Go Cornwall Bus

[fgwrich]

I notice that the TfC app is changing its name to Go Cornwall Bus from 15th February.

I wonder if this is an indication of Cornwall Council trying to distinguish TfC, which is essentially the council's transport coordination division, from the the operator.

Surprising. Perhaps Cornwall Council wants to save itself from some of the embarrassment? It still doesn't feel like one transport network to me.

 

[Busaholic]

Surprising. Perhaps Cornwall Council wants to save itself from some of the embarrassment? It still doesn't feel like one transport network to me.

That's because it isn't! Being an incorrigible cynic, with much-delayed Cornwall Council elections planned for May, I wonder whether a political party currently in opposition is planning to try to make TfC an election 'issue'. I smell a rat, or is it just rotting unsold fish?!

 

[MB162435]

I notice that the TfC app is changing its name to Go Cornwall Bus from 15th February.

I wonder if this is an indication of Cornwall Council trying to distinguish TfC, which is essentially the council's transport coordination division, from the the operator.

Surely this will just cause more confusion, people with the app may not now know if their M-tickets will be valid with OTS, Hopley's and Travel Cornwall

At least with the app being called Transport for Cornwall, people will know everything on there is relevant and excepted by all TfC operators not just with Go Cornwall

 

[SimH]

I suggest that TfC has been the victim of a serious communications failure. Roadside publicity was slow to appear and often inadequate (can't blame Covid: Kernow seemed to manage). We now have an unintegrated bus service again. Triumph!

 

[richw]

We now have an unintegrated bus service again.

Has it been integrated at any point in the last 10 months?

 

[SimH]

Has it been integrated at any point in the last 10 months?

Nope. That is my point. Indeed the TfC website still has home page text announcing that services will change on 30 March with the introduction of 'special emergency timetables'. That is last March, by the way. Time plainly crawls at TfC -- whatever that may be!

 

[Goldfish62]

Has it been integrated at any point in the last 10 months?

Nope. As some industry commentators have observed, Cornwall Council spent a lot of money to reverse what integration there was. Splendid effort. Not!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Nope. As some industry commentators have observed, Cornwall Council spent a lot of money to reverse what integration there was. Splendid effort. Not!

Not just that - they've also spent money on lots of services to link communities who didn't know they needed connecting.....

 

[padbus]

Clearly, planning and running an integrated bus service is more difficult than it looks.

 

[Goldfish62]

Surely this will just cause more confusion, people with the app may not now know if their M-tickets will be valid with OTS, Hopley's and Travel Cornwall

At least with the app being called Transport for Cornwall, people will know everything on there is relevant and excepted by all TfC operators not just with Go Cornwall

As promised, the app is now named Go Cornwall Bus with absolutely no mention anywhere of TfC, apart from in the M-tickets section where it states that tickets are valid on all TfC services.

The TfC website remains as TfC.

 

[MB162435]

As promised, the app is now named Go Cornwall Bus with absolutely no mention anywhere of TfC, apart from in the M-tickets section where it states that tickets are valid on all TfC services.

The TfC website remains as TfC.

Certainly going to help isn't it, with the tourist season fast approaching you would think they would make it easier for visitors and locals alike to understand and use TfC services, but it seems the opposite approach is being taken making it harder to work out

Visitors to places like Falmouth or Porthtowan will likely belive their Go Cornwall M-tickets won't be accepted on the 35A or 304, because its operated by TfC not Go Cornwall

 

[Goldfish62]

Certainly going to help isn't it, with the tourist season fast approaching you would think they would make it easier for visitors and locals alike to understand and use TfC services, but it seems the opposite approach is being taken making it harder to work out

Visitors to places like Falmouth or Porthtowan will likely belive their Go Cornwall M-tickets won't be accepted on the 35A or 304, because its operated by TfC not Go Cornwall

With the tourist season approaching you would think the council would be keen to promote all bus services, not just those it subsidises. The more successful are commercial services, the less call there is to provide subsidised alternatives.

 

[MB162435]

With the tourist season approaching you would think the council would be keen to promote all bus services, not just those it subsidises. The more successful are commercial services, the less call there is to provide subsidised alternatives.

A timetable book like they use to produce would be the way to go, which obviously promotes not just bus but all transportation in Cornwall, certainly would be more beneficial to visitors planning a day out

Although the previous version was rarely updated with trains, ferries and buses all changing timetables at different times so is difficult to manage but more beneficial in the long term

 

[Goldfish62]

A timetable book like they use to produce would be the way to go, which obviously promotes not just bus but all transportation in Cornwall, certainly would be more beneficial to visitors planning a day out

Although the previous version was rarely updated with trains, ferries and buses all changing timetables at different times so is difficult to manage but more beneficial in the long term

Agreed.

A website as a one-stop location for all public transport in Cornwall would be an easy step and straightforward to keep updated.

 

[MB162435]

Agreed.

A website as a one-stop location for all public transport in Cornwall would be an easy step and straightforward to keep updated.

Definitely, a website would be far easier for the Council and operators to keep updated for as long as the unpredictably of Covid and the restrictions are around

 

[Goldfish62]

I see on Traveline that route 2 is gaining a Saturday service and being increased to hourly until mid-afternoon from 3rd April.

Given that this is a commercial service that, from my observations, carries fresh air I'm puzzled as to how any increase let alone maintaining the existing service can be viable.

 

[Eyersey468]

I see on Traveline that route 2 is gaining a Saturday service and being increased to hourly until mid-afternoon from 3rd April.

Given that this is a commercial service that, from my observations, carries fresh air I'm puzzled as to how any increase let alone maintaining the existing service can be viable.

