MidlandRed.net

So far the only place I've seen it advertised about the end to the paper tickets is on the company Twitter feed, so if they don't do modern tech, who told them?!

Last day of the 44B today

I had assumed that was going to survive until the October changes, but I've just spotted the new shifts posted for next weekend, without the 44B.

MattW wrote: ↑

19:37 Friday 15th September 2017

I see there's a short piece in the Malvern Gazette this week with the usual old codger moaning about the impending loss of the paper ten-trip ticket, and how they don't have smartphones etc
Isn't this called progress? Just like how everybody now has central heating and doesn't have to go to the bottom of the garden for a pee? It's not like they have to pay for tickets most of the time anyway!

Matt you are way off beam on this one on several counts;

1) The company is fitting new TICKET machines. As a TICKET is a legal receipt of payment of the fare, why cannot the new machines issue a paper ten trip ticket as current and use a ticket punch to clip the next number down? A separate ticket is always issued at present when ten trip is clipped.

2) What will happen with return tickets?

3) On asking the current Managing Director last March or April 2016 if we could have a reduced ticket price for OAP before 09-30am (as previously granted by Diamond Bus) he said that First Bus were already doing it in Stoke-on-Trent and there was no reason why Worcester shouldn't have this facility. Since then Worcester still hasn't offered them and the Potteries website gives information as below;

Special offer for journeys starting within Stoke-on-Trent before 0930 Monday-Friday. Show your pass to your driver and pay just £1.50 per journey.

Note that at £1-50 the company would be making £0-10 more per trip than the £1-40 per trip on the 10 tripper.

4) The basic state pension is £122-30 per week, that is about 40% or much less than half the National minimum wage based on a 40 hours week. For pensioners starting to take their state pensions next year it will be £155 per week just about half the National minimum wage. So if you are young now and haven't made provision for an occupational pension and additional separate savings it might be a good time to get started. With Government austerity things ain't going to improve for decades to come.

5) If like me you moved about to different jobs trying to improve your status and salary, (sometimes working on two jobs at the time) the pensions were not transferable 'back then' and I have five small company pensions, three of which are frozen/static i.e. no cost of living increase EVER. It means that whilst I own my house I am asset rich but income poor - cannot afford to smoke or drink alcohol. Any cash left over from running the house goes to run a car. My savings used to earn between 4% and 6% but now lucky to get 1%, so I make 'diddly squat' from them. Therefore the pensioners pass and early morning 10 trip tickets are a welcome help to keeping my head above water.

6) There are many pensioners even worse off than me who use their 10 trip tickets for early morning doctor's and hospital appointments before 09-30. One of the problems of getting old is that health declines with age and whereas one almost never sees a doctor at 40 years of age, at 70 you are glad if a fortnight goes by without need to see someone in the medical profession or organise a myriad of repeat prescriptions.

7)The cost of two single tickets or a City Rover will be about the same as parking for 4 hours at the exorbitant hospital car park, so in future I will take the car - it is ten times quicker and more convenient door to door anyway. More pollution from my car and loss of revenue for the bus operator.

8) If the pensioner passes were withdrawn, in Worcester the services would be dramatically cut with many job losses, so be careful what you wish for.

9) I own a computer and pay through the nose every month for broadband and telephone, so just cannot afford to own a smartphone and that applies to many of us old codgers/fogies.

10) Finally I still have 7 tickets left on my current 10 trip ticket (which has never included any restriction on time taken to use up all the tickets), so how will the driver treat me when I next use it early in the morning, will I have to pay full fare and where do I seek a refund of remaining amount?

Tim
I think that the current 10 trip ticket had a 12 month time limit - but who checks the date issued anyway!

bmmoboy wrote: ↑

18:27 Monday 18th September 2017

Tim
I think that the current 10 trip ticket had a 12 month time limit - but who checks the date issued anyway!

There isn't any mention of a 12 month time limit on the marketing website and more worrying I have searched every corner of my ten trip ticket but there is no date of issue on it!

AdamH wrote: ↑

19:35 Friday 18th August 2017

Summery of October 16th Changes...

These are my own observations looking at the timetables, I may well have missed a few things.

