Virgin to lose West Coast?

[Illegal_Alien]

So i have painted some Pendo`s before, in Great Western colors, maybe a small peek into the future?

http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=58645

[audigex]

If that is any indication, they need a new livery - I think high speed trains need the "swoopiness" of the Virgin/Stagecoach etc liveries to show them off. Not that it really matters, most people only see the front for a few seconds and are far more concerned with the inside and whether it arrives on time.

[Nawdic]

So i have painted some Pendo`s before, in Great Western colors, maybe a small peek into the future?

Pendos would look good in this:



Straight swirls somehow look wrong on a Pendo.....

This keeps the flys at bay!

[Illegal_Alien]

Or i could do this one;

[JamieLei]

Eugh. Barbie livery is just disgusting.

[Nawdic]

ARGH!!! Get that away from here!!!

[SquireJames]

Just wondering, if First now run the WCML, and also run my local bus service, will I finally be able to get one of those combined tickety things? As it is I pay more (per mile) for the 2 mile journey to the station (it'd be 200 yards had Beeching not had his way!) than I do for the train to go 50 miles.

If so, then I *might* be in favour of a First ran service, if only to make travel cheaper for my family.

[John]

I thought PlusBUS was national already?

Apparently the savings aren't that great - only marginally better than having a separate train and bus season ticket, but with more restrictions.

[SquireJames]

Well, I've heard mixed things around here with PlusBUS. I was on the (FirstPMT) bus to Stoke and some bloke was told he couldn't use it because it only covered BakerBus, Copelands etc i.e every other operator except First. The bus driver may have been lying though. They do that a lot round here.

[GurraJG]

I that in Colchester, Plusbus covers the local First services, so it seems odd that it shouldn't elsewhere.

[audigex]

PlusBus is a great idea but a flop in practice:

Scenario 1: Multiple operators in one town/city: You never get all the operators signed up, taking away convenience and making it largely pointless.
Scenario 2: Single operator in one town/city: The operators just charges the same as their normal unlimited ride day ticket, making it equally pointless (buy it when you get there if you need it)

With a decent discount, full participation and a way to combine bus and train tickets it'd be great.

[SquireJames]

Exactly Audigex.

In our area, I reckon it's just PMT being twats again. They really are appalling, and from what I've heard from surprised rail visitors who board the number 23 that we take back from the station, considerably more expensive than buses elsewhere. Not sure why. They are almost perpetually late, and not by a few minutes, we're talking 20 or 30 minutes here, or they simply fail to turn up at all. (I'm waiting for the 12:18 number 23. I am there at the bus top at 12:00. I know the bus after it turns up at 12:38. The 12:18 never arrives, and the 12:38 arrives at 12:45. Good job I haven't got an interview or something else time-critical to get to PMT!)

Scarily, this is the same First that plans to run the West Coast Main Line. Oh dear. Tell me people who currently use First-ran railway services, are their rail services any better than the shocking bus services they provide around here?

[teccuk]

Scarily, this is the same First that plans to run the West Coast Main Line. Oh dear. Tell me people who currently use First-ran railway services, are their rail services any better than the shocking bus services they provide around here?

Unlikely. They are horrible. Terrible. Woeful. Depressing. Too short, nearly always late, frequently chaotic. Rude staff. But I don't really have day-to-day experience of another company. So that's just the opinion of a season ticket holder (and seasons are always annoyed with their service).

[Pilot]

Tell me people who currently use First-ran railway services, are their rail services any better than the shocking bus services they provide around here?

Simple Answer, No.

[Nawdic]

In some aspects, however, yes...

seating, and the environment on their HSTs look good...

319s..... well, that's a different story...

[MjD]

Tell me people who currently use First-ran railway services, are their rail services any better than the shocking bus services they provide around here?

As someone who works for First I have to say that in general the rail services up here in Scotland are rather good and run to time the majority of the time. Most delays can be attributed to poorly timed schedules (which I presume are made by network rail), late running WCML services holding up local trains and the fact that extra time is not built in for passenger volumes during peak times.

[Dave]

Tell me people who currently use First-ran railway services, are their rail services any better than the shocking bus services they provide around here?

As someone who works for First I have to say that in general the rail services up here in Scotland are rather good and run to time the majority of the time. Most delays can be attributed to poorly timed schedules (which I presume are made by network rail), late running WCML services holding up local trains and the fact that extra time is not built in for passenger volumes during peak times.

And the fact that First north of the wall is whipped into shape by the government, which doesn't happen here.

[Kevo00]

Here in York the First Bus services are pretty good, though they probably receive some degree of subsidy. Fares are reasonably cheap and frequencies about every 10 mins on the core routes through the day, though this often gets thrown by York's frequent traffic congestion, particularly when there's racing on. They are mostly double decker Wrightbuses, some shiny new, some a bit older.

If buses are not turning up, you should complain to the operator and your local council - I did once in Durham and got a free journey coupon.

[orudge]

PlusBus is a great idea but a flop in practice:

Scenario 1: Multiple operators in one town/city: You never get all the operators signed up, taking away convenience and making it largely pointless.
Scenario 2: Single operator in one town/city: The operators just charges the same as their normal unlimited ride day ticket, making it equally pointless (buy it when you get there if you need it)

With a decent discount, full participation and a way to combine bus and train tickets it'd be great.

If you have a railcard, then you get the benefit that railcard discounts apply to Plusbus tickets. I purchased Edinburgh Plusbus tickets for £2, for instance, compared with the Lothian Buses day ticket price of £3.50. (Plusbus, incidentally, is £3 normally for Edinburgh, and also applies to First, Stagecoach and some other services.) Plus I could buy my ticket at the station and receive change, which is not the case on the bus!

Somewhat irritatingly, despite extending out quite significantly in one direction (to Peterculter), Aberdeen Plusbus didn't (and still doesn't) extend out towards the town I used to live in, Westhill. Mostly it seems Aberdeen Plusbus just covers the Aberdeen City Council area, despite Westhill actually being a bit closer than Peterculter - however, it's in Aberdeenshire rather than Aberdeen City. So funnily enough I've never used it.

[SquireJames]

If buses are not turning up, you should complain to the operator and your local council - I did once in Durham and got a free journey coupon.

I would, but this is Stoke-on-Trent. The council literally does nothing. The bus driver could pull up, kick me in the shins, gob in my face and run over a pensioner and the council would merely shrug and say "not our department".