The dreaded FIRST BUS!

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Fri 29 Jun, 2012 3:14 am

No Tyke Bhoy - you just about got it spot on there, I'll try and basically outline how the system works.All major operators fleets, including the older First buses still operating around West Yorkshire, are now fitted with a transponder and a transmitter.All these buses are now trackable via satalite and G.P.S. How the system recognises what service each bus is currently working is down to the information inputted into its on board transmitter / transponder system, now until the major operators switched to the new, all singing, all dancing ticket machines this was inputted manually by the driver and that was where the first down fall was.When a driver took over a bus or booked up at the very end of any chosen route he would input the details into his ( old ) wayfarer which wasn't a problem, the problem arose when a driver took over a bus mid way through a journey. If he didn't enter the start time for that current journey as the time the bus began the run as opposed to entering his own start / bording time at his start location then the system became confused as it wouldn't recognise it as a valid journey.This is one advantage of the new type of machine, when the driver books himself on the bus he simply enters his own personal pass code and his duty number, the system then correctly books the bus on to its recognised run.The bus is now logged on and is constantly transmitting its own progress via satalite to its own depot, to the companys regional head office and to Metro's head office in Leeds, computers are constantly tracking each bus and late running services are flagged up on one of a bank of monitors - in theory that is.If everything is working correctly then in turn the systems at Metro will transmit your buses info to the "real time" screens in the bus stations and bus stops along the route and keep you updated of your buses progress ( interestingly the screen in Metro's flagship bus station - Leeds, is not yet a "real time" system )If a bus is tracking, it will show up on the screen as a departure time until the bus in question is within a given number of minutes away ( this varies from route to route and dependant on frequency ) and it will then swap to a minute by minute count down until it finally switvhes to "due".If your bus doesnt switch from a departure time to a countdown as its schedualled departure approaches then its either not running or its not tracking in the system.Buses that are either broken down or cancelled - Now I cant speak for First or any other operator but Arriva Yorkshires five depots have access via a terminal into the Metro system and can over-ride the message on the "real time" displays to show any given service as cancelled etc, I would imagine other companys can do likewise.Where the system currently fails is when either the transponders on the buses are faulty, the most common problem being antenna damage due to low trees, or when either the onboard electric gizzmos or the ticket machine fails in service. This will mean the system will not track the affected bus.One other problem occures when a bus is working a service for a depot other than its own depot, for example we ( Hecky ) cover the 212 Dewsbury to Wakefield in the evening for Dewsbury, Our buses will only talk to our system and Dewsburys will only talk to their own system, neither depot has the other depots routes on their computer systems and so the 212 isn't tracked in real time in the evening.If a ticket machine isn't functioning correctly or a bus isn't communicating with G.P.S. system the driver is fully aware of the problem, mainly because the system normally scrolls the fare stages forward automatically and if its faulty he then has to manually scroll it forward.Basically as a rule of thumb if its close to departure time and your bus is tracking in minutes then its coming, if it remains as a timetable departure then its either not tracking or not running, of course if its not tracking but is running late then as the clock moves past departure time it will dissapear off the screen.Any questions feel free to ask

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 29 Jun, 2012 9:00 am

Sounds mighty technical to me BigN, all I can say is no wonder Stan & Arthur did this all those years ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTO_fpa_ ... page#t=57s

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Fri 29 Jun, 2012 10:09 am

Phill_dvsn wrote: Sounds mighty technical to me BigN, all I can say is no wonder Stan & Arthur did this all those years ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTO_fpa_ ... page#t=57s Hee Hee,still funny after all these years Phill.It's D Day today for Metro to decide whether it assumes more control or not over local bus services.First/Arriva are strongly opposed to the idea so we'll see just whether Metro "has the bottle" or not to take this a stage further(no pun intended).

Post by **mhoulden** » Fri 29 Jun, 2012 11:19 am

Hopefully a quality bus contract will include a clause asking First not to have use strongly scented cleaning products. Sometimes when you get on a bus that's just come from the depot it smells like an explosion at a cheap deodorant factory.I quite like the Next Bus system. Once it occurred to me that you can bookmark stops on a mobile phone web browser and that you don't actually have to be at the stop to know when the next bus arrives, it makes things much more flexible. A lot of buses around the Leeds suburbs have parallel routes and it can be useful to know if, say, the next 50 is 10 minutes away when the next 33 is 30 minutes away. What I'd really like is for Metro to make the data publicly accessible so it could be linked up with other data sources such as Google Maps. I like the idea of a map showing bus stops and live buses.One thing I have done is something that shows uses the GPS built into most mobile phones to show nearby bus stops with links to Next Bus and Transport Direct rail departures. Also works with some of the newest desktop browsers such as Internet Explorer 9 and some of the latest versions of Firefox and Google Chrome. The bus stops may not be entirely up to date (I use the Department for Transport's bus stop data published in October every year) but it is at http://www.houlden.org/findme/findme.aspx(By trade I'm a software developer)

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Fri 29 Jun, 2012 11:54 am

Phill_dvsn wrote: Sounds mighty technical to me BigN, all I can say is no wonder Stan & Arthur did this all those years ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTO_fpa_ ... page#t=57s Good simple humour. I particularly liked the "Just coming from Calcutta" when asked what route he was on!

