The biggest surprise is that more routes will be running on Boxing Day than ever before.
- Bluestar will be running a skeleton service on routes 1, 2, 4, 9, 12, 16 and 18 as per last year.
- Velvet will be running a full Sunday service on the A between Southampton and Hedge End. Their website says it's a full Sunday service, which means the E8 and X7 too, but that almost seems too good to be true.
- First will be running a Boxing Day service too, with a skeleton service on routes 2, 3, 7 and 11.
No buses ran on New Year's Day 2013 in Southampton, but that changes for 2014: Bluestar, First and Velvet will be running the same service as on Boxing Day.
Full details of all buses in our region over the festive period here.
In other news, the Campaign for Better Transport has today received a lot of coverage for this report, which rings a warning bell about the number of councils cutting their support for bus services. Southampton City Council comes in for particular criticism for cutting its bus budget by 42% this year. In the rest of England and Wales, only Milton Keynes and Shropshire are making bigger cuts in 2013/14.
Don't forget there are two types of bus service in England (outside London), Wales and Scotland: commercial routes over which the operators have full control; and subsidised routes operated under contract to councils that are designed to fill in the gaps in the commercial network. It is the subsidised routes that the CBT report focuses on. The figures for our city suggest that more cuts are to come our way.
As I don't drive and rely on public transport, it will be nice on January 1st 2014,to be able too travel to Winchester to have a look round and enjoy the Friends of King Aelfred running day. I am grateful too all the operators and their staff who will be working on this day, and making it possible for myself and I'm sure many others too do so. PAC
ReplyDeletehttp://s262662507.websitehome.co.uk/page41.html It's the LAST one :(
DeleteIn Bournemouth & Poole
ReplyDeleteMore Bus (GSC) is running a special M1 on Christmas Day from Poole via Bournemouth Square and Castle Point to Bournemouth Hospital.
Yellow Buses and Morebus operate special boxing day services, but only Morebus on New Years Day.
Interesting stuff
ReplyDeleteSadly getting to Southampton those days are impossible bar the train
Why? Its only Xmas day that there is no service, and I dont think trains run then anyway?
DeleteX7 and E8 will indeed run on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, supported by Eastleigh Borough Council who are keen to ensure that Eastleigh town centre - which will be open for business - is accessible to local residents.
ReplyDeleteUnconfirmed reports that our Blue friends are to cut all night buses early in the new year, and are seriously looking to cut frequency and services on lots of evening journeys. Hard times ahead for them if this happens, as it will just open the door a little wider for the smaller operators to creep in. Another Marchwood on our hands, once they realise their mistake? Time will tell, but personally, I really hope they are not so short sighted, that they couldnt see the potential loss to their business. Surely evening services will normally run at a slight loss, as they are the return leg of a profitable outbound journey, where the money is taken? No bus to return on=no profitable outbound trip, as the passenger cant get home....
ReplyDeleteIndeed, gifting off peak business to competitors is somewhat short sighted. You gain a competitive advantage in operating an evening/Sunday service as your season tickets are valid on more journeys meaning more flexibility as to when you travel.
DeleteFragmented service with another operator running the oppositions service in the eve under contract to a council is not a good way forward. Just look at previous examples - Velvet's A when First had the eve serv & S'coach had the Sun serv. Now at least First just do Sunday's but now it's part of a "new" longer A route which is fragmented on Sunday. Not helpful.
ReplyDeleteIts not about fragmented service, its about letting a competitor gain a foothold on YOUR service route. Once people see a small "friendly" operator on the route, they try it and like it, and then the downward path has begun. Take a look at the Hedge End situation for the proof of that point. Bluestar have surrendered it, from a position of strength, by cutting and cutting, to justify a certain profit margin. By cutting some evening frequency, they open it all up. The 4 route is another classic example of this. Bluestar cut the evening frequency, and hey presto, Mr Wheeler appears with an innovative new route. They just cant see what they are doing, but before long, their shareholders will be asking questions imho. Its about balance to the business, not purely economics of single trips here and there. They are failing to see the bigger picture, and there are plenty of smaller operators thriving, and waiting for their next mistake. Staff at B/S have been given their notice that Night buses are ceasing 3rd week in Feb. Cue Velvet, and watch them make a success of it! I bet they cant wait for the evening cuts to be announced, if Bluestar are foolish enough to do it!
DeleteThe point about the 3 is fair enough, but your point about the evening 4 is tenous in the extreme. The cut to the evening 4 must have been about 5 years ago now, and in actual fact just reverted the evening service level back to roughly what had been the long-term norm anyway. To suggest that that is in any way related to an independent launching a Mon-Sat daytime only service some years later, which only competes with the 4 to a limited extent anyway, seems ridiculous.
DeleteAs for seeing the overall balance to the business rather than looking only at the economics of single trips - I believe that Bluestar's evening and Sunday network is almost entirely commercially operated (and has been since long before recent LA funding cuts). There surely aren't that many other operators that can claim this?