I take it you mean carried fresh air pre Covid?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I take it you mean carried fresh air pre Covid?

Didn't exist pre-Covid!!

It's been introduced subsequently.... It's an odd move

 

[richw]

I see on Traveline that route 2 is gaining a Saturday service and being increased to hourly until mid-afternoon from 3rd April.

Given that this is a commercial service that, from my observations, carries fresh air I'm puzzled as to how any increase let alone maintaining the existing service can be viable.

I take it you mean carried fresh air pre Covid?

Didn't exist pre-Covid!!

It's been introduced subsequently.... It's an odd move

Im pretty sure I seen praa sands parish council claiming to be supporting it. In what way I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be classed as a local authority subsidy being only a parish

 

[Goldfish62]

I take it you mean carried fresh air pre Covid?

No, I'm talking about the middle of the Summer when there were healthy loadings on First Kernow buses.

Im pretty sure I seen praa sands parish council claiming to be supporting it. In what way I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be classed as a local authority subsidy being only a parish

Depends if they mean financial support!

 

[GBM]

If it goes into Perranuthnoe, then that in summertime was always a struggle to turn a bus around. Visitors and locals parked anywhere, resulting in stuck busses/reversing busses for quite a distance back.
Praa Sands also resulted in a struggle with visitors parking along the roadside.
Both places always guaranteed a long delay in running times.

 

[richw]

If it goes into Perranuthnoe, then that in summertime was always a struggle to turn a bus around.

I got stuck there in a VR on Penzance running day a couple of years back. Cars parked right to junction leaving no room to swing round

 

[Ian10]

I got stuck there in a VR on Penzance running day a couple of years back. Cars parked right to junction leaving no room to swing round

It doesn’t go via Perranuthnoe. That is the 39A but the issue is still relevant.
There is no integrated network. Just look at the map on the website. There is no reference to Kernow services so who would know that there is a bus service between Truro and Falmouth or that Perranporth has any bus services at all? There are plenty of other examples.
I see that Cornwall Council has agreed to increase council tax by 4.99%. This is to maintain essential council services. Why should I, as a local tax payer, contribute to the +£500,000 a year for the unnecessary and regularly empty service 89? There are many other routes which cannot justify the level of subsidy.

 

[SimH]

It doesn’t go via Perranuthnoe. That is the 39A but the issue is still relevant.
There is no integrated network. Just look at the map on the website. There is no reference to Kernow services so who would know that there is a bus service between Truro and Falmouth or that Perranporth has any bus services at all? There are plenty of other examples.
I see that Cornwall Council has agreed to increase council tax by 4.99%. This is to maintain essential council services. Why should I, as a local tax payer, contribute to the +£500,000 a year for the unnecessary and regularly empty service 89? There are many other routes which cannot justify the level of subsidy.

Indeed. The large map on display at Newquay bus station is the same as on the TfC website. Rather mysteriously it not only omits all FK routes but even the Newquay town services 58/59 -- which are TfC. Secret squirrel reigns. And it is costing all of us money.

 

[Goldfish62]

Indeed. The large map on display at Newquay bus station is the same as on the TfC website. Rather mysteriously it not only omits all FK routes but even the Newquay town services 58/59 -- which are TfC. Secret squirrel reigns. And it is costing all of us money.

It's a disgrace. Public money is being spent on what appears to be an attempt to undermine the commercial bus services by pretending they don't exist. I'm actually surprised that GoAhead are happy to be part of this.

 

[fgwrich]

It's a disgrace. Public money is being spent on what appears to be an attempt to undermine the commercial bus services by pretending they don't exist. I'm actually surprised that GoAhead are happy to be part of this.

Why do I have visions of this all soon going belly upwards, and that the council shunting the blame onto Go-Ahead which will have egg on it's face. So much for an "Integrated Public Transport Network / One Transport For All"...

 

[CornwallBus]

There are services which even pre-COVID should never have got off the drawing board. The cost to the tax payers i.e. us is nothing short of scandelous. Services which were removed 20 plus years ago are now back, for no real logical reason!

I applaud the independant operators who are striving to improve the services they run, but it is built on their services they ran before or the local area they know well, so know where to tweak to improve the lot for passengers. Ultimately, time will tell as to what elements of the tendered network survive any financial cuts...

 

[Goldfish62]

There are services which even pre-COVID should never have got off the drawing board. The cost to the tax payers i.e. us is nothing short of scandelous. Services which were removed 20 plus years ago are now back, for no real logical reason!

I applaud the independant operators who are striving to improve the services they run, but it is built on their services they ran before or the local area they know well, so know where to tweak to improve the lot for passengers. Ultimately, time will tell as to what elements of the tendered network survive any financial cuts...

One success story does seem to be OTS. I saw in the local rag that one of their regular passengers has bought all the drivers a pasty, and Rowe's Bakers have donated more as well.

Why do I have visions of this all soon going belly upwards, and that the council shunting the blame onto Go-Ahead which will have egg on it's face. So much for an "Integrated Public Transport Network / One Transport For All"...

The council has form with cosying up to one operator and then unceremoniously dumping it.

 

[carlberry]

One success story does seem to be OTS. I saw in the local rag that one of their regular passengers has bought all the drivers a pasty, and Rowe's Bakers have donated more as well.

I suspect the success is more to do with being a local company that is operating the same routes with the same drivers as they always have, as apposed to it now being subcontracted via Go and the bus being Red!

 

[Goldfish62]

I suspect the success is more to do with being a local company that is operating the same routes with the same drivers as they always have, as apposed to it now being subcontracted via Go and the bus being Red!

Yes, but they do operate more routes now than they used to.