerations?

Incidentally, and I'm sure I have said this before, I've never understood why Go Ahead is capable of running a truly excellent bus service, in the form of the Oxford Bus Company buses and coaches, but only ever managed a lousy train service when it was in charge of Thames Trains.

[thetrout]

Simple... Go Ahead joined with Keolis and formed Govia

Govia is the partnership between UK^▸ (United Kingdom) transport operator The Go-Ahead Group plc and Keolis, a leading international public transport provider. In existence for over 15 years, Govia operates the London Midland, Southeastern and Southern rail franchises.

[Chris from Nailsea]

This is really an issue for our friends at SW Travel Watch to promote for us isn't it?  My ex-colleague Chris Irwin, and his trusty friends such as Gordon Edwards, have great energy in this sort of area.  Is anyone going to the meeting in March in Taunton?  I cannot, unfortunately.

Sorry to learn that you are not able to attend the TravelWatch SouthWest meeting in Taunton on Saturday 2 March, swrural.

However, I understand that I am likely to be joined by grahame, bobm, bignosemac, johoare, Ollie and probably a few other members of this forum in their various representative roles, so our voices should be heard! 

[swrural]

Gosh, a FGWCS reunion!   

If anyone does pursue this theme, important to distinguish between local and long distance transport.  It is possible to make a series of bus hops from (say) Yeovil to Bristol but I suspect FGW^▸ (First Great Western) will not be happy to support accepting a free pensioner bus pass between those locations!  (Mind you.....). 

[JayMac]

If anyone does pursue this theme, important to distinguish between local and long distance transport.  It is possible to make a series of bus hops from (say) Yeovil to Bristol

Yeovil to Bristol can be done on a through bus service. Hourly throughout the day, with only the service number changing in Wells. Does take 2^ hours mind.

[swrural]

Yes I knew that, which is why I chose the example, thanks BNM.