Sheffields free electric bus service

Sheffields free electric bus service

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hidetheelephants

27,619 posts

199 months

Monday 29th April
quotequote all
Riley Blue said:
Apparently someone has suggested extending the Sheffield tram network to Chesterfield. I'm not sure why as trains run between the two every 10 minutes or so - or are supposed to.
It's a different transport system; is there a relatively continuous suburban infill between the two? From the map there are suburbs/commuter towns which are poorly or not served at all by rail. If there is there should already be buses running the intended route, if the peak usage is high enough it may justify a tram route. The train mostly takes people from one city centre to another, the tram will mostly be taking people to and from everywhere between.

numtumfutunch

4,852 posts

144 months

Monday 29th April
quotequote all

I dont know the geography of Sheffield city centre but I applaud the council for making an effort to get people moving on free to use non polluting mass transit

Outside of London it seems the norm is to pay quite a lot of ££££ to use the bus which is usually/always privatised in the name of "efficiency" whilst simultaneously being a 20y old dinosaur belching black soot out of the back

COI: one of the few PH bleeding heart liberals

Cheers

tim0409

4,821 posts

165 months

Tuesday 30th April
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numtumfutunch said:
I dont know the geography of Sheffield city centre but I applaud the council for making an effort to get people moving on free to use non polluting mass transit
You applaud a scheme that people aren’t using, and one that is costing millions of pounds of scarce public money that could otherwise be used to help the vulnerable (care of the elderly, children in care etc)?

This is what happens when you put ideologues in charge of policy and spending public money.

Riley Blue

21,558 posts

232 months

Tuesday 30th April
quotequote all
hidetheelephants said:
Riley Blue said:
Apparently someone has suggested extending the Sheffield tram network to Chesterfield. I'm not sure why as trains run between the two every 10 minutes or so - or are supposed to.
It's a different transport system; is there a relatively continuous suburban infill between the two? From the map there are suburbs/commuter towns which are poorly or not served at all by rail. If there is there should already be buses running the intended route, if the peak usage is high enough it may justify a tram route. The train mostly takes people from one city centre to another, the tram will mostly be taking people to and from everywhere between.
The Barrow Hill rail line is currently only for freight but there are plans to re-open it to passengers. It will serve five communities between Chesterfield and Sheffield that haven't had a passenger service since the 1960s.There would be far more benefit, in my view, for the Sheffield tram network to be extended to serve all the city's hospitals before anything else.

The Gauge

Original Poster:

3,040 posts

19 months

Thursday 2nd May
quotequote all
DaveTheRave87 said:
When I played Cities Skylines I made all public transport free and successfully funded it by charging cars to drive into the city of Daveslavia.
DaveTheRave87 for mayor smile

The Gauge

Original Poster:

3,040 posts

19 months

Thursday 2nd May
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My top tip when using Tap on/Tap off…..

When tapping on, first ensure you are on a First bus as I’ve just made myself to look like a fool…..

I catch the local bus occasionally and assumed it was only operated by the First buses operator. When tapping on this morning nothing happened and the bus driver just looked at me as if I didn’t have mental capacity, with the following awkward conversation..

Bus driver - ‘What are you doing?’
Me - ‘Tapping on’
Bus driver - ‘This is a Stagecoach bus and I have no idea what you’re doing’

Yertis

18,591 posts

272 months

Thursday 2nd May
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I hope you both enjoyed a good laugh about the misunderstanding, as we men do.

hidetheelephants

27,619 posts

199 months

Thursday 2nd May
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Yertis said:
I hope you both enjoyed a good laugh about the misunderstanding, as we men do.
Then curse the fact the UK has transport ticketing that languishes in the 20th century; he should be able to get on a bus and use a transit card or payment card to go where he wants.

ferret50

1,527 posts

15 months

Thursday 2nd May
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Gets a little, just a little, easier once retired with a bus pass. Just as long as you do not need to travel before 9.30am or on tram systems that do not accept bus passes....such as Nottingham's tram network.....but the nice lady inspector could see that I was confused and just told me to buy a ticket for my return trip!

