Pricing
Pricing
(01 Mar 2020, 4:50 pm)Dan Maybe I'm biased then, as I disagree. There are numerous articles online which attribute improving customer experience, by way of more premium specification features on-board buses, to revenue growth.
A couple of Arriva examples, admittedly in the trade press a few years old now, are below:
https://cbwmagazine.com/arriva-goes-max/
https://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/arriva-...re-growth/
In my opinion; providing a reliable bus service that goes to the places its users want to go to, maintains revenue. Operators have to do more to protect that revenue and grow it. Schemes such as Arriva's 'Sapphire' and 'MAX' - and more recently Go North East's 'X-lines' - aim to provide a better customer experience for the operators' passengers, with the view of boosting revenue.
Sadly merely maintaining existing passenger numbers and/or revenue is not sustainable. Bus operators' costs rise every year with employees' pay rises alone. That's before you consider other factors, such as fuel, insurance, etc. Operators need to do something more than provide a basic bus service to increase patronage to make this affordable, and I'd argue investing in new buses and refurbishing existing buses with better features, definitely contribute to doing this.
Clearly some operators see no other alternative but to reduce service levels in order to reduce costs and in turn maintain profit levels. This is a last resort, I'm sure, as operators know that reducing service levels will see a reduction in passenger numbers and hence revenue.
(01 Mar 2020, 4:50 pm)Dan Maybe I'm biased then, as I disagree. There are numerous articles online which attribute improving customer experience, by way of more premium specification features on-board buses, to revenue growth.
A couple of Arriva examples, admittedly in the trade press a few years old now, are below:
https://cbwmagazine.com/arriva-goes-max/
https://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/arriva-...re-growth/
In my opinion; providing a reliable bus service that goes to the places its users want to go to, maintains revenue. Operators have to do more to protect that revenue and grow it. Schemes such as Arriva's 'Sapphire' and 'MAX' - and more recently Go North East's 'X-lines' - aim to provide a better customer experience for the operators' passengers, with the view of boosting revenue.
Sadly merely maintaining existing passenger numbers and/or revenue is not sustainable. Bus operators' costs rise every year with employees' pay rises alone. That's before you consider other factors, such as fuel, insurance, etc. Operators need to do something more than provide a basic bus service to increase patronage to make this affordable, and I'd argue investing in new buses and refurbishing existing buses with better features, definitely contribute to doing this.
Clearly some operators see no other alternative but to reduce service levels in order to reduce costs and in turn maintain profit levels. This is a last resort, I'm sure, as operators know that reducing service levels will see a reduction in passenger numbers and hence revenue.
(01 Mar 2020, 4:50 pm)Dan Maybe I'm biased then, as I disagree. There are numerous articles online which attribute improving customer experience, by way of more premium specification features on-board buses, to revenue growth.
A couple of Arriva examples, admittedly in the trade press a few years old now, are below:
https://cbwmagazine.com/arriva-goes-max/
https://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/arriva-...re-growth/
In my opinion; providing a reliable bus service that goes to the places its users want to go to, maintains revenue. Operators have to do more to protect that revenue and grow it. Schemes such as Arriva's 'Sapphire' and 'MAX' - and more recently Go North East's 'X-lines' - aim to provide a better customer experience for the operators' passengers, with the view of boosting revenue.
Sadly merely maintaining existing passenger numbers and/or revenue is not sustainable. Bus operators' costs rise every year with employees' pay rises alone. That's before you consider other factors, such as fuel, insurance, etc. Operators need to do something more than provide a basic bus service to increase patronage to make this affordable, and I'd argue investing in new buses and refurbishing existing buses with better features, definitely contribute to doing this.
Clearly some operators see no other alternative but to reduce service levels in order to reduce costs and in turn maintain profit levels. This is a last resort, I'm sure, as operators know that reducing service levels will see a reduction in passenger numbers and hence revenue.
(01 Mar 2020, 5:16 pm)mb134 I imagine what customers ultimately want is a bus service that is reliable, frequent and at low fares. Things like WiFi, USBs etc are nice to have, but I think the most important thing is the actual atmosphere on buses now.
