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Boxing Day - Centro / Network West Mids have supplements in this evenings local papers. Boxing Day is £1.20 flat fare and only TWM will operate a special network of core and tendered services, unlike the last previous years when BCC and Zaks have also operated services under cotnract to Centro.
Brian Blackmore
from Coventry
21:37:50 14 December 2006
Beaver - The playing of radios/cassettes is explictly against TWM's conditions of carriage, as is anything that annoys other passengers. Why should we mellow out? Most likely we paid more for our bus ticket, cause the person playing music is travelling on child fare even if they are not entitled to! Its called consideration for others.
WMBUS
21:00:57 14 December 2006
Re xmas services, nothing finayised as yet regarding Boxing Day service. 27th to 29th will be Saturday service on Centro contracts.
Jen
from B'ham
15:26:50 14 December 2006
Beaver from London wrote: Don't worry Dave - the 958 is to be completely withdrawn early in 2007! Though I would politely suggest that it is not for the driver him or herself to resolve grievances you might personally hold with individual passengers.. It's true that passengers should be supportive of drivers as far as possible but it *is* in the bus conditions of carriage that you're not supposed to play loud music or annoy other passengers - just like you're not supposed to smoke - but this is conveniently ignored by drivers and TWM. Anti-social behaviour on buses IS getting worse and if we don't take the problem seriously now we're storing up even greater problems for the future.
Brian: I was thinking the exact same thing. I've had people ask what the service is like on boxing day, only for me to reply 'we don't know'. Neither Centro or TWM seem to know yet, however you can count on it that Christmas eve is sunday service. It's just boxing day, and the days after that are confusing.
Dave
from Moseley
20:25:57 12 December 2006
Chris, your spot on! TWM are abusing their near monopoly and they know they is nothing we can do as most of us have no choice but to use public transport, and that includes Central trains; here again we have no option but to use their services.
Beaver
from London
00:08:18 12 December 2006
Don't worry Dave - the 958 is to be completely withdrawn early in 2007! Though I would politely suggest that it is not for the driver him or herself to resolve grievances you might personally hold with individual passengers.. Perhaps adpot a slightly more liberal perspective and rather more harmonious facilitations might ensue.
Brian Blackmore
from Coventry
19:51:00 11 December 2006
Isn't it cutting it a bit fine that with only 2 weeks to go neither Centro, TWM or TC have published details of their christmas and new year timetables? Nearly everyone else seems to have. Or are they arguing over the new year buses in coventry again, ensuring they are published so late that nobody knows what they are and hence nobody travels on then?
to dave-
you need to put yourself in the drivers position.
1.confrontation towards passengers regarding anti-social behavoiur is the main reasons for assaults on drivers.
drivers cannot do anything really unless there is back-up. calling the police they would of got off the bus.
WMBUS
15:49:38 09 December 2006
Dave - 71 evenings and sundays are operated by Choice Travel, on contract to Centro. Unfortunatly , drivers don't have to give you their PSV Driver number unless they are prepared to do so. (If you note vehcile registration and full details of journey this should be sufficent to make a complaint). May I ask if you said anything to the 'Chav' 1st? If the answer is no then you probably have the same reasons as to why the driver would choose not challenge him!!
Dave
from Kingstanding
01:59:24 09 December 2006
Re anti-social passengers: I reported a TWM 958 driver recently for totally ignoring my complaint about such a passenger..
have had the usual bland well the driver's been interviewed etc etc cobblers from TWM... tonight I have had the misfortune to catch a 71 from Spitfire Island to Sutton (Peoples Express is it?) Moron chav gets on with posafone blaring away.. after a minute or two I got fed up and asked the driver to kindly do something - imagine talking to Manuel from Fawlty Towers: when I finally asked in sheer desperation do you understand English? I got ..que...? or the Polskaya equivalent. On arrival in Sutton I asked for his PSV licence number which I have always believed a driver was obliged by law to provide on request by passengers - again got ..que..? Peoples Express or whoever you are - you ain't heard the last of this by a long way...
Brian Blackmore
from Coventry
18:25:06 07 December 2006
What 13/15/17/57/57A User also forgets to mention is that a large number of the drivers at Acocks Green won't drive the 72 because of problems with stone throwing etc around Chelmsey Wood and Castle Brom, hence it gets left to the new guys from Poland. Its also the reason they don't run the evening or sunday service, they factored all the broken glass into the running costs.
