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Transdev Blazefield

JetBlast

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he’s perfectly happy with the odd sounding at first Team Pennine name
I don’t think it’s such a big deal. People seem to be hung up on brand names having to be directly relevant to the companies operation. However, there are plenty of brands out there such as Virgin and Shell. They are just the norm to most of us.
 
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TheGrandWazoo

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Bus and Train User has done a new blog reviewing Team Pennine


I’d say there is a slight bit of bias in there, he’s perfectly happy with the odd sounding at first Team Pennine name, but was apparently confused with FirstBus’s new HX Connect name.

The fact he highlighted a scruffy First single deck but ignored any scruffy buses in Yorkshire Tiger livery that I can’t believe weren’t seen is a tad biased as well.
I think the bias is that the sort of things that Roger thinks are good are the sort of things that Transdev is doing in terms of fleet replacement and marketing, even down to printing actual timetables. I think he does mention, and illustrate, a bus in the "dull orange" as he puts in, when mentioning Tiger though. Certainly, he doesn't mention the fact that they started on the Kirkheaton route whilst being unable to run their existing network

It is without question that the First Eclipse illustrated doesn't look great. I've always thought First West Yorkshire was reasonably decent on repaints and maybe it's due for painting or retirement? Perhaps the bigger question is why, when much of First is busy adopting new local identities, that they have stuck with Urban except in Leeds.
 

Redmike

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I notice that the Transdev websites Christmas changes page all say that their buses are having to run at reduced capacity. This must surely be an oversight on someone's part as I thought capacity restrictions had gone.
 

Goldfish62

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I notice that the Transdev websites Christmas changes page all say that their buses are having to run at reduced capacity. This must surely be an oversight on someone's part as I thought capacity restrictions had gone.
Unless they know something the rest of us don't.
 

Ant158

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I notice that the Transdev websites Christmas changes page all say that their buses are having to run at reduced capacity. This must surely be an oversight on someone's part as I thought capacity restrictions had gone.
Reduced capacity here might just be referring to reduced frequency in a more ‘positive’ way?
 

RustySpoons

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Noticed the wording on the recruitment ads has changed recently...

@burnleybuses says...
We're hiring sweet packers, librarians, mortgage advisors, delivery drivers... and cafe workers like Steve.
  • average annual earnings £27k
  • We teach you to drive a bus
  • Paid-for training & qualification
  • Free travel & loads more perks
Join us http://bit.ly/3jQOrvq

Less than a month ago it was 'earn up to £24k a year'. Now average annual earnings are £27k. That's quite a jump!

Screenshot 2021-12-04 at 17.52.18.png
 

Aaron Ashton

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Bristol LHS

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Noticed the wording on the recruitment ads has changed recently...

@burnleybuses says...


Less than a month ago it was 'earn up to £24k a year'. Now average annual earnings are £27k. That's quite a jump!

click through the link on the new ad, and the wording changes to ‘up to £27k a year’, still w jump, but not nearly as big as if ‘average earnings’ were £27k.
 

noddingdonkey

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I would love to see Team Pennine introduce a competing service to First's 185 on the Huddersfield to Marsden route. First clearly need some competition on this corridor.
 

Deerfold

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I would love to see Team Pennine introduce a competing service to First's 185 on the Huddersfield to Marsden route. First clearly need some competition on this corridor.
I don't think it would be a good plan for them to introduce any new services until the cancellation rates on their current services drop. Are the 18x services doing particularly badly? My last experience of First was seeing the next 3 services cancelled on the X63 with more than a busload of passengers waiting at the bus station (I ended up getting the train).
 

noddingdonkey

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Yeah a colleague who uses the X63 is always complaining.

The 18x are not too bad, I suppose. A total lack of coordination between the 185 (Old Fieldhouse Lane) and 184 (Oldham) means they run a couple of minutes apart at times rather than providing a balanced clock face service. The 185 timetable needs recasting with realistic timings, the number of occasions when I've missed a bus at my local stop which has run early before sitting at the timing point a couple of stops later is not funny. Weekend and evening departures from Huddersfield frequently start late. Plus the fleet of knackered Leeds cast offs which are in dire need of an interior refresh - or just a deep clean of the uncomfortable, threadbare seats would be a start.