5-10 years ago you had dimly lit buses, majority of which had traditional bench seats or low back individual seating. It wasn't an awful place to be, but by no means was it overly pleasant. Contrast that to what we're seeing now - better lit saloons, more comfortable seating, more reliable heating systems, NSAs, fewer rattles, CCTV so typically less vandalism. High specs, such as WiFi and USBs will then help when people are on the bus too.
I don't live on any GNE routes, but I know when Arriva launched their Sapphire routes they heavily marketed them with leaflets through doors containing free day tickets and timetables - getting people back onto the buses for free one time, then the simplicity of bus travel now combined with a pleasant atmosphere likely brings them back.
(01 Mar 2020, 4:50 pm)Dan Maybe I'm biased then, as I disagree. There are numerous articles online which attribute improving customer experience, by way of more premium specification features on-board buses, to revenue growth.
A couple of Arriva examples, admittedly in the trade press a few years old now, are below:
https://cbwmagazine.com/arriva-goes-max/
https://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/arriva-...re-growth/
In my opinion; providing a reliable bus service that goes to the places its users want to go to, maintains revenue. Operators have to do more to protect that revenue and grow it. Schemes such as Arriva's 'Sapphire' and 'MAX' - and more recently Go North East's 'X-lines' - aim to provide a better customer experience for the operators' passengers, with the view of boosting revenue.
Sadly merely maintaining existing passenger numbers and/or revenue is not sustainable. Bus operators' costs rise every year with employees' pay rises alone. That's before you consider other factors, such as fuel, insurance, etc. Operators need to do something more than provide a basic bus service to increase patronage to make this affordable, and I'd argue investing in new buses and refurbishing existing buses with better features, definitely contribute to doing this.
Clearly some operators see no other alternative but to reduce service levels in order to reduce costs and in turn maintain profit levels. This is a last resort, I'm sure, as operators know that reducing service levels will see a reduction in passenger numbers and hence revenue.
(01 Mar 2020, 5:16 pm)mb134 I imagine what customers ultimately want is a bus service that is reliable, frequent and at low fares. Things like WiFi, USBs etc are nice to have, but I think the most important thing is the actual atmosphere on buses now.
5-10 years ago you had dimly lit buses, majority of which had traditional bench seats or low back individual seating. It wasn't an awful place to be, but by no means was it overly pleasant. Contrast that to what we're seeing now - better lit saloons, more comfortable seating, more reliable heating systems, NSAs, fewer rattles, CCTV so typically less vandalism. High specs, such as WiFi and USBs will then help when people are on the bus too.
I don't live on any GNE routes, but I know when Arriva launched their Sapphire routes they heavily marketed them with leaflets through doors containing free day tickets and timetables - getting people back onto the buses for free one time, then the simplicity of bus travel now combined with a pleasant atmosphere likely brings them back.
(01 Mar 2020, 3:23 pm)Big O I agree, it’s all ridiculous to be fair and only someone biased or trying to impress their overheads could disagree.Er...? (looks up screen at url)
A bus will always be a bus, no one really likes them and gets on one because it’s has tables or WiFi. Run them on time and to places people actually want to go and you’ll get a return on your investment. I don’t use the WiFi on public vehicles anyway because it isn’t secure and data can easily be interfered with.
(01 Mar 2020, 3:23 pm)Big O I agree, it’s all ridiculous to be fair and only someone biased or trying to impress their overheads could disagree.Er...? (looks up screen at url)
A bus will always be a bus, no one really likes them and gets on one because it’s has tables or WiFi. Run them on time and to places people actually want to go and you’ll get a return on your investment. I don’t use the WiFi on public vehicles anyway because it isn’t secure and data can easily be interfered with.
(01 Mar 2020, 3:23 pm)Big O I agree, it’s all ridiculous to be fair and only someone biased or trying to impress their overheads could disagree.
A bus will always be a bus, no one really likes them and gets on one because it’s has tables or WiFi. Run them on time and to places people actually want to go and you’ll get a return on your investment. I don’t use the WiFi on public vehicles anyway because it isn’t secure and data can easily be interfered with.