30. Reduced to every 12-minutes off peak but using larger vehicles.
31. Split into two routes. Service 31 as before but every 30-minutes, plus new Service 31U running every 15-minutes.
31U. New service between Worcester City Centre and Worcester University. Running every 15-minutes.
32. Times adjusted
33 & 34. No change (that I can see)
35. Looks about the same as before.
36. Continues unchanged with WCC funding.
36A. Withdrawn due to no more WCC funding.
37. Looks about the same.
38. Certain peak-time journeys will run as new Service 38A.
38A. New Peak-time only direct between Worcester City Centre and Royal Hospital.
43. New Early morning and evening service running between Worcester, Malvern Vale, and Great Malvern.
X43. New daytime service between Worcester, Malvern Vale and Great Malvern. Runs every 30-minutes via Bromwich Road and omits Retail Park. Typical journey time 40-43 minutes.
44. Overall frequency reduced to every 15-minutes, certain journeys extended past County Hall to Royal Hospital.
44A. Withdrawn (see new service 43 and X43)
44B. Suspended during Winter Months.
44C. Withdrawn. All journeys now run as Service 44.
X44. New peak-time only service between Worcester City Centre and Link Top, omitting Retail Park. Typical journey time 38-43 minutes.
X50. All journeys run direct between Pershore and Evesham.
51. Peak-time service between Worcester, Pershore and Evesham to replace withdrawn Service 551.
S51. New service between Worcester and Pershore College to replace withdrawn Service 550. One return journey between Worcester and Pershore College on college days only.
52. Off-Peak service between Worcester, Pershore and Evesham to replace withdrawn Service 551. Runs every 2-hours.
53. Off-Peak service Worcester, Pershore, Eckington to replace withdrawn Service 382, running every two-hours. Interworked with Service 52 to give an hourly frequency between Worcester and Pershore.
54. Peak-Time service Worcester, Eckington and Pershore to replace withdrawn Service 382.
144 & 144A. No change.
332 & 333. New times. Certain 332 journeys now run as Service 333.
363. New times. Twyning no longer served, 1750 journey from Worcester terminates at Ryall.
373. New times.
382. Withdrawn. See new Service 53 and 54.
405. New Wednesday-only service Cradley to Hereford operated from 4th September under Herefordshire Council contract.
417. New service Worcester to Ledbury operated from 4th September under Herefordshire Council contract.
482. New Friday-only service Bromyard to Leominster operated from 4th September under Herefordshire Council contract.
550. Withdrawn and replaced by Service S51.
551. Withdrawn and replaced by new Service 51 and Service 52.
600. New Ledbury local service operated from 4th September under Herefordshire Council contract.
672 & 674. New service Bromyard to Ledbury operated from 4th September under Herefordshire Council contract.
675 & 676. New service Great Malvern to Ledbury operated from 4th September under Herefordshire Council contract.

A similar summary has appeared today on the First Worcestershire website (but no timetables yet).

A local item of interest for me, is that it doesn't mention that "certain journies of the 332 will now run as the 333", ( - and thereby omitting the villages of Earls Croome and Kinnersley) - so I'm wondering if that change has been dropped (?)

Also, have any of you noticed that the overall total number of buses and coaches at WR, has only increased by two - despite the new Herefordshire services (? )
I will be very impressed if any additional vehicles and drivers needed for the "HerefordS" are already available within the existing network !

P.S. - Does anyone know how many extra buses will be needed for the new "50's" ?

TimBrown wrote: ↑

05:40 Tuesday 19th September 2017

bmmoboy wrote: ↑

18:27 Monday 18th September 2017

Tim
I think that the current 10 trip ticket had a 12 month time limit - but who checks the date issued anyway!

There isn't any mention of a 12 month time limit on the marketing website and more worrying I have searched every corner of my ten trip ticket but there is no date of issue on it!
10 trip ticket.jpg

I think someone has got this very wrong from a marketing perspective as per the attached extract from First Bus Worcester website;
(QUOTE)
Our 10 journey tickets are great if you only travel us once in a while and provide 10 single journeys whenever you need them - no messing around looking for change. From 10 September, you'll only be able to buy them through our mTickets app.
They're easy to use - just buy your 10 journey ticket and activate each individual trip as you board the bus.

Our full range of 10 journey tickets is now available on the app - and get 20% off your first purchase of a 10 journey ticket on the app using code WORCESTER10
View our full range of 10 journey tickets on our ticket prices page.

If you have a 10 journey ticket purchased on board or through one of our agents you'll need to use all of the journeys on it by Saturday 23 September 2017. (UNQUOTE)

Am I reading the last paragraph correctly? My watered down comments are;

There was no time scale given when I bought this ticket, so making it void after Saturday 23 September 2017 makes no sense and cannot be legal under current contract legislation especially as it is still at the latest advertised price. I feel that First Bus has taken money under false pretences and they must honour the contract made when I paid cash, in advance, and in good faith for future services. All such tickets issued by the driver ought to be valid despite new arrangements offered to the owners of smart phones.

I have a land line and broadband but have no desire to own an internet connected mobile as it is beyond my current meagre pension income, I am also very angry at such attempts to force expensive unnecessary technology on those with low income, made all the more galling by a 20% discount offered to high tech customers. These crazy antics are making my car the only way to travel from now on, which can't be good for First Bus Worcester revenue as I surely won't be the only pensioner with the same idea.

I haven't made a study of this 10 ticket matter yet Tim, but it certainly appears that the company has made a blunder that needs rectifying !

I would expect any "open-ended" credits I have with any organisation to last for 12 months from the date of payment.

I have been enjoying studying some of the new timetables, and I see that Kinnersley and Earls Croome have only lost one afternoon Mon - Fri journey in the Worcester to Upton direction.
Although unfortunate for a (very) small number of people (probably), the bus can now be much better used elsewhere at that time.

On schooldays, there will be a new 333 from Crowngate (14.35) to Upton (Panes Garage) - - my hope is that it will use the double-decker that currently travels "dead" (off-service) from Padmore Street to Hanley Castle School, to do the 365.

I 've just found - on the W.County council website - Travel&Roads - Latest News, a new announcement that along with the introduction of the new WR bus network, will be two weeks of traffic monitoring and enforcement of the current restrictions in and out of Lowesmoor !

Jolly Good !