Update
Issue 93 Winter 2014/15
Staff Newsletter of Thamesdown Transport Ltd
Thamesdown
is tweeting
Thamesdown Transport is now tweeting as a means
communicating day-to-day operational news to its passengers.
There are now over 500 twitter users
following T.T. and the numbers are growing
as word gets around.
Operations Director Gordon Frost told
Update: “An increasing number of our
customers are now checking our tweets
for regular operational bulletins posted by
our operations manager, Dave Jones, and
his staff.
“We decided not to embark on a costly
launch of our twitter service, preferring to
of
rely on the ‘twitter-sphere’ to self-promote
the new facility, and this word-of-mouth
approach appears to be working well.
Indeed, the severe delays to bus services
because of roadworks in the last quarter
of 2014 probably stimulated our twitter
following to check on the status of their
bus service. So far we have over 500
twitter followers.”
Operations
Manager
Dave
Jones
added: “Both myself and the controllers
post tweets about service delays and
Controller Paul Robinson prepares a service
status bulletin for T.T.’s twitter followers
cancellations. We have a set of bulletin
outlines which we copy and paste onto
the twitter page and edit accordingly,
so it’s quite a smooth operation.
Communicating via twitter is all about
immediacy and the controllers have to be
alert to incoming tweets about specific
journeys so that we can respond quickly
to people’s queries.
“As well as letting people know when a
bus is delayed as soon as the problem
is apparent, we also tell them the reason
for the delay. This is an important feature
because it can be very annoying for
customers when their bus doesn’t turn up
and they don’t know why.”
Although the controllers deal with the
majority of the tweets about operational
matters such as traffic delays, both Dave
Jones and Operations Director Gordon
Frost are also active in both posting and
responding to tweets. n
Reliability
During the period 28 June to 27
September the Company operated
99.76% of its scheduled mileage,
against a target of 99.80%.
Punctuality during the period 1 July
to 30 September was 94.85%, just
short of its target of 95%.
Managing Director, Paul Jenkins,
commented: “I’m pleased to say
that we were close to both our
reliability and punctuality targets. In
part, this reflects the quieter traffic
conditions around the town in the
summer holidays.
“Unfortunately,
reliability
in
the period 28 September to 27
December suffered a setback due to
severe traffic congestion*, and we
operated 99.25% of our scheduled
mileage against a target of 99.80%.
Punctuality was just 92.16% against
a target of 95%.”
(* See story on right)
CUSTOMER feedback
We travelled from the Park and
Ride at Wroughton to the rail
station and back on Tuesday,
and were so impressed by the
service. The drivers were so
helpful and friendly. When
looking for the right stop at
Fleming Way, a driver went out
of his way to make sure that we
got on the right bus. Customer
relations at its best.
Thank you.
Sally Elstub
2
Road improvement work
creates havoc for town’s bus
services and users
Road re-modelling work at Bruce Street Bridges – which will include a
bus priority measure – is scheduled to last until October 2015 but, when
finished, should help traffic to flow more easily. Hopefully ‘the gain will
be worth the pain’
Good news on bus priority enforcement but
concern about Polaris Way bus gate
Since bus priority enforcement cameras were
introduced in June last year, over 5,500 Swindon
motorists have been caught using bus gates or
bus lanes.
Five mobile cameras were introduced and are being rotated on a
random basis between the 19 bus lanes and 24 bus gates around
the town.
Within the first couple of months over 4,000 warning notices
were handed out to drivers, and over 1,000 motorists have been
fined since penalty charge notices were introduced in July. One
motorist received 20 warnings for driving through one of the
town’s bus gates, but stopped doing so once the fines were
introduced.
Polaris Way bus gate opened to all traffic one-way
With the benefit of advance notice of the roadworks to remodel the
Bruce Street Bridges roundabout and associated drainage works
which began in October, T.T. anticipated that services in the area
would be disrupted and put in place changes to the Services 13/14
route and timetable earlier in the year in readiness.
However, there was added disruption to
traffic due to the closure of Northern Road
for drainage work and the roadworks on
Great Western Way, all of which resulted
in some extremely challenging conditions.
Although on a number of days, T.T.’s
controllers were just able to keep on top
of events by troubleshooting delays with
the benefit of satellite vehicle tracking, on
others the situation was exacerbated by
road traffic accidents and emergency road
works. For example, on 13 November,
an accident on the A419 saw extra
traffic being diverted through Swindon,
leading to virtual gridlock, with delays and
cancellations affecting almost every route.
The AA traffic congestion maps for that
day showed almost every route in Swindon
as either queuing or stationary!