(01 Mar 2020, 4:50 pm)Dan In my opinion; providing a reliable bus service that goes to the places its users want to go to, maintains revenue. Operators have to do more to protect that revenue and grow it. Schemes such as Arriva's 'Sapphire' and 'MAX' - and more recently Go North East's 'X-lines' - aim to provide a better customer experience for the operators' passengers, with the view of boosting revenue.
(01 Mar 2020, 3:23 pm)Big O I agree, it’s all ridiculous to be fair and only someone biased or trying to impress their overheads could disagree.
A bus will always be a bus, no one really likes them and gets on one because it’s has tables or WiFi. Run them on time and to places people actually want to go and you’ll get a return on your investment. I don’t use the WiFi on public vehicles anyway because it isn’t secure and data can easily be interfered with.
(01 Mar 2020, 4:50 pm)Dan In my opinion; providing a reliable bus service that goes to the places its users want to go to, maintains revenue. Operators have to do more to protect that revenue and grow it. Schemes such as Arriva's 'Sapphire' and 'MAX' - and more recently Go North East's 'X-lines' - aim to provide a better customer experience for the operators' passengers, with the view of boosting revenue.
(02 Mar 2020, 6:12 pm)streetdeckfan I tell you what, on a 30+ mile/2 hour journey that table and WiFi makes a hell of a difference!
I can get my laptop/tablet out and get work done, I can eat food and not have it go everywhere, I have somewhere to put my phone when it's on charge. If you take a trip on the X21, you'll see that the tables are usually full, with people using them. Now, the X30 not so much as it's a shorter journey, but people certainly use them, and the extra leg room is most certainly appreciated!
If I check the GNE app and see that it's not a bus with a table, I'll wait for the next one!
Do you honestly think that bus operators don't want to run their buses on time? 99% of the time the reason for the delay is completely out of their control. In my experience, it's actually very rare that a bus I want to get is late, and if it is it's only by a minute or two.
You may be too paranoid to use public WiFi, but as long as a website uses HTTPS it's impossible to have your data 'interfered with', and there are very few websites these days that don't use it! Even NEB uses HTTPS.
Plus, what you have to remember is a lot of people may not have a lot of mobile data, so that extra 100mb (as pathetic as that amount is) could be really important to them.
It's not often I agree with Dan, but I 100% agree with having to provide a better customer experience.
But the issue is they have to maintain that enhanced customer experience, look at Arriva Sapphire for example, from my experience with the Arriva 6 it's a lucky dip whether the NSA works (most of the time it doesn't!), the buses are rarely clean, USB/240v sockets rarely work, and that assumes you even get a Sapphire spec bus on the route!
I think GNE do a much better job at this, with even their 'new' standard spec vehicles equalling, or even surpassing Arriva's Sapphire spec, so when a vehicle is replaced it's almost guaranteed to have the same features. (Unless it's the X21! Those new buses can't come soon enough!)
(02 Mar 2020, 6:12 pm)streetdeckfan I tell you what, on a 30+ mile/2 hour journey that table and WiFi makes a hell of a difference!
I can get my laptop/tablet out and get work done, I can eat food and not have it go everywhere, I have somewhere to put my phone when it's on charge. If you take a trip on the X21, you'll see that the tables are usually full, with people using them. Now, the X30 not so much as it's a shorter journey, but people certainly use them, and the extra leg room is most certainly appreciated!
If I check the GNE app and see that it's not a bus with a table, I'll wait for the next one!
Do you honestly think that bus operators don't want to run their buses on time? 99% of the time the reason for the delay is completely out of their control. In my experience, it's actually very rare that a bus I want to get is late, and if it is it's only by a minute or two.
You may be too paranoid to use public WiFi, but as long as a website uses HTTPS it's impossible to have your data 'interfered with', and there are very few websites these days that don't use it! Even NEB uses HTTPS.
Plus, what you have to remember is a lot of people may not have a lot of mobile data, so that extra 100mb (as pathetic as that amount is) could be really important to them.
It's not often I agree with Dan, but I 100% agree with having to provide a better customer experience.
