Bus Vannin in Crisis

[A fool and his money.....]

3 minutes ago, Two-lane said:

How many drivers are required to run a late-night service at Christmas? How many managers are qualified to drive a bus?

The managers probably are paid an annual salary with no extra payment for overtime, so they could run the service at zero cost to the tax-payer.

 

I think you are mistaking the highly paid managers for people who actually give a flying fuck about the service.

[Numbnuts]

13 minutes ago, Two-lane said:

How many drivers are required to run a late-night service at Christmas? How many managers are qualified to drive a bus?

The managers probably are paid an annual salary with no extra payment for overtime, so they could run the service at zero cost to the tax-payer.

 

While I understand your sentiments I would imagine there not where they are without ensuring they dont have to do what you suggest. Do you really believe that senior staff at BV will be out on a night owl bus !? 

Edited December 17, 2022 by Numbnuts

[A fool and his money.....]

11 minutes ago, Numbnuts said:

I believe its more a case of full time drivers not prepared to work the late shifts and they only offering part timers crap shifts like lates. They do get more than £10 a hour I believer. A mate is on ZHC and he now  gets around £15 

Oh well, that's different then. I'm surprised they're not inundated with people spending upwards of a grand to qualify just so they can drive drunks home at Christmas until 2 in the morning for £15 per hour on a ZHC.

If you spend the last decade telling your workforce that they're overpaid and ripping up their terms and conditions, replacing them with casual staff, then it's little wonder they're not arsed to do the unpopular shifts.

I'm not sure how long it's been since the bus drivers strikes, what 6/7 years, maybe more. I don't believe the striking drivers got anywhere near what they were after - the employer ( the government) won. Look at the service we've had over the last year, worse than any I can ever remember.

The government may do well to remember this while they're digging their heels in with the current teachers and other industrial action. You can have a cheap public service or you can have a good public service, make your mind up.

[TheTeapot]

39 minutes ago, Numbnuts said:

While I understand your sentiments I would imagine there not where they are without ensuring they dont have to do what you suggest. Do you really believe that senior staff at BV will be out on a night owl bus !? 

I was driven home on a night owl bus by Ian Longworth several years ago.

[Apple]

51 minutes ago, A fool and his money..... said:

You can have a cheap public service or you can have a good public service, make your mind up.

...thats already been decided for us. That's why we elect them. 😃

The shelters where I am are out in the open. No seats, no windows, on a dark main road. Tried the MHK to get some protection from the wind, no joy.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by Apple

[Cinderella]

Cascading issues resulting in poor public service, and then usually the inevitable call to privatise it (as if that would fix anything). Having a late bus on key nights before Xmas is such a no-brainer. No service means less business and more people risking drink driving. Less business now = business closures in new year. All for saving a few quid on driver wages. I bet drivers would be available if offered decent late night pay.

[Banker]

1 hour ago, A fool and his money..... said:

Oh well, that's different then. I'm surprised they're not inundated with people spending upwards of a grand to qualify just so they can drive drunks home at Christmas until 2 in the morning for £15 per hour on a ZHC.

If you spend the last decade telling your workforce that they're overpaid and ripping up their terms and conditions, replacing them with casual staff, then it's little wonder they're not arsed to do the unpopular shifts.

I'm not sure how long it's been since the bus drivers strikes, what 6/7 years, maybe more. I don't believe the striking drivers got anywhere near what they were after - the employer ( the government) won. Look at the service we've had over the last year, worse than any I can ever remember.

The government may do well to remember this while they're digging their heels in with the current teachers and other industrial action. You can have a cheap public service or you can have a good public service, make your mind up.

They had to do something as the Bs drivers were on £40k plus pension & all sorts of outdated allowances.

Theyre now reasonably paid on c£30k full time plus pensions & plenty of overtime if you want it 

[A fool and his money.....]

Yes that's the mental thing. They charge far more for the night owl services for other services, the ones I've been on are always busy, especially at Christmas. The bus itself costs no more to operate at that time of night, why then do they insist on paying the drivers the same as other times?

Easier to cut services than apply a little common sense. The certainly had a lot more practice with the former than the latter.

[A fool and his money.....]

1 minute ago, Banker said:

They had to do something as the Bs drivers were on £40k plus pension & all sorts of outdated allowances.

Theyre now reasonably paid on c£30k full time plus pensions & plenty of overtime if you want it 

Yes and all busses ran last TT week.........

Bus drivers here have never been on £40K + pension without a substantial amount of overtime being involved.

And I'd be very surprised if the large proportion of the workforce now on ZHC get any pension at all.

[0bserver]

53 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

I was driven home on a night owl bus by Ian Longworth several years ago.

He took many of us for a ride. 

[0bserver]

21 minutes ago, A fool and his money..... said:

Yes that's the mental thing. They charge far more for the night owl services for other services, the ones I've been on are always busy, especially at Christmas. The bus itself costs no more to operate at that time of night, why then do they insist on paying the drivers the same as other times?

Easier to cut services than apply a little common sense. The certainly had a lot more practice with the former than the latter.

They used to use a lot of causals on the so-called Night Owl. Guess they won't get people working those hours if there's no incentive. Also extra pay for dealing with drunk people.

[Albert Tatlock]

Good few buses flying about late last night on private hire...my guess is that they are prioritising these fully paid up services above other late night services.

[Wake Up Call]

18 hours ago, A fool and his money..... said:

Oh well, that's different then. I'm surprised they're not inundated with people spending upwards of a grand to qualify just so they can drive drunks home at Christmas until 2 in the morning for £15 per hour on a ZHC.

If you spend the last decade telling your workforce that they're overpaid and ripping up their terms and conditions, replacing them with casual staff, then it's little wonder they're not arsed to do the unpopular shifts.

I'm not sure how long it's been since the bus drivers strikes, what 6/7 years, maybe more. I don't believe the striking drivers got anywhere near what they were after - the employer ( the government) won. Look at the service we've had over the last year, worse than any I can ever remember.

The government may do well to remember this while they're digging their heels in with the current teachers and other industrial action. You can have a cheap public service or you can have a good public service, make your mind up.

Plenty of *Private Hire* double deckers operating after midnight. WTF are these clowns playing at? The public miss out on a ride home and these tw*ts continue to run a private service for those who can afford a private bus. Nuts.

[A fool and his money.....]

They think they're running a business rather than a public service, they're crap at both. Little wonder the latest establishment nodding dog Chris Thomas doesn't seem to post on here anymore - he's probably embarrassed by the policies he's being given.

[Ringy Rose]

On 12/17/2022 at 6:00 PM, Numbnuts said:

Do you really believe that senior staff at BV will be out on a night owl bus !?

Longworth and Black were often out covering the late turns.

On 12/17/2022 at 6:50 PM, Cinderella said:

Cascading issues resulting in poor public service, and then usually the inevitable call to privatise it (as if that would fix anything). Having a late bus on key nights before Xmas is such a no-brainer.

Night buses aren't a thing in the privatised UK, except in London (heavily subsidised) or on a couple of routes in Manchester. 

The last bus from Halifax to Bradford- two much bigger places than anywhere here- is 2213. After that it's a taxi.

And on New Year's Eve all buses stop by 8pm.