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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2018 19:04:33 GMT
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Post by planesandtrains on Jan 12, 2018 20:28:03 GMT
As usual Courtney has to engage in bus wars along profitable corridors ending up with passenger numbers being destroyed. No doubt will the Reading and Courtney 2's be chasing each other. Courtney say they will have an 'all network day ticket' All network in that it is only valid on Courtney Buses So to use multiple operators you have to buy different tickets, one of the things I absolutely despise of in the UK.. Real backward steps. What are they thinking?
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Post by N230UD on Jan 13, 2018 0:43:42 GMT
As usual Courtney has to engage in bus wars along profitable corridors ending up with passenger numbers being destroyed. No doubt will the Reading and Courtney 2's be chasing each other. Courtney say they will have an 'all network day ticket' All network in that it is only valid on Courtney Buses So to use multiple operators you have to buy different tickets, one of the things I absolutely despise of in the UK.. Real backward steps. What are they thinking? <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="6.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 6.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 1145px; top: -269px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_62268478"></iframe> <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="6.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 6.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 10px; top: -17px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_86890141"></iframe> <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="6.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 6.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 1145px; top: -17px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_58166826"></iframe> It feels similar to the current 'bus war' in Harlow, where Arriva/Trustybus have competing routes on the Harlow-Epping and Harlow-Church Langley corridors since the beginning of January. This competition in Harlow and the Thames Valley seems absolutely ridiculous in the current climate in the bus industry. This isn't the 1990s when competition might have been very beneficial for an operator. There are unlikely to be any 'winners' from a 'bus war' in 2018.
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Post by snoggle on Jan 13, 2018 11:11:28 GMT
It feels similar to the current 'bus war' in Harlow, where Arriva/Trustybus have competing routes on the Harlow-Epping and Harlow-Church Langley corridors since the beginning of January. This competition in Harlow and the Thames Valley seems absolutely ridiculous in the current climate in the bus industry. This isn't the 1990s when competition might have been very beneficial for an operator. There are unlikely to be any 'winners' from a 'bus war' in 2018. Yep - given how parlous things are for so many operators it is ludicrous for there to be new "on the road" competition. None of it is sustainable in the medium to long term and operators will just flush money down the drain in competing with each other.
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Post by tony4387 on Jan 13, 2018 13:42:17 GMT
I wonder if the only reason Courtney is operating the 2 as well is because of reading buses will be operating in the Windsor area
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Post by snowman on Jan 15, 2018 15:55:45 GMT
New LSP is now published, the Courtney buses replacement route 10 for First is included application is for buses upto 9.7m and consultation deadline is 16th (says Friday, but 16th is tomorrow) content.tfl.gov.uk/lsp-bulletin.pdf
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Post by snoggle on Mar 3, 2018 22:47:12 GMT
A tweet earlier that First Berkshire are converting all their ETMs tonight to accept contactless payment as from tomorrow (4/3/18). I assume this will be as a form of payment in exchange for a ticket rather than purely cashless as on TfL routes.
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Post by Lewis J.N. on Mar 4, 2018 18:53:41 GMT
A tweet earlier that First Berkshire are converting all their ETMs tonight to accept contactless payment as from tomorrow (4/3/18). I assume this will be as a form of payment in exchange for a ticket rather than purely cashless as on TfL routes. Probably Ticketer machines like everywhere else in the country; yes it'll work the same way as before but when you ask for a single from, say, Staines to Old Windsor, you can then put your card on the reader and it'll charge the appropriate amount.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2018 20:09:24 GMT
Looks like the new First 9 (from June) will operate directly via the A4 between Heathrow T5 and Slough. Seems very similar the proposed routing for the 703...
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Post by ohdear on Apr 11, 2018 7:32:08 GMT
Its just happened in Norfolk where after a local operator sold out to Stagecoach because of health problem.
A new company opened up no doubt funded by Julian Patterson and the millions he received when Go Ahead bought his Konnect company operating on the profitable sections of a route and then undercutting Stagecoach on tendered services.
Result Stagecoach withdraw, most routes now have higher fares and higher tax payer subsidies.
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Post by snoggle on Apr 11, 2018 10:53:36 GMT
Its just happened in Norfolk where after a local operator sold out to Stagecoach because of health problem.
A new company opened up no doubt funded by Julian Patterson and the millions he received when Go Ahead bought his Konnect company operating on the profitable sections of a route and then undercutting Stagecoach on tendered services.
Result Stagecoach withdraw, most routes now have higher fares and higher tax payer subsidies. You're referring to Norfolk Green. The owner, Ben Colson, had previously worked for Stagecoach so I guess there was some loyalty or connection there. To avoid competition issues there was no point in selling out to First (if they'd been interested) nor Go Ahead. At the time it made sense but I believe Stagecoach managed the operation remotely and I suspect it lost the previous local focus. Stagecoach will also have taken a different view about the scale of returns it wanted from the operation with the usual pressures to push up fares and cut costs / services. It is little wonder that those demands may have opened the door to competitors. If nothing else it demonstrates that the "magical" Stagecoach touch is not invulnerable and they do make errors. They are also deeply under pressure because of the massive drain on company funds by the East Coast rail franchise. From what little recent news I've seen it seems the old NG network has basically been ripped apart with a mix of operators and a far worse level of service now. However I do wonder that even if NG had carried on whether it would have survived anyway. It clearly needed some level of County Council funding support to maintain the network and that was never going to be maintained given the utterly ludicrous pressures on local authority funding.
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Post by planesandtrains on Apr 11, 2018 14:20:53 GMT
New route 9 introduced: consultations.tfl.gov.uk/lsp/55e9a3c9/No doubt a reaction to Reading Buses 703. I personally can't see how First will be able to run this service sustainably let alone making a profit. Feels a lot like First's last years in Maidenhead/Bracknell.
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Post by snoggle on Apr 11, 2018 15:06:27 GMT
New route 9 introduced: consultations.tfl.gov.uk/lsp/55e9a3c9/No doubt a reaction to Reading Buses 703. I personally can't see how First will be able to run this service sustainably let alone making a profit. Feels a lot like First's last years in Maidenhead/Bracknell. Strikes me as a bit ridiculous. First have been hacking back their local network and now some competition turns up they decide to react not having given two hoots to the impact of cuts previously.
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Post by M1199 on Jul 4, 2018 18:54:35 GMT
Spotted 2 Double Deck Wright Eclipse Gemini's on the X74 today, one being 37164-branded for the University of Portsmouth, whilst the other had First Southampton branding!
Incidently, it cost me £5 to get the 3 from Slough Bus Stn up to Uxbridge, with fares as extortionate as that, you can see why the network is in decline! If I had to fork out those sorts of prices for the half arsed service First offer in Slough nowadays, I'd definitely be using my car more.
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Post by wirewiper on Jan 12, 2019 12:29:09 GMT
Meanwhile, over in Reading, RailAir is getting some brand new Scania/Irizar coaches. it looks like ten have been delivered (nine, according to LOTS), which will replace most, if not all of the existing fleet.
There is apparently going to be some sort of launch outside the RailAir Lounge at Reading Station on Monday (14th January) between 11.00 and 13.00, which suggests entry into service is imminent. This information is from the Commercial Manager of First Wessex (via Twitter) - which shows you how remotely Berkshire is managed these days!
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