|
Post by snoggle on Dec 26, 2017 11:29:05 GMT
Just noticed the Iver Heath (Bangors Road North/Church Road) section of the 3 (or 58 as I still call it!) has been pulled, not sure how long that has been implemented for, leaving only 1 journey each way per week on Carousels CountryRider 582 service! Whenever I used the 58 that section always pulled in custom. It is quite alarming seeing just how much of the Berks & Thames Valley division has been cut in recent years, first you had their Bracknell Depot close, the Slough network overall last year, the recent Slough service reductions, the 702 withdrawal, next month's upcoming Slough withdrawals... Wouldn't be surprised if the RailAir service was next to get the chop! In the meantime, it's good to see Reading Buses stepping in and providing a service where First has pulled out, with a host of potential operators within the remit of Slough that could take on anything else, if wanted that First gives up on. Without knowing too much on the subject, I hope that Slough doesn't end up being another First Northampton story! I'm sorry to say that this is an all too familiar story with First Group. I suspect part of the problem is that whoever is in charge lacks imagination and drive. It is not as if the operation has not had some investment in new vehicles but I think that was under a previous manager. They've done the usual rubbish thing of changing routes over and over and renumbering them and breaking links and then they wonder why they lose patronage. Obviously there are some issues on routes that run into Greater London or Heathrow which require more expensive, environmentally compliant vehicles but they can't argue that Slough does not have potential for good services and decent profits. With the advent of Crossrail there is massive potential to provide good bus services that link with the better rail service. It is also likely that more people would come to Slough once it is on the "Tube Map" in 2019. In that respect Reading Buses may well be being very clever in getting a foot in the door. I certainly would not be shocked to see Reading Buses do something very clever about being able to accept Oyster / contactless Cards in Reading and agreeing a special "London + Crossrail + Reading" daily cap pricing with TfL. Doing the same in Slough and / or Windsor would be clever too. Obviously we shall see what transpires but, to me, it would be typical First Bus to be walking away at a time when the potential for growth is greatest.
|
|
|
Post by M1199 on Dec 26, 2017 13:29:52 GMT
Just noticed the Iver Heath (Bangors Road North/Church Road) section of the 3 (or 58 as I still call it!) has been pulled, not sure how long that has been implemented for, leaving only 1 journey each way per week on Carousels CountryRider 582 service! Whenever I used the 58 that section always pulled in custom. It is quite alarming seeing just how much of the Berks & Thames Valley division has been cut in recent years, first you had their Bracknell Depot close, the Slough network overall last year, the recent Slough service reductions, the 702 withdrawal, next month's upcoming Slough withdrawals... Wouldn't be surprised if the RailAir service was next to get the chop! In the meantime, it's good to see Reading Buses stepping in and providing a service where First has pulled out, with a host of potential operators within the remit of Slough that could take on anything else, if wanted that First gives up on. Without knowing too much on the subject, I hope that Slough doesn't end up being another First Northampton story! I'm sorry to say that this is an all too familiar story with First Group. I suspect part of the problem is that whoever is in charge lacks imagination and drive. It is not as if the operation has not had some investment in new vehicles but I think that was under a previous manager. They've done the usual rubbish thing of changing routes over and over and renumbering them and breaking links and then they wonder why they lose patronage. Obviously there are some issues on routes that run into Greater London or Heathrow which require more expensive, environmentally compliant vehicles but they can't argue that Slough does not have potential for good services and decent profits. With the advent of Crossrail there is massive potential to provide good bus services that link with the better rail service. It is also likely that more people would come to Slough once it is on the "Tube Map" in 2019. In that respect Reading Buses may well be being very clever in getting a foot in the door. I certainly would not be shocked to see Reading Buses do something very clever about being able to accept Oyster / contactless Cards in Reading and agreeing a special "London + Crossrail + Reading" daily cap pricing with TfL. Doing the same in Slough and / or Windsor would be clever too. Obviously we shall see what transpires but, to me, it would be typical First Bus to be walking away at a time when the potential for growth is greatest. Think you've hit the nail on the head there! Definitely think they've lost their way since their control passed from Centrewest to Hampshire(?) If you think of it, Slough is quite an isolated operation nowadays for First, it's nearest other divisions being in Chelmsford & Southampton (off the top of my head) As you say, with Crossrail now just round the corner, there is massive scope to expand and improve the network, yet we're seeing reductions and withdrawals. You have to wonder whether operators such as Reading Buses have started doing their homework of the area and can see something that First can't seem to of!