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sun 22 Jul, 2012 1:21 pm

From yesterdays YMP:http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 4763806New buses boss slams drivers EXCLUSIVEA new Leeds bus chief has slammed his drivers claiming they operate in a world of their own and snub passengers.Oliver Howarth, First Bus’s new general manager for Leeds, admitted customer courtesy was ‘poor’ on the city’s bus network.He said that passengers were being blanked by drivers because of the imposing anti-assault screens that separate them. He added that as part of a radical shake-up of bus services he wanted to see changes that improved customer service.He also warned that drivers who fail to help disabled passengers in wheelchairs board buses would be disciplined as part of his plan to put customers first.But unions have hit back and said bus drivers have to deal with one of the most “stressful” jobs in the country.Mr Howarth told a public meeting in the city: “Drivers are just blanking passengers.“Leeds have their buses fitted with anti-assault screens. They are completely soundproof.“Drivers are locked in a big plastic box of their own. They are in this other world.”No arguments with his comments, but surely this is a culture that Worst have fostered over a long period of time - the drivers haven't suddenly changed.A cynic might think that it's convenient that we are getting all these comments about service and courtesy at the same time Worst might be about to lose their monopoly in Leeds with the Quality Contracts proposed by Metro....

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sun 22 Jul, 2012 2:56 pm

raveydavey wrote: From yesterdays YMP:http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 4763806New buses boss slams drivers EXCLUSIVEA new Leeds bus chief has slammed his drivers claiming they operate in a world of their own and snub passengers.Oliver Howarth, First Bus’s new general manager for Leeds, admitted customer courtesy was ‘poor’ on the city’s bus network.He said that passengers were being blanked by drivers because of the imposing anti-assault screens that separate them. He added that as part of a radical shake-up of bus services he wanted to see changes that improved customer service.He also warned that drivers who fail to help disabled passengers in wheelchairs board buses would be disciplined as part of his plan to put customers first.But unions have hit back and said bus drivers have to deal with one of the most “stressful” jobs in the country.Mr Howarth told a public meeting in the city: “Drivers are just blanking passengers.“Leeds have their buses fitted with anti-assault screens. They are completely soundproof.“Drivers are locked in a big plastic box of their own. They are in this other world.”No arguments with his comments, but surely this is a culture that Worst have fostered over a long period of time - the drivers haven't suddenly changed.A cynic might think that it's convenient that we are getting all these comments about service and courtesy at the same time Worst might be about to lose their monopoly in Leeds with the Quality Contracts proposed by Metro.... I won't post links or anything, but if you know where to look you can find photos, and videos of 'so called first Leeds' bus drivers blatantly posting photos on the internet whilst driving buses, these photos and videos are taken on mobile phones, clearly whilst driving, and also photos of passengers waiting at bus stops, or boarding the bus, calling people names, fat, tramps e.t.c. The taunting and mimicry is disgusting, it's schoolboy behaviour of which they all join in. If the paper got hold of these photos the drivers would be sacked immediately, It's scandalous, I find it disgusting behaviour in all honesty.Oliver Howard doesn't know the half it with some of the idiots he employs.

simong · Post by **simong** » Sun 22 Jul, 2012 3:37 pm

I'd be very cynical about anything that comes out of First with regard to, er, almost anything. Drivers don't accept responsibility for anything, even illegal behaviour such as smoking.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 22 Jul, 2012 11:12 pm

raveydavey wrote: From yesterdays YMP:A new Leeds bus chief has slammed his drivers claiming they operate in a world of their own and snub passengers.Oliver Howarth, First Bus’s new general manager for Leeds, admitted customer courtesy was ‘poor’ on the city’s bus network.“Leeds have their buses fitted with anti-assault screens. They are completely soundproof.“Drivers are locked in a big plastic box of their own. They are in this other world.” Is this man really the General Manager for First Leeds ???? - The anti assault screens are quite obviously NOT soundproof , completely or in any other way, or else how would conversations re fares, routes etc. be conducted ??If this is the extent of his knowledge I would say that his position of General Manager is surely untenable !!

buffaloskinner · Post by **buffaloskinner** » Mon 23 Jul, 2012 12:14 am

Seems he (Howarth) didnt last long at Blackpool Transport or Strawberry Buses in St Helens.The guy was a consultancy agent