But the issue is they have to maintain that enhanced customer experience, look at Arriva Sapphire for example, from my experience with the Arriva 6 it's a lucky dip whether the NSA works (most of the time it doesn't!), the buses are rarely clean, USB/240v sockets rarely work, and that assumes you even get a Sapphire spec bus on the route!
I think GNE do a much better job at this, with even their 'new' standard spec vehicles equalling, or even surpassing Arriva's Sapphire spec, so when a vehicle is replaced it's almost guaranteed to have the same features. (Unless it's the X21! Those new buses can't come soon enough!)
(02 Mar 2020, 8:01 pm)Big O You say that as if there is some sort of option to fold them in, the tables are planted into the structure of the bus, I have sat a table before, not because I liked it, there was just no other space to sit at and while they are a nice addition to those who like it, I would rather cheaper and more reliable services and when I speak to my family who are not remotely interested in buses, they say the same.
(02 Mar 2020, 8:01 pm)Big O You say that as if there is some sort of option to fold them in, the tables are planted into the structure of the bus, I have sat a table before, not because I liked it, there was just no other space to sit at and while they are a nice addition to those who like it, I would rather cheaper and more reliable services and when I speak to my family who are not remotely interested in buses, they say the same.
(02 Mar 2020, 6:12 pm)streetdeckfan I tell you what, on a 30+ mile/2 hour journey that table and WiFi makes a hell of a difference!
I can get my laptop/tablet out and get work done, I can eat food and not have it go everywhere, I have somewhere to put my phone when it's on charge. If you take a trip on the X21, you'll see that the tables are usually full, with people using them. Now, the X30 not so much as it's a shorter journey, but people certainly use them, and the extra leg room is most certainly appreciated!
If I check the GNE app and see that it's not a bus with a table, I'll wait for the next one!
Do you honestly think that bus operators don't want to run their buses on time? 99% of the time the reason for the delay is completely out of their control. In my experience, it's actually very rare that a bus I want to get is late, and if it is it's only by a minute or two.
You may be too paranoid to use public WiFi, but as long as a website uses HTTPS it's impossible to have your data 'interfered with', and there are very few websites these days that don't use it! Even NEB uses HTTPS.
Plus, what you have to remember is a lot of people may not have a lot of mobile data, so that extra 100mb (as pathetic as that amount is) could be really important to them.
It's not often I agree with Dan, but I 100% agree with having to provide a better customer experience.
But the issue is they have to maintain that enhanced customer experience, look at Arriva Sapphire for example, from my experience with the Arriva 6 it's a lucky dip whether the NSA works (most of the time it doesn't!), the buses are rarely clean, USB/240v sockets rarely work, and that assumes you even get a Sapphire spec bus on the route!
I think GNE do a much better job at this, with even their 'new' standard spec vehicles equalling, or even surpassing Arriva's Sapphire spec, so when a vehicle is replaced it's almost guaranteed to have the same features. (Unless it's the X21! Those new buses can't come soon enough!)
(02 Mar 2020, 6:12 pm)streetdeckfan I tell you what, on a 30+ mile/2 hour journey that table and WiFi makes a hell of a difference!
I can get my laptop/tablet out and get work done, I can eat food and not have it go everywhere, I have somewhere to put my phone when it's on charge. If you take a trip on the X21, you'll see that the tables are usually full, with people using them. Now, the X30 not so much as it's a shorter journey, but people certainly use them, and the extra leg room is most certainly appreciated!
If I check the GNE app and see that it's not a bus with a table, I'll wait for the next one!
Do you honestly think that bus operators don't want to run their buses on time? 99% of the time the reason for the delay is completely out of their control. In my experience, it's actually very rare that a bus I want to get is late, and if it is it's only by a minute or two.
You may be too paranoid to use public WiFi, but as long as a website uses HTTPS it's impossible to have your data 'interfered with', and there are very few websites these days that don't use it! Even NEB uses HTTPS.
Plus, what you have to remember is a lot of people may not have a lot of mobile data, so that extra 100mb (as pathetic as that amount is) could be really important to them.
It's not often I agree with Dan, but I 100% agree with having to provide a better customer experience.