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Dec 26, 2017 13:50:54 GMT
Think you've hit the nail on the head there! Definitely think they've lost their way since their control passed from Centrewest to Hampshire(?) If you think of it, Slough is quite an isolated operation nowadays for First, it's nearest other divisions being in Chelmsford & Southampton (off the top of my head) As you say, with Crossrail now just round the corner, there is massive scope to expand and improve the network, yet we're seeing reductions and withdrawals. You have to wonder whether operators such as Reading Buses have started doing their homework of the area and can see something that First can't seem to of! First have form for these sorts of management changes. Tbh I'd forgotten that management was now with Hampshire, I just knew it had changed as I follow Adrian Jones on Twitter and he used to run the Berkshire operation. He's doing something different at First now. You only need to compare Slough to, say, the Hounslow area to see the potential for much higher patronage if you got a reasonably frequent network in place. Clearly the fact that the boundary between regulated and deregulated services is close doesn't help matters given TfL's regime and pricing is very different. However that is not insurmountable but would involve some commercial risk around pricing on cross boundary services. The existence of Heathrow is another huge "town" on the doorstep of the operation and should be a huge money spinner. I remember looking at a Slough bus map a fair while ago and was appalled at how poor the coverage is in places. Areas with plenty of housing got a bare minimum "social service" type coverage to allow pensioners to do a weekly shop but that was it. That's just surrendering your market to cars and taxis. Other examples are the routes into Uxbridge where TfL have effectively given First a clear corridor and parts of west Uxbridge to serve (no competing TfL routes) and all First have done is make the routes worse in the last 2-3 years. The fact is that bus operation is effectively a local business and you need good "eyes and ears" on the ground to make sure the operation works and to spot potential. I expect that Reading Buses most certainly have been "running a rule" over the Slough area and will have spotted the potential. I'd not be shocked if Metroline or RATP or even Stagecoach were interested in picking up some tendered work to give a foothold in the area. Metroline are slightly stymied by UX being so full but RATP have garage space not a thousand miles away and Stagecoach could easily run an outstation if they wished. Rotala are another potential entrant given their resources near Heathrow with their recent purchase of Heathrow work from Nat Ex. All these firms have commercial operation experience within their groups. The only really big issue is that whoever tries to take on Slough will need big pockets to weather the short term problems of trying to get people to try new services and get some modal transfer happening. 20 years of not very good First operation will take some undoing but it's not impossible as Reading and Lothian have shown in different parts of the country. I think Stagecoach have done similar with the Wigan area.
|
|
|
Post by planesandtrains on Dec 26, 2017 15:01:04 GMT
A real shame, Berkshire was one of the beacons of First operations. I used to come to Slough specifically to ride their vehicles. To see it in the state it is now compared to how it was just 5 years ago is sad. It will take years to repair the damage.
|
|
|
Post by planesandtrains on Dec 27, 2017 19:04:55 GMT
|
|
|
Post by goaheadswvlrbest on Dec 30, 2017 20:08:22 GMT
I visited Slough a couple of weeks before Christmas to travel on the buses and the routes (while I still can) I was around from midday through till around early evening. The routes including those being axed seemed quite well loaded the 7 to Heathrow in particular was busy . Unfortunately traffic congestion seems to play havoc with reliability the A4 around the Salt Hill area and bus stn is partically bad , the bus station itself not particularly inviting . I was surprised to see the A4 between Slough and Maidenhead only has a half hourly service 4.
The buses themselves seem a fairly modern fleet certainly the Volvo 7900H. Some of the Citaros have been repainted and route branded but interiors have the original worn seating fabrics.
I get the impression the management haven't got much of a get up an go attitude and give up too easily. wasn't it once managed from Macmillan house Paddington when First were in London? the network seemed better managed then, being managed all the way down in Southampton doesn't help.
