Trouble on the Buses

[the stinking enigma]

3 hours ago, 2bees said:

I was behind a bus yesterday, it had plumes of black smoke coming from the exhaust - that's shocking! 

1

that's just a harmless inert chemical they add to deter wifi chasers

[woolley]

17 minutes ago, Declan said:

But it is cost effective because they’re using a similar number of  buses, but those buses are more frequent and connect more places people want to go together. 

When there was a 1/2 hourly services South Service that needed 4 buses (2 each way). Plus 2 buses running along the Prom and back.and every 20 minutes looping through Onchan = 6 buses. That’s 12 buses. And  a passenger in Onchan going to the NSC or a tourist in a Prom hotel to the airport needed to change in Douglas adding time and hassle to the journey. 

Now there’s 1/4 hourly service so 8 buses on the Southern section plus 4 doing the Prom / Onchan loop. So also 12 buses. But the passengers are getting a more regular service, can make more journeys without changing. So the service becomes attractive and bus use increases as does revenue. Plus on the Southern part they can use single deckers rather double deckers.

Effectively, they’ve leveraged the resources of the Onchan/Prom services onto the most profitable route (the Southern) without compromising (in fact improving) the service in those areas. 

 

Thanks, Ian.

[woolley]

3 hours ago, Neil Down said:

It's fantastic if you get stuck behind one whilst cycling...

You soon get past it though.

[Gizo]

9 hours ago, Neil Down said:

Maybe if they stopped sending near empty buses to places like Willaston - Pulrose and Onchan every 20/30 minutes they might have money left for other services

Similarly 15 minute buses heading south. It’s not that bloody busy....

also the use of a double decker on the 05.30 from Port Erin. Think I’ve seen one person on it......ever..

[Gizo]

Peel/south Saturday bus service please.. leaving Peel about midnight..thanks

[Declan]

30 minutes ago, woolley said:

Thanks, Ian.

If I was there’d be a bus between Peel and the South. 

[Roger Mexico]

35 minutes ago, Gizo said:

Peel/south Saturday bus service please.. leaving Peel about midnight..thanks

You can catch the 23:32 from Peel to Douglas arriving there at 00:05 and then the 00:15 going South.  It's not the speediest way of getting around (it doesn't get to PSM till 01:15), but unless you do a Juan, it will get you there.

32 minutes ago, Declan said:

If I was there’d be a bus between Peel and the South. 

But there is!  All you need to do is catch the 1/2/whatever from Port Erin to Castletown and then the 4C to Foxdale, cross the road and then the 4 to Peel.  It's so simple I just don't know why more people  don't do it.

Edited to add: The current Wiki article on Foxdale starts:

Quote

Foxdale (Manx: Forsdal, from the Norse for "dale of the waterfall") is a small village in the heart of the Isle of Man. The village falls within the sheading of Glenfaba and is the birthplace of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Politically, Foxdale is a hard-line communist state and is part of the constituency of Glenfaba & Peel and is currently represented in Tynwald and the House of Keys by Ray Harmer MHK and Geoffrey Boot MHK. 

though it fails to add that, to prevent being tarnished by being linked to a reviled and hated political system and its demented leadership, this information has been suppressed by Kim Jong Un.  

[Neil Down]

2 hours ago, Declan said:

But it is cost effective because they’re using a similar number of  buses, but those buses are more frequent and connect more places people want to go together. 

When there was a 1/2 hourly services South Service that needed 4 buses (2 each way). Plus 2 buses running along the Prom and back.and every 20 minutes looping through Onchan = 6 buses. That’s 12 buses. And  a passenger in Onchan going to the NSC or a tourist in a Prom hotel to the airport needed to change in Douglas adding time and hassle to the journey. 

Now there’s 1/4 hourly service so 8 buses on the Southern section plus 4 doing the Prom / Onchan loop. So also 12 buses. But the passengers are getting a more regular service, can make more journeys without changing. So the service becomes attractive and bus use increases as does revenue. Plus on the Southern part they can use single deckers rather double deckers.

Effectively, they’ve leveraged the resources of the Onchan/Prom services onto the most profitable route (the Southern) without compromising (in fact improving) the service in those areas. 

 

Interesting, so how much profit do bus Vannin make per year on this super efficient service?

[ian rush]

32 minutes ago, Neil Down said:

Interesting, so how much profit do bus Vannin make per year on this super efficient service?

My Doi bloke says Douglas to Airport is the only bit of the service that runs a profit. The rest doesnt.

 

Personally i dont think its a good service and not bad vfm. The money is mainly wages not profit like stagevoach etc across. Its much better nowadays.

[Gizo]

44 minutes ago, Neil Down said:

Interesting, so how much profit do bus Vannin make per year on this super efficient service?

But it’s bloody ridiculous to do a 30mile round trip just to keep a 15minute service going to please a service along the prom and Onchan. 

Totally inefficient, in an age of reducing carbon, this is completely bonkers that only some highly paid idiot in Government could only think of. 

[CharlieBrown]

2 minutes ago, Gizo said:

But it’s bloody ridiculous to do a 30mile round trip just to keep a 15minute service going to please a service along the prom and Onchan. 

Totally inefficient, in an age of reducing carbon, this is completely bonkers that only some highly paid idiot in Government could only think of. 

Biggest tourist complaint over the years?  cost of transport. So makes total iom government sense to not make them pay for taxis, run a iom taxpayer multi-million subsidised service so they have enough money left over from the pension to buy a ticket on the isle of man taxpayer multi-million subsidised Choo Choos, to visit the iom taxpayer multi-million subsidised museums, whilst staying at premier inn and buying sandwiches from Marksies if they can't be bothered to walk all the way to Tesco. 

[Kopek]

I think that Declan should be the next Director of Transport. He seems to be only person understanding the timetable and analysing the rights and wrongs of the same!!!

Although, looking at his avatar, I wouldn't let him drive any of the buses!!!!!!!

[snowman]

when are more areas getting connect ports?

[hissingsid]

I bet all those moaning about the busses d not even use them.   The service is just fine and more people should use them and stop turning Douglas into a huge car park.

[woolley]

1 hour ago, hissingsid said:

I bet all those moaning about the busses d not even use them.   The service is just fine and more people should use them and stop turning Douglas into a huge car park.

We never complain on here, Beaky. We just offer helpful, constructive critique and advice.