When there is severe traffic congestion,
car-driving commuters will experience
delays just twice a day, once in the morning
and once in the evening. However, the
buses have to negotiate the roadworks
throughout the day, making them
progressively later. Even though T.T. uses
all of its spare staff capacity and vehicle
resources to try and plug the gaps, there
is a finite amount that can be done in such
circumstances.
Because of the cross-town nature of many
of T.T.’s routes, customers may feel the
effect of a journey cancellation or delay
without seeing the cause which is often
on the other side of town. Not surprisingly,
On 24 November the Council opened up the Polaris Way bus
gate to all outbound traffic for a one-month trial to help ease
traffic congestion leaving North Star in the evening peak. At the
time of going to print the trial was still ongoing.
they feel frustrated because they can’t see
why their bus is delayed.
T.T. has been monitoring the impact on Services 12/15 which
were already having to be diverted because of the Northern Road
roadworks.
“There are only a limited number of
diversionary routes open to us,” said
Managing Director Paul Jenkins. “When
they also are congested, the adverse
impact on reliability and punctuality is
inevitable.
Paul Jenkins told Update: “We have stressed to the Highways
Authority the crucial importance of bus gates and bus lanes.
They are an important way of giving bus services priority over
other traffic and benefit our customers by helping us deliver
punctual bus services, even when there is congestion, and we
welcome their enforcement.
“It is, perhaps, unfortunate that a road
improvement programme of this scale
took place in the autumn months when
traffic levels are generally at their highest,
rather than in the summer when traffic is
relatively light.
“Traffic congestion is the enemy of reliable bus services which
need to be isolated from it as much as possible. This is one of
the reasons why we were determined to see the reinstatement of
two-way operation along Bristol Street and through the Church
Place bus gate, which helps us avoid the traffic queues on
Faringdon Road.
“However, the one positive note that we
can sound in all this is that once the work
at Bruce Street Bridges is complete, it will
mean the road system will be better able
to cope with traffic demand. It will also
incorporate a bus priority measure that will
benefit services 13/14.”
T.T.’s Managing Director went on: “The
extent of road improvements in the town is
an indication of how Swindon is growing,
with new housing and employment
areas – all of which will need serving by
public transport. And of course, this will
provided opportunities for us to expand
our business. In the meantime, we have to
hope that the gain will be worth the pain.
“I’m very grateful for the forbearance of
staff in maintaining services during this
very difficult period.” n
Polaris Way bus gate has been opened to all traffic one-way
from North Star for a one-month trial
“Although many people see bus lanes and bus gates as being
unfair to motorists, in giving priority to buses these measures
encourage more people who might otherwise use their cars to
travel by bus, which in turn reduces overall traffic congestion.” n
T.T. extends its long service award scheme
Thamesdown Transport has
decided to breathe new life into
its long service award scheme by
recognising service landmarks
from ten years upwards in fiveyear increments.
In addition, from April, staff reaching
the 15-year, 25-year and 35-year
service milestones will also receive gift
vouchers to the value of ten pounds for
every year of their continuous service.
Previously, only those reaching the
25-year service landmark have been
recognised, receiving a long service
certificate and £250.
Beginning this year, everyone who
reaches 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40
years of continuous service will receive a
long service badge and certificate. Also,
between now and March, there will be a
retrospective catch-up with employees
who have already reached one of these
landmarks.
Managing Director Paul Jenkins told
Update: “We have a significant number
of loyal staff whom previously we’ve
only thanked at the 25-year service
milestone. I hope that by recognising
long service at five-year intervals from
ten years onwards, it will encompass
a greater number of staff and better
reflect the Company’s gratitude for
their loyal service.”
3
Abbey Farm
Abbey Stadium
350 homes
510 homes
Extension of Service 12.
Diversion of Service 12.
Tadpole Farm
1700 homes
Eastern Villages
Diversion of Service 15
in later phases.
8000 homes by
2026
T.T. would serve the new
development initially by
extending Service 2.
Ridgeway Farm
700 homes
Diversion of Service 19.
Wichelstowe
4500 homes and new Waitrose
store
So far, served by extensions of Service
15 via Middle Wichel. Future services will
include Redposts Drive and West Wichel.
A new Park & Ride site is planned as part of
the final phase.
Plans for over 14,000 new homes on the edges
of Swindon will provide a great opportunity for
Thamesdown Transport to grow its business
With over 14,000 new homes planned for the Swindon area within the next 12 years, the potential for growing
the Thamesdown Transport business is considerable.
In a presentation to staff in November, Managing Director Paul Jenkins said: “With our current network of
services we are well positioned to serve these developments as they come on line.”