It wouldn't surprise me to see First out of Berkshire altogether by the end of 2018. Southampton would be another area they will pull out of altogether as that area is seeing a lot of reductions with the better run Go Aheads Bluestar picking up all the work they have giving up on over recent times and gaining a rapid monopoly on the city.
|
|
|
Post by ibus246 on Dec 30, 2017 22:36:03 GMT
This route seems interesting - seems to run London to Bracknell via Slough and a few journey's extend to Reading. Now Reading buses are running it I can use my Metrobus Staff pass on it so may give it a go soon.
|
|
|
Post by N230UD on Dec 31, 2017 0:32:24 GMT
This route seems interesting - seems to run London to Bracknell via Slough and a few journey's extend to Reading. Now Reading buses are running it I can use my Metrobus Staff pass on it so may give it a go soon. I will certainly be trying it out soon! Out of interest, how come you can use your Metrobus staff pass with Reading Buses? Can't you only use it with Go-Ahead companies?
|
|
|
Post by ibus246 on Dec 31, 2017 0:38:23 GMT
This route seems interesting - seems to run London to Bracknell via Slough and a few journey's extend to Reading. Now Reading buses are running it I can use my Metrobus Staff pass on it so may give it a go soon. I will certainly be trying it out soon! Out of interest, how come you can use your Metrobus staff pass with Reading Buses? Can't you only use it with Go-Ahead companies? We can use it with all Go-Ahead companies bar London and have reciprocal agreements for usage with Abellio Surrey, Arriva southern Counties/The Shires&Essex, Compass, Southdown, Stagecoach South, Reading buses and Seaford & District.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2017 9:00:01 GMT
They can’t even spell Wraysbury correct. Shame this route is going, quite a nice off the beaten track route ( probably why it’s not well used apparently) .
Service 10/11: Slough – Datchet – Wrasybury – Heathrow Service withdrawn from Saturday 20 January 2018.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2018 16:41:35 GMT
Potential for interesting times ahead. Assuming Reading Buses maintain the same service levels on the 5 (and evening 4/Sunday 6), the PVR for their local operation should only be 3 or so. They have posted an advert on their Twitter for existing PCV license holders to join their new Slough team, based at "a central Slough location which is currently being finalised". I would assume that this may see the 702 run out of there as well, allowing elimination of the glorified dead runs to/from Reading at either end of the day. But with the expense of opening a new depot in central Slough, would it really be worthwhile for such a small operation (assuming it's not just a case of renting yard space off First)? Or could we be about to see even further expansion on the horizon?
|
|
|
Post by l1group on Jan 8, 2018 11:42:17 GMT
Same fare as before under First Berkshire. Still. Used it several times to get me home from Victoria (faster than 211/changing at HPC) when I can't be bothered with the tube. I like how the return fare is just £1 less than the day ticket! I saw the 702 pass me on the A4 yesterday, and it only clocked NOW that Reading Buses was running it. Concerned with the 10/11/15 replacements not announced yet. First 2 is currently covered by a Courtney Buses service 16?
|
|
|
Post by wirewiper on Jan 10, 2018 11:20:12 GMT
An update: Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead have posted on Twitter to say the Council has secured replacement contracts for routes 10/11 and 15 for when First withdraws after 20th January - operator to be announced later (although Martijn Gilbert has confirmed on his own Twitter feed that it isn't Reading Buses).
Reading Buses has registered a replacement service 2 between Slough, Windsor and Dedworth which will presumably operate under the "Thames Valley" banner.
|
|
|
Post by planesandtrains on Jan 10, 2018 14:12:55 GMT
An update: Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead have posted on Twitter to say the Council has secured replacement contracts for routes 10/11 and 15 for when First withdraws after 20th January - operator to be announced later (although Martijn Gilbert has confirmed on his own Twitter feed that it isn't Reading Buses). Reading Buses has registered a replacement service 2 between Slough, Windsor and Dedworth which will presumably operate under the "Thames Valley" banner. I hope that the relevant authorities have the decency to have multi operator day ticket acceptance.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2018 16:30:05 GMT
|
|