Dizzy Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 With all your contacts and past travel Asp you should be able to just thumb a lift on a passing ship. You could hop off at Liverpool, Warrington, Manchester or wherever else takes your fancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted December 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 More power to your bus pass Sheila_P - the more people using the bus the more chance that services will come back. The buses that I use are popular and usually busy throughout the day. Everyone getting on the bus is recorded whether or not they pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 More power to your bus pass Sheila_P - the more people using the bus the more chance that services will come back. The buses that I use are popular and usually busy throughout the day. Everyone getting on the bus is recorded whether or not they pay. But if the customers are not paying, the buses are unlikely to come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted December 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Hmm so we shut down all the services that people don't DIRECTLY pay for do we - get real Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Geoff... surely simple economics here.... if more people use free bus psses to get on the bus, the cost to the bus company will increase (greater weight = less fuel economy and all that) so they will put the prices up to the fare paying passengers; who in turn will stop using the bus as it is too expensive and so services will decrease in order to save money.... Or am I missing something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted December 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Have you factored in the optimum weight for a Warringtpn Bus journey and what is the break even point for a typical bus service? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila_P Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 But Peter, the budgets should factor in those people who have paid up front, for many years. I'll hopefully be using mine to go into town tomorrow. Sheila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Sheila, it matters not if you have paid all your life I'm afraid.... your past contributions paid for the pensions and benefits of those who have gone before.... your pension and benefits are now being paid by us current taxpayers; that is the way it has always been I'm afraid... Geoff.... not having the figures to hand; I have to admit I did take a wild guess at some of my previous answer, but I am imagining that having a bus full of free bus pass holders travelling from say Bewsey to town pays nothing towards the cost of the bus, fuel, insurance, maintenance and wages.... If one man gets on and pays, he will be the only net contributor. If yours was a trick question and there are all sorts of subsidies and hand-outs that we don't know about then that would explain a lot.... if not, and they are fianancing it purely on fares paid.... they won't last Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Simples: car users pay even more car tax or tax on petrol, for the luxery of sitting in their own metal bubble, listening to their own music, while stuck in a queue of traffic. This tax, then goes towards the Bus Co providing "free" buses to all, to allow the option of sitting with squawking kids and cold ridden old folk, while struggling with the shopping, sneezing all over you; but allowing you have had a drink or two; and taking around 50 cars off our congested roads. No doubt folk will decide which is the lesser evil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Hmm so we shut down all the services that people don't DIRECTLY pay for do we - get real Economics not one of the many courses that you have covered Geoff? 10 paying passengers, and WBT cuts the services. Add 10 more passengers who have a "FREE RIDE" does NOT make any more revenue. WHY would WBT put more buses on if the revenue is NOT going to increase? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted December 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Yes I studied economics but it was over thirty years ago - I was however referring to the social economic factors above that will stimulate the propensity to spend in our local ecomony rather than stagnate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Parish Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 If I might chip in to Geoff's thread... The bus companies don't carry bus pass holders for nothing. It's about a quarter of most bus companies' revenue (whereas at least half comes from ordinary fares). It's paid by local authorities under a formula that aims to reimburse companies for lost revenue - i.e. if a pensioner travelled before the scheme and the fare was £1, and now gets it free, the company should get £1. For the extra journeys on passes (i.e. those who only travel because of the free pass) the companies should get marginal costs: wear and tear, extra frequencies, and perhaps even extra buses. The bus companies say they don't get enough under the formula, and the local authorities reckon they only get about 60% of the cost back from central government. Tourist areas like Devon complain that the national scheme means they subsidise people from out of area, because the local authority of the originating journey pays the company. Preston complain because so many bus pass holders change at Preston on day trips (or a week's holiday) to Blackpool and they have to pay for all the journeys from Preston to Blackpool. At least in Devon the tourist passengers spend money in Devon. In Warrington a lot of shopping trips to town are made by bus, so that's part of the wider equation. So is the benefit in congestion and parking and the environment of having journeys made by bus rather than by car. Feel free to read the Guidance! http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/reimbursing-bus-operators-for-concessionary-travel/busoperators-2012-13.doc#_Toc307836051 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 So why didn't Cllr Geoff know this?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted December 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks Steve for that comprehensive social economic explanation, my knowledge only goes so far. It's nice to hear from someone who has studies the subject. A warm welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 But Steve..... if it costs more to travel by bus into town, people won't do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Perhaps more folk would use it if it were free?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Perhaps more folk would use it if it were free?! Bet Dizzy wouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted December 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Dizzy is ok provided she gets in her carriage and home before midnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Even when buses were virtually free (under the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire) people still drove into Sheffield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Perhaps more folk would use it if it were free?! Bet Dizzy wouldn't. Dizzy is ok provided she gets in her carriage and home before midnight. Stuff you lot..... you made me have to manually quote you all in one post as if going into Warrington shopping and coming back wth nothing every time isn't bad enough... either free, paid for or not Even Cinerella would not have had to put up with that Geoff although she wouldn't have had a pocket full of money which she COULD have spent but will now be spent elsewhere. But hey if my posts, whinges and suggestions are giving you something to giggle about or someone to direct your bah humbug whinges at then that's cool... PS please don't mention anything to do with trees though or I will really go off on one and moan like mad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 TREES and SPIDERS. :razz: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila_P Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Well, in my case, it's be careful what you wish for. We went out on Monday, using the pass. On the way home the bus seemed to be taking an age to arrive (our impatience), so we decided to walk on a bit. After we had walked about 300 yards, the bus sailed past and I just had the time to say 'typical' before I fell over, knocking myself out and spending the night in hospital! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 You ok now Sheila? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila_P Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Not too bad, thanks. I've got quite a few bruises and a bit of a headache Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Oh gosh Shiela.... dare I say 'if only you had gone in the c...' no of course I wont Hope you make a speedy recovery and feel less sore very soon. You're not the only one though as my aunt did similar earlier in the year but she got off a bus just before the intended bus stop in a traffic jam and trupped over a kerb. She was black and blue, spent the night in hospital and broke her knee and her wrist. If I was cruel I'd upload the photo of her sat in her hospital bed looking like she'd gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson and also describe how funny it was trying to get her in and out of my uncles car with her leg brace on....and how he tried to make her comfy in the reclining chair but pulled the handle too hard and catapulted her leg into the air...... she swore which is very unlike her.... but I wont mention any of that as she would have my guts for garters if I did Keep smiling Shiela and like I said hope you feel ok soon and make sure your other half pampers and spolis you rotten and does all the chores, shopping, and cooking too x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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