Skig Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 IOM Online: Buses being test-driven around the Island Surely the DoT should be buying little "hoppa" type buses rather than huge double deckers? I can see a limited need for the big buses on well-used journeys (not least for the school pick-ups), but surely single-deckers would give more opportunity for increasing frequency and diversity of routes? They're also much more pleasant to be stuck behind in a car and must be more environmentally friendly when carrying smaller numbers of passengers. The IOM must be the only place buying double-decker buses these days. Smaller ones holding 20-30 people would be more suitable especially out in the countryside. And while they are about it perhaps a small shuttle bus to the hospital. And where would the buses come from for the school runs and peak hour travel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triskelion Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I was thinking the same thing Skig. So far as Oyster cards (the RAdio-frequency IDentification cards I mentioned) go, I think they would be a good idea. I'm not sure about actual costs, but how many machines would you actually need? One at Castletown, Peel, Ramsey, Port Erin, the Airport, the Sea Terminal and another one at the bus terminus in Douglas, which is seven. Also people would be able to top up on line or through a phone robot. The only problem then is that the bus fares would have to be flat rate. Unless you held your card to the scanner, told the bus driver where you were going and then he pushes the button for that number of zones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 why flat rate - remember 'check in and check out or you will charged for the full journey' - multi-zone travel would work for busses as well - Oyster cards being prepaid you could dip into the deposit credit by a double zone before invalidating the card - after all it would need to be paid before getting any deposit back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanxfella Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I think they should follow Stagecoaches lead and waste thousands of pounds of taxpayers money publishing a guide to teach thick kids how to use a bus. The idiots guide to using a bus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triskelion Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 why flat rate - remember 'check in and check out or you will charged for the full journey' - multi-zone travel would work for busses as well - Oyster cards being prepaid you could dip into the deposit credit by a double zone before invalidating the card - after all it would need to be paid before getting any deposit back. I see what you are saying and you are right, I'm just not sure that is the easiest way to do it. I can't think of any serious problems with it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilf_uk Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Single deckers run more frequently, and run at a cheaper rate. £2 from Douglas to Laxey single on a crap 30 minute journey. Double the price of parking in town and make the busses more regular and cheaper. Put park and ride sites from the main places - Ramsey, Peel, Castletown. It's time for joined up transport thinking. 18 months and the only person they've asked is an oap and about a bus they have on loan, not about the routes or the ticket prices, or the stops or anything. grrrrrrrrr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 one key concept but I suspect very difficult to implement, is bus-only lanes within the centre of Douglas so that busses become attractive - even the X5 back to Peel can take 35mins or more much of which is spent trying to get out of Douglas. Bus-only lanes though extremely unpopular with motorists have made a great difference in some towns where they have been implemented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 £2 from Douglas to Laxey single on a crap 30 minute journey. Hmm I paid £4.20 odd (return) to get from Ramsey to Douglas on a double decker...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karellen Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 even the X5 back to Peel can take 35mins or more much of which is spent trying to get out of Douglas. Strange - doesnt take my wife more than 20 minutes in her X5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triskelion Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 even the X5 back to Peel can take 35mins or more much of which is spent trying to get out of Douglas. Strange - doesnt take my wife more than 20 minutes in her X5 It can take that long though. This is especially the case on wet, wintery days as the stretch from Eagle House down to the Music Centre can get pretty clogged up. I can't think of anywhere in Douglas it would be possible to have bus lane though. gilf_uk, I think you are spot on with your park & ride suggestion to an extent, though the limiting factor could be that in places like Port Erin and Castletown there is not a great deal of parking except that reserved for Supermarkets or in disc zones. You would think it wouln't take too much effort for the LA's to install some bike racks near some bus stops though. On the other hand, with you statement about more frequent single deckers, it has been said earlier in the thread that double deckers cost little more to run, and if you had single deckers, people tend to try and cram onto them anyway, rather than waiting for the next one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skig Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Single deckers run more frequently, and run at a cheaper rate. £2 from Douglas to Laxey single on a crap 30 minute journey. Double the price of parking in town and make the busses more regular and cheaper. I think you would find that far from running at a cheaper rate, the fares would shoot up. Twice as many small buses mean twice as many drivers. Last year, when a few driver vacancies occurred the number of applications ran into the hundreds. Why? Because the drivers are very highly paid, with good working terms and conditions, and good luck to them. I’m afraid that everyone would end up paying a lot more than they pay now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monasqueen Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Why to Wait at a bus stop This gives a mathematical formula for why you should wait at a bus stop, for anyone who just thought it was sods law that if they give up and start walking, at least one bus will then invariably turn up! There's some sad people about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wake Up Call Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I love to see the sight of an old Plaxton bouncing along the road! If the Island got it right on the bus strategy, we would have cheap travel using the Oyster card and a more frequent faster service taking you in and out of Douglas. The extortionate price of fuel will drive people to using public transport. If more folk used the bus at rush hour times, then the roads would be quieter and the whole system would move a lot easier. To really lay the icing on the cake, how about a service that has a last bus at midnight instead of 10.45pm? This could stop desperate people from driving home drunk when they can't find/afford a taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharp Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 What happened last night at Anacoar, Police, Bus stopped man in cuffs ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyboarder Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 What happened last night at Anacoar, Police, Bus stopped man in cuffs ? Maybe he'd been to a formal dinner party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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