Alan
from Birmingham
19:00:34 05 December 2006
What's happened to the 21/29 at 5pm going out of town. I waited at Westbourne Rd 30 mins one night, 40 the next - in the cold and rain of course. Are they trying to become the new no 11?
Scott: Why would TWM run new double deckers on the 590AC? Its not exactly a money maker, and is partly sponsered by Warwickshire County Council when it gets into Coleshill. The Metrobuses that are currently on the route are doing a fine job of what they have to work with! Newer vehicles are needed on other Lea Hall services which gain passengers. Also, regarding the 72, the reason why TWM have started to look for polish drivers is because they have had difficulty with trying to get english ones! TWM is not the only bus operator thats having problems in the UK, and without these drivers 1/2 the services in the West Midlands would not even run!
Andy
from South Birmingham
18:04:21 04 December 2006
Does anyone know what happened at Kings Norton station tonight? All we know that it was an 'incident'.
scott
from birmingham
21:54:03 02 December 2006
why do twm still use them old metro double decker buses on the 590c route which is a long route i mean the suspention is very bad and they smell im sure twm can get new buses for long routes?
scott
from birmingham
21:33:58 02 December 2006
I catch the 72 to solihull station some of the twm drivers are mostly polish or wherever there from but why?!!! a bloke got on the other day and asked if he was going to the chestnuts social which it does the driver had not got a clue!! he never spoke a word I now get the clarabells bus cuz its cheaper only a £1 and the drivers are english and know the places they go to!!!!!
Brian Blackmore
from Coventry
18:21:17 29 November 2006
Chris - Yet again you confuse profitablity with value for money! Try studying economics, you'd find that cheap fares often means more profit, and I think thats what TWM actually do! TWM make a 15% profit in the West Midlands (Diamond incidently make a 8% loss!) which isn't significantly higher than others make in other cities, Stagecoach make 13.4% in Tyne and Wear for example (figures from the house of commons report on bus services in the UK). Centro (as are all PTE's) are determinted to power grab in the bus area at the moment, so would be making political capital out of this, although proof they can do their own job properly first might help!
Brian Blackmore
from Coventry
18:00:27 29 November 2006
It has been reported that operation BusTag in London has caused 1200 arrests in London since 2004 when it was introduced. Taking into account the different number of buses, and the fact that only 70% of buses have CCTV (London has 100%), have TWM got anywhere near the 189 arrests that this rate would give the west midlands?
TWM are abusing their near monopoly, so if that makes people think there should be more public control of buses TWM have themselves to blame. The fare increases hit the casual bus user most, and these are the hardest to attract onto public transport. Centro and the councils have a duty to reduce traffic congestion, so if TWM frustrates this by making buses less attractive to car users, perhaps Centro should be able to control fares. Phil Bateman at TWM says he wants more people to buy discounted prepaid tickets. But they're no good for occasional users, so bring in Carnets Phil. 10 trips for the price of 8 or 9. Then occasional users will prepay and will find buses more attractive.
Chris: The price-increases news is now on the TWM site. I'm also not surprised that the news is on the Centro site - anything to slate privatisation and get buses back under local authority control is good in Centro's eyes. I, obviously, don't agree.
The fare increase is outrageous.TWM is one of the most profitable bus firms and fuel costs are stable. They haven't the guts to put the news on their website-it's on Centro's website!
Don
09:33:36 26 November 2006
A great way to improve passenger numbers and get more people from car onto bus - put your fares up from 80p to £1.00 and £1.20 to £1.40 from the new year. Well done TWM! (Not)
Dave: TWM do have a force that looks at troublesome routes - Safer Travel (or Operation Safe Travel as it was once called) is in operation throughout the midlands and only look at the routes which need the attention. Fines and arrests are made on the spot - but this is only avilable if you tell TWM customer service, or a driver problems with the route. Only then can they deal with the problems.
I have noticed an inspector is now in city on the 50 route monitoring tickets everyday, only for TWM services so something is being done.
Arthur
from Kings Heath
09:59:55 23 November 2006
May I suggest that the bus lane signs be translated into various different languages as certain sections of the community in the Moseley/Balsall Heath seem unaware that the bus lanes exist! I would hate them to be fined unfairly if it was ever decided to police the regulations.
