2
www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk
t: 01454 300 400
October 2018
News
Driver shortages blamed for T1 bus cancellations
A
Contact Us Editor: Stephen Horton info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk 01454 300 400 83 Snowberry Close Bradley Stoke Bristol BS32 8GB
Find us on Facebook: BradleyStokeJournal Follow us on Twitter: @TheBSJournal
About the Bradley Stoke Journal The Bradley Stoke Journal website and magazine are published by North Bristol Press, a trading name of Snowberry Media Ltd; company number 8451178 (registered in England and Wales); registered office: 7 Chelford Grove, Stoke Lodge, Bristol BS34 6DD. Our other publications include the Patchway Journal website, the Stoke Gifford Journal website and the Filton Journal website. North Bristol Press is independent of any other media company or network operating in the Bristol area. We accept no responsibility for anything stated by advertisers, who are themselves responsible for complying with all relevant legislation. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or article author. © North Bristol Press 2018. Content published in our magazines or on our websites may not be reproduced in any form without our express written permission.
Is your PC frustrating? Let us take away your stress! We can do a full service for only
£70
goto iT 28 Gloucester Road North , Filton, Bristol, BS7 0SJ
www.goto-it.co.uk
0117 969 8767
*Details instore. VAT included. Labour only .
n express bus service linking Bradley Stoke with Bristol city centre that was introduced in May and offers journey times as quick as 22mins has been suffering reliability issues during peak hours in recent months, which the operator is blaming on high levels of customer demand and a shortage of drivers. First’s new Thornbury to Bristol T1 service travels straight down Bradley Stoke Way, stopping at all regular bus stops, as well as the new MetroBus stops. It then uses the new Stoke Gifford Transport Link (a.k.a. Stoke Gifford By-Pass) to reach the A4174 Ring Road where it turns left to access the M32 at J1. Timetabled journey times in the morning peak are around 26mins, comparing very favourably to the 45mins on the X73 and 61mins on the 73. The off-peak journey time is 22mins, compared to 51mins on the 73. Passenger comments on the new T1 service were initially very favourable, but it seems that it has since become a victim of its own success, with many readers reporting journeys being cancelled or buses being full by the time they reach Bradley Stoke during the morning peak. First responded by “doubling up” the buses on two morning (inward) and two afternoon (outward) peak journeys from 2nd September on the stretch between Aztec West and Bristol. This arrangement sees two buses running on schedules separated by just two minutes, but comments on Twitter show that this has only been partly successful because some journeys are continuing to be cancelled. Responding to a statement request from the Journal, a First West of England spokesperson said: “Following the introduction of the T1, we have seen a big increase in the number of customers using this new service. We are addressing this by adding in extra resource where possible,
sourced both internally and by subcontracting some T1 journeys to Bristol Community Transport, who also currently operate the U3 service and will, from January 2019, operate the MetroBus M1 service.” “Due to the continuous expansion that we have seen in our operations, especially in the last six months, we are experiencing a driver shortage in the West of England. We are working hard to recruit new drivers into our business, where we offer a very competitive salary, benefits, including free bus travel for drivers and their families, discounted rail tickets on GWR, as well as in-house training, job stability and career progression. We are also borrowing First bus drivers from other parts of the UK, but on rare occasions some journeys have had to be cancelled due to lastminute driver sickness.” “We understand that any cancellation causes significant inconvenience to our customers and we offer our sincerest apologies to any customers affected.” Off-peak services on the T1 service appear to be largely unaffected by the issues, with comments on the Journal’s Facebook page confirming that buses are achieving the advertised journey times outside the morning and afternoon commuter peaks. The T1 operates half-hourly but there are no late evening journeys, with the last trips in each direction leaving around 7.30pm. For most passengers travelling between Bradley Stoke and the city centre, the T1 will become of only minor interest once the M1 MetroBus service starts next year. According to the MetroBus Quality Partnership Scheme, which all operators must sign up to, the M1 will run every 10mins between 6am and midnight Monday to Saturday and every 20mins on Sunday. ● www.firstgroup.com
To advertise in this magazine or on our websites, phone The Journal’s sales team on 01454 300 400