Post by sw11simon on Feb 25, 2014 9:06:21 GMT
I follow the SWT and now Southern Twitter feeds and see it all the time 
I would say the same about major issues but then again I'm not a daily user and my most common journey is Clapham Junction to Waterloo, which is hardly infrequent! I think people who use the service every day from the likes of Sutton are more likely to have a bad impression because they will remember the one day there is a problem and forget the 30 there was not. Having experience of dealing with bus service complaints, they often quote the likes of "this service is always poor" which would not generally be true (odd specifically timed journeys probably excepted... I do recall a 413 journey that was very unreliable departing Sutton at the end of the morning peak as it typically took so long to get from Morden to Lower Morden on its previous trip compared to any other trip. It was pretty unsolvable without adding another bus or improving the flow of traffic along Martin Way northbound in the morning peak.) I have a clearer memory of the poor experiences I suffer on my local bus routes, C3 and 295, than all the good ones. However having worked in the industry I feel that those routes are generally run quite well, in particular the C3. Then, of course, quite often the problem is infrastructure of which the TOC has no control, but passengers perceptive will still often be to complain about the TOC.
With regards to a 24 hour 154, it is probably more cost effective than re-introducing the N213 and would serve areas missed by night buses. It would probably cope with an hourly overnight service using two buses. Alternatively the N64 could be re-structured and included in the plans as I really do not why this needs to duplicate the N109/250 to Thornton Heath Pond overnight. I suspect coming out of Croydon to Waddon using the 157 route would be more beneficial than the 154. It could then still loop Roundshaw for demand and pick up the 157 from Wallington to Rose Hill. From Rose Hill it could go to Sutton, or it could pick up the 164 and terminate in Wimbledon. Again making new night links and providing some extent of night shadow for tram links. Obviously that would be quite expensive so I can't see it happening, but a good solution if money was about, N64 New Addington to Wimbledon... bit of number neatness there as well as it would serve part of both 64 and 164.