But the issue is they have to maintain that enhanced customer experience, look at Arriva Sapphire for example, from my experience with the Arriva 6 it's a lucky dip whether the NSA works (most of the time it doesn't!), the buses are rarely clean, USB/240v sockets rarely work, and that assumes you even get a Sapphire spec bus on the route!
I think GNE do a much better job at this, with even their 'new' standard spec vehicles equalling, or even surpassing Arriva's Sapphire spec, so when a vehicle is replaced it's almost guaranteed to have the same features. (Unless it's the X21! Those new buses can't come soon enough!)
(02 Mar 2020, 9:33 pm)Andreos1 It might work for some. For others, it doesn't. Comes down to that elastic/inelastic passenger thing again.The journey being cheaper depends on the journey. Interestingly it cos me the same to travel into Newcastle, on the same bus, as streetdeckfan, with me travelling from Fram and him from the arse end of bishop. Driving would use twice as much fuel for him as for me but I still consider my £6.30 days aver to be quite reasonable when you consider the price of parking in Newcastle. If I travel in with Husband, the cost of the bus for both of us is still OK compared with fuel plus parking and means he can have a beer with his lunch, if he wants. One of the reasons we moved to this side of Durham was to make it feasible for him to work on tyneside and use public transport for part of his journey, as that's where a lot of the jobs in his industry, using his skill set, are. As it is, he works on teesside and it doesn't matter what it costs to take the bus because he's blown if he's setting off the night before to get to work on time!
If I apply a Cost Benefit Analysis to it, and identify whether or not the benefits of using the bus outweighs its costs, relative to alternatives. Then there's only one winner.
I can charge my phone and be at a destination quicker and cheaper - in the car.
With the time saved, I can work effectively AND choose somewhere to eat.
If I was a passenger cadging a lift, then I could eat and do work too.
If I really wanted to get a lift off the in-laws, then their Nissan Note has plenty leg room (in addition to the charging points etc) and there's even tables with cup holders in the back.
I appreciate a Nissan Note is hardly the epitome of luxury, but it has all those 'premium' features the X21 has and the journey is cheaper.
Cost, Benefits and all that jazz.
If it works for business, then let's use it from a customer perspective.
(02 Mar 2020, 9:33 pm)Andreos1 It might work for some. For others, it doesn't. Comes down to that elastic/inelastic passenger thing again.The journey being cheaper depends on the journey. Interestingly it cos me the same to travel into Newcastle, on the same bus, as streetdeckfan, with me travelling from Fram and him from the arse end of bishop. Driving would use twice as much fuel for him as for me but I still consider my £6.30 days aver to be quite reasonable when you consider the price of parking in Newcastle. If I travel in with Husband, the cost of the bus for both of us is still OK compared with fuel plus parking and means he can have a beer with his lunch, if he wants. One of the reasons we moved to this side of Durham was to make it feasible for him to work on tyneside and use public transport for part of his journey, as that's where a lot of the jobs in his industry, using his skill set, are. As it is, he works on teesside and it doesn't matter what it costs to take the bus because he's blown if he's setting off the night before to get to work on time!
If I apply a Cost Benefit Analysis to it, and identify whether or not the benefits of using the bus outweighs its costs, relative to alternatives. Then there's only one winner.
I can charge my phone and be at a destination quicker and cheaper - in the car.
With the time saved, I can work effectively AND choose somewhere to eat.
If I was a passenger cadging a lift, then I could eat and do work too.
If I really wanted to get a lift off the in-laws, then their Nissan Note has plenty leg room (in addition to the charging points etc) and there's even tables with cup holders in the back.
I appreciate a Nissan Note is hardly the epitome of luxury, but it has all those 'premium' features the X21 has and the journey is cheaper.
Cost, Benefits and all that jazz.
If it works for business, then let's use it from a customer perspective.
(02 Mar 2020, 9:33 pm)Andreos1 It might work for some. For others, it doesn't. Comes down to that elastic/inelastic passenger thing again.
If I apply a Cost Benefit Analysis to it, and identify whether or not the benefits of using the bus outweighs its costs, relative to alternatives. Then there's only one winner.
