Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > cam.transport > #41552

Re: Greater Cambridge Transport

Show all headers | View raw

Ken <ken@birchanger.com> wrote:
> On 30 Dec 2023 10:13:31 +0000 (GMT), Theo
> <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> 
> >Vir Campestris <vir.campestris@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> >> Just had a message from them congratulating themselves on how 
> >> wonderfully they are doing.
> >> 
> >> 30 new electric buses to stop pollution in the city.
> >> 
> >> In other news the park and ride buses still stop in the early evening 
> >> making it impossible to use them if you want to work late or go into the 
> >> city for the evening.
> >
> >That's a Stagecoach thing, shirley?  They ran a trial (10+ years ago) where
> >P&R buses were every 20 mins until 11pm, but I was often the only passenger
> >on them.  Since Stagecoach decided that's not commercially viable, that was
> >the end of that.  Some P&Rs (Madingley Rd, Trumpington) are served (or
> >nearby) by other Stagecoach buses to some degree in the evenings I think
> >(and your P&R ticket is accepted), but they're mostly hourly.
> 
> There's nothing to stop the LA from running the service outside
> Stagecoach's hours as a supported service. Just after privatisation
> bus timetables used to tell you which services were supported. Often
> it was the whole route but sometimes it was just evening/Sunday
> journeys, sometimes using a different operator from the commercial
> service.

The County/CPCA could choose to support the P&R services, which is what they
did for the trial.  But not sure it would be the best use of funds if nobody
used them.  Maybe they should have another trial to see if anything has
changed?

One awkwardness with the P&R setup is that there's the whole P&R branding
thing with dedicated buses owned by Stagecoach: if they contract Dave's
Coaches instead of Stagecoach to run the evening service they'll need a
second, different, fleet.  And at present all the P&R revenue goes to
Stagecoach and 'Dave's' would take almost nothing in ticket sales (many
people would be returning on a ticket sold by Stagecoach earlier in the
day).

CPCA are exploring legal powers for TfL-style bus franchising where all the
revenue goes to them, they set the timetable and subcontract out running the
buses, where it would then be possible to design a sensible timetable whose
primary goal is to get people from A to B, rather than make money for
Stagecoach.

Theo

Back to cam.transport | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Greater Cambridge Transport Vir Campestris <vir.campestris@invalid.invalid> - 2023-12-29 16:44 +0000
  Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2023-12-30 10:13 +0000
    Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Ken <ken@birchanger.com> - 2023-12-30 10:31 +0000
      Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2023-12-30 11:52 +0000
        Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Tim Ward <tim@brettward.co.uk> - 2023-12-30 13:10 +0000
        Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Ken <ken@birchanger.com> - 2023-12-31 11:38 +0000
        Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Vir Campestris <vir.campestris@invalid.invalid> - 2023-12-31 16:24 +0000
          Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2023-12-31 18:47 +0000
            Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> - 2024-01-01 07:24 +0000
              Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2024-01-01 17:43 +0000
                Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Alan <eternal-september@ourmailbox.org.uk> - 2024-01-01 21:21 +0000
                Re: Greater Cambridge Transport Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> - 2024-01-02 08:12 +0000

csiph-web