With the extension of its Service 15 to the new Waitrose store at Middle Wichel, T.T.’s presence is firmly
established in anticipation of the next phase of the 4,500-home Wichelstowe development.
“We aim to continue with this proactive approach and we’ll be involved from the very early stages of the
planning process to push for suitable roads infrastructure for bus services,” Paul Jenkins confirmed.
In addition to the benefit of creating new bus driving jobs, increasing the size of the bus fleet to meet an
expanding service network helps to cover the Company’s fixed overhead costs, making the network more
commercial. n
4
New services
would follow as the
development progressed,
including a Bus Rapid
Transit corridor via a new
bridge over the A419.
Commonhead
890 homes
Diversion of Service16 in
the early phase.
Extra services will
be added as the
development progresses.
New bus station
A new bus station is part of the town centre
regeneration plans.
The Carlton Street car park is due for demolition
in Spring 2015. At a later date, Fleming Way will
be closed for redevelopment during which a
temporary bus station will be provided.
Appeal Court ruling on
wheelchair access means
T.T.’s policy is legal
Bus companies are not required
by law to have a policy that
compels parents with buggies to
make way for wheelchair users
in designated bays on buses,
the Court of Appeal ruled on
8 December.
The appeal hearing overturned a Leeds
County Court ruling which had upheld a
case brought by wheelchair user, Doug
Paulley, against First Group following a
woman’s refusal to move a pushchair
with a sleeping baby from a designated
wheelchair space. Mr Paulley was
awarded damages of £5,500, but First
Group appealed the ruling.
“It has to be accepted that
. . . wheelchair users will
occasionally be prevented by
other passengers from using the
wheelchair space on the bus”
Lord Justice Lewison justified the Appeal
Court’s ruling saying: “It has to be accepted
that our conclusion and reasoning in
this case means that wheelchair users
will occasionally be prevented by other
passengers from using the wheelchair
space on the bus.
“Sometimes there will be a reasonable
justification for that happening, but
sometimes there will not. I do not,
however, believe that the fact that some
passengers will - albeit rarely - act selfishly
and irresponsibly is a sufficient reason
for imposing on bus companies a legal
responsibility for a situation which is not
of their making and which they are not in a
position to prevent.”
T.T.’s Managing Director Paul Jenkins told
Update: “Our policy on wheelchair access
is that where a wheelchair user wishes to
use a wheelchair space which is already
occupied by a child’s buggy, the driver will
ask the parent if they would mind moving
to another part of the bus or folding up
the buggy and putting it into the luggage
space. However, the driver has no authority
to compel the buggy owner to vacate the
wheelchair space.
“Our driving staff should therefore continue
to follow the instructions contained on
page 39 of the Drivers’ Handbook.” n
Welcome
If you have a question about any aspect
of the Company and the way it is run,
or wish to offer suggestions as to how
we might improve what we do, you may
either . . .
e-mail:
[email protected]
or drop a note into one of the suggestion
boxes provided at either Barnfield Road
or 19A The Parade.
WELCOME
Update welcomes the following
staff who’ve joined or re-joined
Thamesdown Transport since the
last edition and wishes them well
in their new jobs . . .
Selvaraja Basharan, Simon Boyd,
Nadiya Clayton, Karen Davies,
Elric Ferguson, Neil Harvey,
Adrian Moore and Noel O’Shea
5
. . . and we’d like your views on the following vehicles:
Wrightbus Streetlite
Optare Versa
Phil is nominated one of Swindon’s two top
bus drivers
As part of National Customer
Service Week 2014, Swindon
Travel Choices asked bus users
who they felt was the town’s top
bus driver.
Claire Fleming from Swindon Travel
Choices* commented: “We had a great
reaction to the campaign. We had more
than 120 comments on our Facebook site,
nearly all praising the work of one or more
of Swindon’s bus drivers.”
Photo taken by and reproduced courtesy of Stuart Curwen
ADL Enviro 200
What are they
like to drive or
ride on?
r
Do you prefe
one over the
layout
other for cab
and size?
We are planning to resume our fleet renewal
programme in 2015 after a two-year gap in buying
new vehicles and we would like your views as part
of our decision-making process on what vehicles
to buy.
To keep the average age of the fleet at an
acceptable level we have to resume the
replacement of older buses with new. This is
important because experience shows that older
vehicles cost more to maintain and are less
reliable. An example of this is the amount of work
being undertaken on some of the older Darts and
Scanias where the engineering department are
having to replace whole sections of flooring.