It just feels like there is a lack of attention to detail and some competion might help focus attention.
 

philthetube

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What they don't tell you is, you start at Rosso on £9.52 an hour if you train with them £10 if you already have a license...then if you behave yourself, you MAY get offered the chance to transfer over to the better money...
The advert is for the Burnley bus company. Rosso paying less is another issue.
 

RustySpoons

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The advert is for the Burnley bus company. Rosso paying less is another issue.

Rosso has a slightly different advert, quite cleverly worded to try and disguise the fact that what's on offer isn't as good as the other companies within the group.

'Average annual earnings - £25,000'
FFHKHkfX0Awu23i.jpeg

The average annual earnings is very deceiving. As Aaron said a few posts above, you'll start on a very low wage but it'll take a very long time before you can even match the 'average wage' they're advertising, let alone earn above it.

The fact this recruitment campaign is still going on after 6 months, despite 100+ drivers being taken on (and regularly new batches of drivers arriving according to Alex Hornby's Twitter feed) and there being reduced timetables and lots of cancelled services still shows recruitment is the least of the issues at the moment.
 

MotCO

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Near impossible I’d say. If Rosso drivers were given a pay rise to bring them up to Blackburn or Burnley rates, the latter drivers would probably ballot for strike action because they aren’t getting the same raise as well. Therefore the two rates would never meet.
Couldn't Rosso sack all their drivers and suggest they sign up at Burnley or Blackburn? That would get over any parity issues.
 

Goldfish62

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Is that 23 days holiday on top of your 28 days mandated paid holiday, or is it unpaid?
23 days or 5.6 weeks is the minimum legal annual leave entitlement in the UK. I don't think anyone in their wildest dreams would expect that Transdev drivers get 51 days leave a year.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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Couldn't Rosso sack all their drivers and suggest they sign up at Burnley or Blackburn? That would get over any parity issues.
They would have to go through a period of consultation - you can't just fire and rehire (despite what is said).

They could achieve parity but it would be a long and/or expensive process whereby you "red circle" the staff on higher terms and conditions. They get "standard" pay rises (e.g. inflation) whilst the lower-paid get an enhanced increase year on year.

And, of course, these increased costs need to be financed somehow.
 

M803UYA

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Under my stone....
They would have to go through a period of consultation - you can't just fire and rehire (despite what is said).

They could achieve parity but it would be a long and/or expensive process whereby you "red circle" the staff on higher terms and conditions. They get "standard" pay rises (e.g. inflation) whilst the lower-paid get an enhanced increase year on year.

And, of course, these increased costs need to be financed somehow.
Red circling the staff might not take as long, given the rate of driver turnover. If it's high, then there will be fewer and fewer such people in the depot on the existing terms and conditions. Going on my experiences with Stagecoach, in the operation we acquired it took 18 months from takeover to achieve over 50% of the driving staff on the 'new terms'. Eventually you get to the point where it's a tiny number of people and presumably they're easier to buy out of those terms and conditions.

Stagecoach did send inspectors down to the operation quite often, and surprisingly(!) they kept on finding things wrong - dismissals helped the process along, as that's the normal way they deal with perceived transgressions. Obviously now we're in a drivers market so the bus companies need to change their methods of operation to retain staff - unless they're happy with high driver turnover. The attitude for too long has been 'if you don't like it, leave'.
No one has considered what happens when that advice is followed.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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They're advertising the minimum entitled leave as a good thing?
Given that the minimum is 28 days on a five day working week (5.6 weeks) - see https://www.gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights

Statutory annual leave entitlement​

Most workers who work a 5-day week must receive at least 28 days’ paid annual leave a year. This is the equivalent of 5.6 weeks of holiday.


...then is it that they are actually offering 23 days plus the 8 statutory bank holidays? Mind you, would seem odd then not to offer it as 31 days though, given the Transdev propensity to spin or market things, depending on your view of them.