Southerner

1,720 posts

58 months

Saturday 4th May
quotequote all
The Gauge said:
My top tip when using Tap on/Tap off…..

When tapping on, first ensure you are on a First bus as I’ve just made myself to look like a fool…..

I catch the local bus occasionally and assumed it was only operated by the First buses operator. When tapping on this morning nothing happened and the bus driver just looked at me as if I didn’t have mental capacity, with the following awkward conversation..

Bus driver - ‘What are you doing?’
Me - ‘Tapping on’
Bus driver - ‘This is a Stagecoach bus and I have no idea what you’re doing’
Stagecoach are accepted as having been very, very slow on the uptake with this; tap on/off has been standard on other major national operators for ages now!

Southerner

1,720 posts

58 months

Saturday 4th May
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williamp said:
Ffs what low life steals a bus. Literally nothing fo do with the council.
They get nicked more often than you might think; a combination of being easy to steal (they don’t lock and there are no keys, just buttons) and presumably some degree of ‘novelty’ over stealing a car if you’re the sort of lowlife scum who’s into that.

What also really doesn’t help is companies leaving them dumped in the street overnight, despite the above ease of theft, because they CBA to stump up for proper secure storage facilities. It happens all over the place, buses left sat in open parking areas or bus stations that anyone can just wander into. Being potentially 12 tons or so for a bigg’un they invariably do plenty of damage as some drunken idiot or clueless yoof rampages around town, and to be honest whoever decided to leave them sat there as a blindingly obvious theft magnet should be held partly responsible when the blindingly obvious happens!

Edited by Southerner on Saturday 4th May 18:52

Evanivitch

21,861 posts

128 months

Saturday 4th May
quotequote all
Similar scheme in Perth, WA over a decade ago. It worked, it was busy. Lunchtime it's probably not so busy because how many people are working in city centre and taking an hour for lunch, and choose to get on a bus? Dunno, probably not many.

If the service runs late into the evening then even better for many people.

bigpriest

1,772 posts

136 months

Saturday 4th May
quotequote all
In Manchester train tickets with "CTLZ" give you free travel on Metrolink trams around Zone 1 (city centre). We also have free buses in the city centre linking rail stations and main shopping areas. Apologies for using up valuable rates money on public transport.

FiF

45,388 posts

257 months

Saturday 4th May
quotequote all
Riley Blue said:
hidetheelephants said:
Riley Blue said:
Apparently someone has suggested extending the Sheffield tram network to Chesterfield. I'm not sure why as trains run between the two every 10 minutes or so - or are supposed to.
It's a different transport system; is there a relatively continuous suburban infill between the two? From the map there are suburbs/commuter towns which are poorly or not served at all by rail. If there is there should already be buses running the intended route, if the peak usage is high enough it may justify a tram route. The train mostly takes people from one city centre to another, the tram will mostly be taking people to and from everywhere between.
The Barrow Hill rail line is currently only for freight but there are plans to re-open it to passengers. It will serve five communities between Chesterfield and Sheffield that haven't had a passenger service since the 1960s.There would be far more benefit, in my view, for the Sheffield tram network to be extended to serve all the city's hospitals before anything else.
Presumably they'd make a link to that line from the Halfway terminus of the tram system. Not terribly convinced of that plan, what would the five communities be?

Earthdweller

14,306 posts

132 months

Saturday 4th May
quotequote all
bigpriest said:
In Manchester train tickets with "CTLZ" give you free travel on Metrolink trams around Zone 1 (city centre). We also have free buses in the city centre linking rail stations and main shopping areas. Apologies for using up valuable rates money on public transport.
Iirc the free buses in Manchester came about as a link between the two main railway stn’s at Victoria and Piccadilly and have been running for donkeys years