I can charge my phone and be at a destination quicker and cheaper - in the car.
With the time saved, I can work effectively AND choose somewhere to eat.
If I was a passenger cadging a lift, then I could eat and do work too.
If I really wanted to get a lift off the in-laws, then their Nissan Note has plenty leg room (in addition to the charging points etc) and there's even tables with cup holders in the back.
I appreciate a Nissan Note is hardly the epitome of luxury, but it has all those 'premium' features the X21 has and the journey is cheaper.
Cost, Benefits and all that jazz.
If it works for business, then let's use it from a customer perspective.
(02 Mar 2020, 11:04 pm)BusLoverMum The journey being cheaper depends on the journey. Interestingly it cos me the same to travel into Newcastle, on the same bus, as streetdeckfan, with me travelling from Fram and him from the arse end of bishop. Driving would use twice as much fuel for him as for me but I still consider my £6.30 days aver to be quite reasonable when you consider the price of parking in Newcastle. If I travel in with Husband, the cost of the bus for both of us is still OK compared with fuel plus parking and means he can have a beer with his lunch, if he wants. One of the reasons we moved to this side of Durham was to make it feasible for him to work on tyneside and use public transport for part of his journey, as that's where a lot of the jobs in his industry, using his skill set, are. As it is, he works on teesside and it doesn't matter what it costs to take the bus because he's blown if he's setting off the night before to get to work on time!
(02 Mar 2020, 9:33 pm)Andreos1 It might work for some. For others, it doesn't. Comes down to that elastic/inelastic passenger thing again.
If I apply a Cost Benefit Analysis to it, and identify whether or not the benefits of using the bus outweighs its costs, relative to alternatives. Then there's only one winner.
I can charge my phone and be at a destination quicker and cheaper - in the car.
With the time saved, I can work effectively AND choose somewhere to eat.
If I was a passenger cadging a lift, then I could eat and do work too.
If I really wanted to get a lift off the in-laws, then their Nissan Note has plenty leg room (in addition to the charging points etc) and there's even tables with cup holders in the back.
I appreciate a Nissan Note is hardly the epitome of luxury, but it has all those 'premium' features the X21 has and the journey is cheaper.
Cost, Benefits and all that jazz.
If it works for business, then let's use it from a customer perspective.
(02 Mar 2020, 11:04 pm)BusLoverMum The journey being cheaper depends on the journey. Interestingly it cos me the same to travel into Newcastle, on the same bus, as streetdeckfan, with me travelling from Fram and him from the arse end of bishop. Driving would use twice as much fuel for him as for me but I still consider my £6.30 days aver to be quite reasonable when you consider the price of parking in Newcastle. If I travel in with Husband, the cost of the bus for both of us is still OK compared with fuel plus parking and means he can have a beer with his lunch, if he wants. One of the reasons we moved to this side of Durham was to make it feasible for him to work on tyneside and use public transport for part of his journey, as that's where a lot of the jobs in his industry, using his skill set, are. As it is, he works on teesside and it doesn't matter what it costs to take the bus because he's blown if he's setting off the night before to get to work on time!
(03 Mar 2020, 8:03 am)idiot Sorry but the usb charging lacks one thing. The ability to charge a mobile phone.The three pin plugs rarely work I'm fine with the USBs charging my phone slowly then that at all
It's a shame they've moved away from a standard plug socket.
(03 Mar 2020, 9:39 am)Ds1197 The three pin plugs rarely work I'm fine with the USBs charging my phone slowly then that at allI second that, USBs at least work more often. The amount of charge you get from USBs seems to vary from bus to bus I've, I'll get on one and will charge as you would expect but then get another and it pretty much just holds the charge or even goes down you are doing something whilst charging.
(03 Mar 2020, 9:39 am)Ds1197 The three pin plugs rarely work I'm fine with the USBs charging my phone slowly then that at allI second that, USBs at least work more often. The amount of charge you get from USBs seems to vary from bus to bus I've, I'll get on one and will charge as you would expect but then get another and it pretty much just holds the charge or even goes down you are doing something whilst charging.