Red circling the staff might not take as long, given the rate of driver turnover. If it's high, then there will be fewer and fewer such people in the depot on the existing terms and conditions. Going on my experiences with Stagecoach, in the operation we acquired it took 18 months from takeover to achieve over 50% of the driving staff on the 'new terms'. Eventually you get to the point where it's a tiny number of people and presumably they're easier to buy out of those terms and conditions.

Stagecoach did send inspectors down to the operation quite often, and surprisingly(!) they kept on finding things wrong - dismissals helped the process along, as that's the normal way they deal with perceived transgressions. Obviously now we're in a drivers market so the bus companies need to change their methods of operation to retain staff - unless they're happy with high driver turnover. The attitude for too long has been 'if you don't like it, leave'.
No one has considered what happens when that advice is followed.

Depends what you mean as long. In my experience, it took a few years because even with the natural attrition (e.g. death in service, retirement, dismissals, leaving), you still have a core of staff that don't leave, don't die or don't transgress :D We had a number of different terms (caused by TUPEs etc) and trying to align those was painful as everyone wants to cherrypick the best features etc.

Clearly, people have considered what happens when the advice is followed as, for years, there's been a churn of drivers but the availability of foreign labour has enabled this to be dealt with. Now that's fundamentally changed with Brexit and Covid, then the bus industry is having to cope with a change in the landscape as are many other industries (see LGV driving, care homes, hospitality, agriculture). Unfortunately for the bus industry, it's much easier to put 2p on a pint of milk or 5p on a punnet of strawberries than it is to increase bus fares.
 

Goldfish62

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Why don't Transdev just come clean and advertise their hourly rates and/or minimum guaranteed annual pay? It all seems to be smoke and mirrors which is clearly not working in attracting new staff judging by the ongoing service cuts.
 

Deerfold

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Why don't Transdev just come clean and advertise their hourly rates and/or minimum guaranteed annual pay? It all seems to be smoke and mirrors which is clearly not working in attracting new staff judging by the ongoing service cuts.
Is the problem getting people willing to work or getting their licenses sorted out?
 

Goldfish62

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Is the problem getting people willing to work or getting their licenses sorted out?
Judging by the state of Transdev's services at the moment I'd say the former, unless the DVLA have specifically got it in for Transdev.

Anyway, my point was what has Transdev got to hide by not publishing clear rates of pay? That in itself must be a deterrent as it's difficult to compare pay with most other operators who are more transparent about rates.
 

Deerfold

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Judging by the state of Transdev's services at the moment I'd say the former, unless the DVLA have specifically got it in for Transdev.
Wouldn't either result in the same state of their services? Surely the reason for not having drivers doesn't change the fact they're short of drivers.

Alex was blaming DVSA - but not that there was a problem specific to Transdev.


A BUS company boss says his firm has almost 100 trainee drivers waiting more than three times longer than usual for licences and test dates.

Alex Hornby, CEO of Transdev, says bus services throughout the country continue to be affected by driver shortages.

Mr Hornby said so far, a relatively small number of journeys provided by Transdev across Yorkshire have had to be cancelled – but the bus firm says it fully realises the inconvenience caused and is thanking its customers for their patience, while it pulls out the stops to resolve a situation which the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) says has led to a shortage of more than 4,000 drivers nationwide.
 

Goldfish62

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Wouldn't either result in the same state of their services? Surely the reason for not having drivers doesn't change the fact they're short of drivers.

Alex was blaming DVSA - but not that there was a problem specific to Transdev.

I'm well aware it's an industry wide problem.

I would love to see Team Pennine introduce a competing service to First's 185 on the Huddersfield to Marsden route. First clearly need some competition on this corridor.
Forget competition. Unless the DfT extends Bus Recovery Grant beyond March or replaces it with something else we can expect mass deregistrations across the country effective from April.

I don't think a lot of people realise what a precipice local bus services are currently teetering on the brink of.
 