Managing Director Paul Jenkins told Update: “New
vehicles come with a warranty and have lower
running costs. They also have greater passenger
appeal, with passenger-friendly systems such as
bus stop announcing specified at the outset. Not
least, new buses have to meet the latest emissions
standards and therefore help us to meet our
environmental objectives.
6
How do they
compare on
performance
and
visibility?
How do the
y
compare on
heating
and ventilati
on?
“We are in the earliest stages of looking at what
is available on the new vehicle market. A good
starting point is to review the comparative virtues
of the most recent batches of new vehicle in our
fleet, namely the Optare Versas (fleet numbers 401
to 408), the Streetlites (411 to 417) and the ADL
Enviro 200s (105 to 107).
The judges had a tough job deciding who
had given the best customer service,
but the eventual winners were John
Dyer from Stagecoach and Phil Manning
from Thamesdown Transport. They each
received £100-worth of High Street
vouchers.
Phil, who joined Thamesdown Transport
in 1997, said: “Both bus driving and
Thamesdown are in my blood. All I ever
wanted to do when I was young was to
be a bus driver, so I feel like I’ve fulfilled
a dream.”
Paul Jenkins with Phil Manning and his family who are clearly delighted with his
Swindon Travel Choices ‘Top Bus Driver’ award
T.T.’s Managing Director Paul Jenkins
commented that the judges faced a tough
decision when picking the winner. He
told Update: “There were many worthy
nominations for our drivers, all recognising
the skills and care that are needed to be
[email protected]
(* Swindon Travel Choices is a governmentfunded project to support the regeneration of
Swindon Town Centre)
Matt’s bid for karting trophy raises
£300 for Alzheimer’s Society
Ealier this month Thamesdown driver Matt Curtis got
together with three fellow karters to compete against 28
other teams at the Autosport International Racing Car
Show held on 10 January at Birmingham NEC.
The event, which was held over four days, was in aid
of the Alzheimer’s Society in memory of dual Indy 500
winner and 2005 IndyCar Champion Dan Wheldon,
who died in a racing incident in October 2011.
Matt’s team entered a three-hour race, driving twin160cc machines. The teams were joined by a host of
celebrities and motorsport stars who were on hand
to mentor the teams and provide trackside advice.
“We would like staff to comment on how they think
these buses compare, for example, in respect of
driving performance, cab size and layout, visibility,
heating and ventilation. We would also welcome
comments from engineering staff on how these
vehicles compare from a maintenance point of
view, and all staff are invited to comment on their
experience of using these buses when they travel
as passengers. We would welcome any other
comments that you think might be helpful.”
You can provide your views and comments either
via the suggestion boxes or by the staff feedback
e-mail address:
a good bus driver. We’re very pleased
that the public commended Phil for his
dedication.” n
Matt, who joined T.T. in 2006, first became involved in
karting three years ago.
Commenting on the race, he told Update: “We got off
to a poor start and at one point we were second from
last, but we clawed our way back and ended up 16th
out of 29. It was tough but good fun.
“As a team we raised around £300, and £65 of that
was donated by my Thamesdown colleagues.”
Matt (number 33) competing at the Rowrah kart track in the Lake
District at an earlier event
This is not the first time Matt has stepped up to fundraise for charity and in 2013 he ran in the Swindon
half-marathon, raising over £300 which he donated to
an ante-natal unit in Andover which was threatened
with closure.
7
Photo reproduced courtesy of Swindon Travel Choices
Thamesdown Transport to resume
fleet replacement programme . . .
£60 TO BE WON!!!
Spot the ten differences between the pictures below of cranes at the King’s Cross development in 2013 and mark them on the righthand picture. The sender of the first correct entry drawn from the hat wins £40. A ‘tenner’ goes to the first two runners-up. Only one
entry per person. Entries to be sent to Damon Swatridge by 15 March 2015.
This competition is open only to staff of Thamesdown Transport and their immediate families.
Congratulations to Robert Webber whose correct solution to last
edition’s Spot the Difference competition was first out of the hat
to win him £40. Runners-up Diana O’Sullivan and Danny Reeve
each win £10.
Full Name
Job Title/relationship
to staff member:
Right: This picture
taken inside a
Russian bus gives a
whole new meaning
to the concept of
Park-and-Ride
. . . and begs the
question ‘do bus
fares in Russia
work out at less
per mile than the
cost of petrol for a
motorbike?’
Update
Update is the staff newsletter of Thamesdown Transport Ltd
of Barnfield Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 2DJ
It is edited and designed by Dick Fancutt of Connect Business Publishing
Services: Telephone 01635 845693 e-mail [email protected]
Photo reproduced with permission from ‘awkward transit’
Left: Amphibibus?