(03 Mar 2020, 8:03 am)idiot Sorry but the usb charging lacks one thing. The ability to charge a mobile phone.
It's a shame they've moved away from a standard plug socket.
(03 Mar 2020, 8:03 am)idiot Sorry but the usb charging lacks one thing. The ability to charge a mobile phone.
It's a shame they've moved away from a standard plug socket.
(02 Mar 2020, 11:04 pm)BusLoverMum The journey being cheaper depends on the journey. Interestingly it cos me the same to travel into Newcastle, on the same bus, as streetdeckfan, with me travelling from Fram and him from the arse end of bishop. Driving would use twice as much fuel for him as for me but I still consider my £6.30 days aver to be quite reasonable when you consider the price of parking in Newcastle. If I travel in with Husband, the cost of the bus for both of us is still OK compared with fuel plus parking and means he can have a beer with his lunch, if he wants. One of the reasons we moved to this side of Durham was to make it feasible for him to work on tyneside and use public transport for part of his journey, as that's where a lot of the jobs in his industry, using his skill set, are. As it is, he works on teesside and it doesn't matter what it costs to take the bus because he's blown if he's setting off the night before to get to work on time!
(02 Mar 2020, 11:43 pm)streetdeckfan Try putting a laptop on the table in a Nissan Note (I've tried, it's not possible!), heck try even using a laptop in the back seat of a car, that's pretty difficult too!
I'm not even going to get in to the discussion over price again even though that's the name of this topic (as I've already said many times that for MY journeys, it's far cheaper to travel by bus than car)
I mean, you're not wrong about it being the arse end judging by the state of my neighbours!
For some people, the convenience of not having to drive is worth travelling by bus for, your example of being able to have a drink with lunch is perfect.
For me, being able to work on the bus for 2 hours vs having to 'waste' 45 minutes in the car, even if I get to the destination an hour earlier, is worth it as it's still 45 minutes less time I can charge for! (which at minimum wage is £6.15, more than the cost of a single on the X21)
(02 Mar 2020, 11:04 pm)BusLoverMum The journey being cheaper depends on the journey. Interestingly it cos me the same to travel into Newcastle, on the same bus, as streetdeckfan, with me travelling from Fram and him from the arse end of bishop. Driving would use twice as much fuel for him as for me but I still consider my £6.30 days aver to be quite reasonable when you consider the price of parking in Newcastle. If I travel in with Husband, the cost of the bus for both of us is still OK compared with fuel plus parking and means he can have a beer with his lunch, if he wants. One of the reasons we moved to this side of Durham was to make it feasible for him to work on tyneside and use public transport for part of his journey, as that's where a lot of the jobs in his industry, using his skill set, are. As it is, he works on teesside and it doesn't matter what it costs to take the bus because he's blown if he's setting off the night before to get to work on time!
(02 Mar 2020, 11:43 pm)streetdeckfan Try putting a laptop on the table in a Nissan Note (I've tried, it's not possible!), heck try even using a laptop in the back seat of a car, that's pretty difficult too!
I'm not even going to get in to the discussion over price again even though that's the name of this topic (as I've already said many times that for MY journeys, it's far cheaper to travel by bus than car)
I mean, you're not wrong about it being the arse end judging by the state of my neighbours!
For some people, the convenience of not having to drive is worth travelling by bus for, your example of being able to have a drink with lunch is perfect.
For me, being able to work on the bus for 2 hours vs having to 'waste' 45 minutes in the car, even if I get to the destination an hour earlier, is worth it as it's still 45 minutes less time I can charge for! (which at minimum wage is £6.15, more than the cost of a single on the X21)
(03 Mar 2020, 11:19 am)Andreos1 Some interesting points there.
Quite amazed that you would pay the same from Fram as streetdeckfan fan does from the arse end of Bishop, yet others (myself included) who don't have a direct bus to Newcastle need to buy a ticket which costs £7.00, involves a change of buses and can take twice as long as the same journey in the car. Certainly not the sort of incentive to work away on the laptop.