RustySpoons

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Wouldn't either result in the same state of their services? Surely the reason for not having drivers doesn't change the fact they're short of drivers.

Alex was blaming DVSA - but not that there was a problem specific to Transdev.


I think the DVSA issue should be easing. Quite a few of the new drivers are out on the road now, including a driver at Keighley who has become Transdev Blazefield's youngest driver at just 18 years old. Was recently on Alex's social media having just passed his test, and more recently in the local press now he's out on the road.

The biggest issue Transdev have at the moment is existing drivers still leaving quicker than they can recruit new drivers, especially in Lancashire.



Post updated 9/12/21

Transdev are once again running the Boxing Day services across the network as follows...

Harrogate - 1C and the 36
Keighley - Aireline, Shuttle 662, Dalesway 66 (between Keighley and Airedale Hospital), K3, K7, K9
Blackburn - 1 (between Blackburn and Darwen) and 6/7 (between Blackburn and Accrington via Oswaldtwistle)
Burnley - M1 and M5 between Padiham and Colne (looks like these could be interworked) and the X43
Rosso - Trax 468 and Tottington Line
Team Pennine - Denby Darts D1
Flyer - A1

Nothing running on Boxing Day from either Coastliner or York

To help people 'get out and about for less', all single journeys will cost just £1 which must surely mean they'll all be running at a loss.

@AlexTransdev Twitter says...
Special Christmas booster to help you get out and about for less - we have decided that all bus fares on our now well-established Boxing Day network will be just £1 single!
Plan your travels at http://transdevbus.co.uk or on the #TransdevGo app
Screenshot 2021-12-09 at 17.11.53.png



The 'Amazing Awards' are going to be bigger and better than ever, apparently, and are taking place next month. They've even got Frank Bruno in to host them.... :rolleyes:

@AlexTransdev Twitter says...
The countdown is on to the bigger, better #AmazingAwards - our celebration of our incredible colleagues - taking place in January 2022. We’ve got our biggest ever shortlist of finalists ever - and the hardest hitting celebrity host so far: the legend that is Frank Bruno!

Screenshot 2021-12-09 at 17.30.51.png
 
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SCH117X

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Harrogate have had one Route 1 duty missing for most of the day due to a vehicle shortage if the initial tweets were correct.
 

gledhill56

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I think the DVSA issue should be easing. Quite a few of the new drivers are out on the road now, including a driver at Keighley who has become Transdev Blazefield's youngest driver at just 18 years old. Was recently on Alex's social media having just passed his test, and more recently in the local press now he's out on the road.

The biggest issue Transdev have at the moment is existing drivers still leaving quicker than they can recruit new drivers, especially in Lancashire.



Post updated 9/12/21

Transdev are once again running the Boxing Day services across the network as follows...

Harrogate - 1C and the 36
Keighley - Aireline, Shuttle 662, Dalesway 66 (between Keighley and Airedale Hospital), K3, K7, K9
Blackburn - 1 (between Blackburn and Darwen) and 6/7 (between Blackburn and Accrington via Oswaldtwistle)
Burnley - M1 and M5 between Padiham and Colne (looks like these could be interworked) and the X43
Rosso - Trax 468 and Tottington Line
Team Pennine - Denby Darts D1
Flyer - A1

Nothing running on Boxing Day from either Coastliner or York

To help people 'get out and about for less', all single journeys will cost just £1 which must surely mean they'll all be running at a loss.

@AlexTransdev Twitter says...

View attachment 106689



The 'Amazing Awards' are going to be bigger and better than ever, apparently, and are taking place next month. They've even got Frank Bruno in to host them.... :rolleyes:

@AlexTransdev Twitter says...


View attachment 106691
You’ll find they’ve got Harry Gration in to be the main host.


We can’t wait to welcome back a dear friend of the company - the one & only @GrationHarry as our host at our #AmazingAwards.

Now, more so than ever, we’re so excited to recognise the huge effort of our colleagues over the past year. The countdown continues to Jan 20th!


65690363-ACC3-4297-BDB4-98125BDE10D9.png
 
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