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Bus Service

First Bus is now operating the X49 service through Pucklechurch.

The X49 replaces the 689

Reporting a problem with the buses

Report of meeting with First Bus on 14th May 2014

Q&A between the Parish Council and First Bus

Teething Problems with New X49 Bus Service

POSSIBLE NEW TIMETABLE TO BE ISSUED

At the Annual Meeting of the Parish on Wednesday, 14th May local residents were able to put their questions and concerns about the new service to Mr. Kamil Matula, a Network Planner from First Bus.

The service didn’t get off to a good start with the First Bus’s very first bus being twenty minutes late and it went downhill from there. The difficulties of new drivers getting familiar with the route and bad traffic conditions contributed to make the first week very frustrating for all concerned.  Problems have continued although in the last week punctuality seem to be better but concerns remain.

Mr. Matula acknowledged there was an issue with the timetable and that the X49 route was being monitored both by an automated satellite navigation system and manually by staff riding the routes.  This data will be used to assess the situation and provide the information needed to change the timetable if necessary.  He also stated that, if needed, they are working towards a new timetable which will be introduced on the 22nd June. When asked why it would take so long it was explained that they needed reliable data (no point in changing the timetable if they can’t be sure it will work) and that there was a statutory approval process of fifty-six days.

Questions were raised as to why First Bus adopted the timetable if it didn’t work and how much planning had been done on the timetable. Mr. Matula explained that they had several meetings with South Gloucestershire Council prior to implementing the service and were assured that the timetable used by Wessex was workable so it did not seem necessary to investigate this. He also said that First Bus have a policy of “Drive Green”. This means that drivers are to drive the bus in a conservative way such as avoiding hard acceleration and obeying speed limits.  It was agreed by the audience that riding on First Bus was definitely ‘safer’ than on the previous Wessex service.

There was also concern that the buses on the route were not equipped with wheelchair access and Mr. Matula was able to confirm that buses equipped with wheelchair access were being allocated to the route in the future.

Councillor Boyle pointed out that First Bus was demonstrating that they care about the service and getting it right. The General Manager had even been on the bus talking to commuters. The X49 offered a significant improvement in service with later buses in the evening and a Sunday service.

 

How to report a problem with the buses

1. Parish Council TEXT SERVICE: This is the most convenient way to report a problem at the time it is happening. Text the required information (see below) to 0795 008 1307.  You can report problems for both the X49 and 620.

Please note the text service is operated by the Parish Council as a convenience and all texts will be sent to First Bus.

Please provide the following information when sending a text.  If you can’t be specific then your complaint can not be dealt with properly. 

(i) The service (X49 or 620)

(ii) The direction of travel (Bristol, Bath, Yate)

(iii) The bus stop where you boarded or are waiting

(iv) The scheduled time of the service at that stop.

The above will allow First Bus to identify the specific bus.

(v) Then please state the problem.

2. Contact First Bus Customer Services who deal with all enquiries/issues raised. This should only be used for the X49 service

The best way to do this is either by email on:

contactwestofengland@firstgroup.com  

or by using the contact us form on our website - http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/help_contact/contact_us/.

All enquiries are logged on a customer service database and are responded to individually.

 

The parish Council asked First Bus a number of questions and these, together with the answers may be found below.  In answer to question 2 below First Bus refer to a “Fares Consultation” Details of this can be found at http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/fairerfaresforall/

Q1. We have heard that First Bus will take over the 689 bus  service. If this is correct when will this happen?
A. First will commence Service X49, which replaces Service 689  from 13 April 2014.

Q2. First Bus fares are higher than the 689 service on comparable routes.  Will fares  increase if the service is run by First Direct?
A. Fares on Service X49 will be in line with commercial fares on the rest of our network. This may mean that some fares will vary. We have just commenced a fares consultation and we hope the results will be similar to those introduced in Bristol in November last year, with the majority of customers benefitting from reduced fares. Customers on Service X49 will have  access to a wide range of tickets, which will include access to First's  comprehensive local network.

Q3. The  current 689 service is subsidised by the Rural Transport Grant.  Will this  grant be applied to the First Direct service?
A This would need to be discussed with South Gloucestershire Council.

Q4. We have heard that there can be issues with the service provided by First Direct. How will the current reporting process be changed if First Bus operate a commercial service?
A. If a customer wishes to contact  First regarding our services, there are a number of ways that this can be done,  phone, post, email, Facebook, Twitter etc. Customers may also contact South Gloucestershire Council and we have regular review meetings with the Council.

Q5. As this is a commercial service will First Direct be able to terminate it without consultation and if so is there a  notice period for the termination?
A. Any bus operator can de-register a bus service, providing a minimum  8 weeks notice is provided to the authorities. First is committed to making Service X49 successful and intends to operate the service for the longer term.

Q. One of the biggest issues with the  689 has been that it does not go via Emerson's Green to connect to other routes.  Will First Bus run the service via Emerson's Green?  And if not what is the process by which we can get a change of route?
A. This is something that we have already given consideration to and suspect that this is something that will become more possible in the  future, which will be in line with other developments. From April, Service X49  will follow the same route as Service 689, as it was felt diverting via Emersons  Green would extend journey times for a number of customers, for example, those  travelling from Pucklechurch to Bristol.