Since then the Ordsall Chord has opened plus the expansion of the Metrolink

They also seem just to use normal service buses which I doubt cost £1/2m each

The Sheffield buses do seem a bit OTT in spec for what will be for most a 5 minute journey but hey most of my bus riding was on Bristol Re’s and Leyland National/Atlanteans so what do I know laugh

sam.rog

890 posts

84 months

Saturday 4th May
quotequote all
Its not in the south east so it’s a total waste of tax payers money!

bigpriest

1,772 posts

136 months

Saturday 4th May
quotequote all
Earthdweller said:
bigpriest said:
In Manchester train tickets with "CTLZ" give you free travel on Metrolink trams around Zone 1 (city centre). We also have free buses in the city centre linking rail stations and main shopping areas. Apologies for using up valuable rates money on public transport.
Iirc the free buses in Manchester came about as a link between the two main railway stn’s at Victoria and Piccadilly and have been running for donkeys years

Since then the Ordsall Chord has opened plus the expansion of the Metrolink

They also seem just to use normal service buses which I doubt cost £1/2m each

The Sheffield buses do seem a bit OTT in spec for what will be for most a 5 minute journey but hey most of my bus riding was on Bristol Re’s and Leyland National/Atlanteans so what do I know laugh
Yes, you're right. In the 70's Manchester wanted an underground rail system linking Piccadilly and Victoria, the Government said 'No' so we ended up with a Centreline bus service! Buses are now FreeBus part of the Burnham Bee Network. Ordsall Chord (Castlefield Curve) can't be used to anywhere near it's capacity as the Government has shelved any hope of HS2, additional Piccadilly platforms or widening of tracks between Deansgate and Piccadilly. We'll probably get a travelator on Whitworth Street West smile

hidetheelephants

27,619 posts

199 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
Southerner said:
They get nicked more often than you might think; a combination of being easy to steal (they don’t lock and there are no keys, just buttons) and presumably some degree of ‘novelty’ over stealing a car if you’re the sort of lowlife scum who’s into that.

What also really doesn’t help is companies leaving them dumped in the street overnight, despite the above ease of theft, because they CBA to stump up for proper secure storage facilities. It happens all over the place, buses left sat in open parking areas or bus stations that anyone can just wander into. Being potentially 12 tons or so for a bigg’un they invariably do plenty of damage as some drunken idiot or clueless yoof rampages around town, and to be honest whoever decided to leave them sat there as a blindingly obvious theft magnet should be held partly responsible when the blindingly obvious happens!
It's a regulatory issue; their operators licence will have clauses about storage when not in use, no reason that requiring the storage to be secure couldn't be added and then they get to have a nice chat to the Traffic Commissioner about it.

Southerner

1,720 posts

58 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
hidetheelephants said:
Southerner said:
They get nicked more often than you might think; a combination of being easy to steal (they don’t lock and there are no keys, just buttons) and presumably some degree of ‘novelty’ over stealing a car if you’re the sort of lowlife scum who’s into that.

What also really doesn’t help is companies leaving them dumped in the street overnight, despite the above ease of theft, because they CBA to stump up for proper secure storage facilities. It happens all over the place, buses left sat in open parking areas or bus stations that anyone can just wander into. Being potentially 12 tons or so for a bigg’un they invariably do plenty of damage as some drunken idiot or clueless yoof rampages around town, and to be honest whoever decided to leave them sat there as a blindingly obvious theft magnet should be held partly responsible when the blindingly obvious happens!
It's a regulatory issue; their operators licence will have clauses about storage when not in use, no reason that requiring the storage to be secure couldn't be added and then they get to have a nice chat to the Traffic Commissioner about it.
That’s a very good point, I think that’s a decent proposal! The cost of multiple insurance claims and whatever other damage, risk to life and limb and the efforts of the emergency services when one is stolen or torched numerous times per year, all so that someone doesn’t have to lease a secure compound or depot premises, just doesn’t seem entirely balanced somehow!

Is there still an offence of failing to secure a motor vehicle or words to that effect, or was that some ancient WW2 thing to help stop ze Germans?!

Iamnotkloot

1,584 posts

153 months

Sunday 5th May
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Not entirely sure how this fits under boats, planes and trains though?