*indicates he's gonna stop talking about prices and then continues to talk about prices*
Seriously though, maybe you have highlighted an issue there. Maybe the operators have the same 'I'm all right Jack' attitude. It works for them, so stuff everyone else who it doesn't work for. Or, maybe they're just ignorant of the fact that it doesn't work for everyone.
As I said yesterday, when I apply a Cost Benefit Analysis, a number of journeys don't work. It's just not feasible at all.
For others it will be.
I'd argue that it needs to be feasible for the majority of the population (and not just the 'sort of passengers' they want - remember that 1% figure you seemed so happy to ignore).
The number of people operators shift versus the population they're not shifting has a huge disparity.
Maybe offering pricing which is attractive for the majority (not just you) and their various needs (not just yours), is one way forward.
(03 Mar 2020, 11:19 am)Andreos1 Some interesting points there.
Quite amazed that you would pay the same from Fram as streetdeckfan fan does from the arse end of Bishop, yet others (myself included) who don't have a direct bus to Newcastle need to buy a ticket which costs £7.00, involves a change of buses and can take twice as long as the same journey in the car. Certainly not the sort of incentive to work away on the laptop.
*indicates he's gonna stop talking about prices and then continues to talk about prices*
Seriously though, maybe you have highlighted an issue there. Maybe the operators have the same 'I'm all right Jack' attitude. It works for them, so stuff everyone else who it doesn't work for. Or, maybe they're just ignorant of the fact that it doesn't work for everyone.
As I said yesterday, when I apply a Cost Benefit Analysis, a number of journeys don't work. It's just not feasible at all.
For others it will be.
I'd argue that it needs to be feasible for the majority of the population (and not just the 'sort of passengers' they want - remember that 1% figure you seemed so happy to ignore).
The number of people operators shift versus the population they're not shifting has a huge disparity.
Maybe offering pricing which is attractive for the majority (not just you) and their various needs (not just yours), is one way forward.
(03 Mar 2020, 11:57 am)streetdeckfan Or the other costs of running a car.
(03 Mar 2020, 11:57 am)streetdeckfan Or the other costs of running a car.
(03 Mar 2020, 1:31 pm)WheelBus1986 Its a little bit of an unfair fight unless you include everything else.The one time I don't include the other costs! (mainly because everybody else seems to be ignoring it as well!)
My costs per month:
Car: £300
Insurance: £35
Fuel: £100
Tax: £2 (rounded up, over 12 months)
Maintenance: £50 (rough estimate)
Total cost: £487
Bus ticket: £95
The only benefit of having a car is that its not public transport and its available whenever you want. Providing there is a regular enough service from GNE (Where my ticket cost is from) in the area you live and work then its hands down cheaper.
(03 Mar 2020, 1:31 pm)WheelBus1986 Its a little bit of an unfair fight unless you include everything else.The one time I don't include the other costs! (mainly because everybody else seems to be ignoring it as well!)
My costs per month:
Car: £300
Insurance: £35
Fuel: £100
Tax: £2 (rounded up, over 12 months)
Maintenance: £50 (rough estimate)
Total cost: £487
Bus ticket: £95
The only benefit of having a car is that its not public transport and its available whenever you want. Providing there is a regular enough service from GNE (Where my ticket cost is from) in the area you live and work then its hands down cheaper.
I do 40 miles a day (just for work). I cannot do anything but absorb the cost currently as a 2 hour journey with 3 connections just isn't viable for me. Yes its possible to do, but the cost vs convenience calculation just doesnt work for me to get the bus.
Roll on April when we go down to 1 car!
(03 Mar 2020, 1:50 pm)WheelBus1986 I do 40 miles a day (just for work). I cannot do anything but absorb the cost currently as a 2 hour journey with 3 connections just isn't viable for me. Yes its possible to do, but the cost vs convenience calculation just doesnt work for me to get the bus.
Roll on April when we go down to 1 car!
(03 Mar 2020, 1:50 pm)WheelBus1986 I do 40 miles a day (just for work). I cannot do anything but absorb the cost currently as a 2 hour journey with 3 connections just isn't viable for me. Yes its possible to do, but the cost vs convenience calculation just doesnt work for me to get the bus.
Roll on April when we go down to 1 car!
