markymark2000
On Moderation
Long standing doesn't always mean well used.It's been a long-standing link that has recently been lost (i.e. Lydney to Cinderford) - it's just a collection of different services just squished into one.
5 minute connection is industry standard, just like trains. It all works well until you get the driver change which kills it because like a few other depots where the changeover is right outside, drivers wait till they see their bus outside before they finish their coffee, go the loo, have the last chat with the desk and then walk so slow to the bus and then they insist on faffing with everything when instead, they could be at the stop, sort things quickly, drive the minute to the market Square and let people make their connections.That may be frustrating but if you're relying on 5 minute connections, then you're cutting it very fine.
Cinderford to Ross isn't exactly a good example though as the 786 isn't very good as it's only 2 trips per day to Ross. Both trips go completely different ways. The trip you were on has no return service and is basically the return shopper trip to drop people off who have been shopping in Cinderford.As regards cross border services, just last week, I travelled on the Cinderford to Ross service. Granted, it was midday but after Lydbrook, I had the bus to myself to Ross. You mention Ledbury... well, that is served by the 232 and it is jointly supported by Herefordshire and Gloucestershire councils as it serves Newent; with limited funds to replace the withdrawn 132 (Ross to Ledbury) and 32 (Newent to Ledbury), that was the best they could do with what money they had.
The 232 was set up a lot of different funding pots, not all Gloucestershire/Hereford. There was fundraising and local businesses paying in. Every town and parish council along the route paying in.
The 72 isnt meant to be set up around the school but set up more around the commitments of Newport Bus in Chepstow with their mad cross networking so that they can get drivers back to Newport for breaks. All Chepstow local routes face the same issues on Saturdays with different timetables.As for the 72, the Mon-Fri and Sat services AREN'T completely different. It has 6 journeys M-F and 5 on Sat, of which 3 are the same times on both (0902/1102/1302 ex Chepstow with 0938/1138/1338 return from Lydney). The M-F times are different because clearly it's built around a school contract; that probably underpins the tender and means they could actually staff it. And of course, the 72 IS an example where a service that is mainly in Gloucestershire does extend across the border into Chepstow as it is a natural traffic destination.
Agreed the 72 is one of few examples where the bus is provided cross border.
GCC isn't all bad and do fund some routes cross border but its certainly not the best. I'd also stress that providing a bus doesn't mean it's overly useful and going to attract anyone other than pass holders going for a free trip out. The bus has to be provided at a reasonably frequency, a few times per day bus isn't that attractive and if anything, that is generally all that is provided cross border. There's plenty of links which aren't provided or have dismal provision which makes them useless to anyone but pass holders shopping.Might also add that Stagecoach (and Applegates) services from Dursley to Thornbury (again, over the border) as does the 69 as it runs into Old Sodbury to form the 620 - all GCC subsidised . In the pantheon of councils with ambivalence to local bus services, I'd not be citing GCC too highly.
Not much shorter distance travel except for Woodstock Road in my experience but that could just be my experience.S2 does have a local function, not sure coaches would work - defo was less successful than it is now when Swanbrook worked it with coaches as the 853, though there were other problems there. Don't see any reason why NX and Megabus couldn't resell tickets anyway, they do that for plenty of other bus routes.
How much of the success is down to ticket acceptance though? Swanbrook of course couldn't offer the ticket acceptance at either end and was competing with Stagecoach for the Witney passengers, now it's all merged so passengers get more for their money and the operating costs of the Cheltenham section are just Witney to Cheltenham (with Oxford to Witney covered by the already established S2 route) rather than the full Cheltenham to Oxford.
NX/Mega selling tickets on bus routes for this longer distance isn't as common, it's mostly high quality bus routes at around 90 minutes or it's coach services. Yes some exceptions exist but not many. It's not exactly an attractive proposition is it for either coach firm to offer tickets on a standard bus for a 2 hour journey.