It’s impossible to promote local rail service

The Cotswold Line Promotion Group (CFLPG), members of TravelWatch SouthWest, has issued a statement stating that it is ‘now virtually impossible to promote local rail services, because they have become so unreliable’.

CPLG chairman Derek Potter said ‘We have made certain suggestions to First Great Western to try and improve the reliability of services between Hereford and Oxford via Worcester and Moreton-in-Marsh. As a promotion group we have been reluctant to join the public criticism in the hope that measures taken would already have improved the service. However, the appalling unreliability of the service over recent months, coupled with a lack of reliable information over delays, is making our job promoting the service virtually impossible and, most importantly, is deterring customers from using the Cotswold Line trains operated by First Great Western.’

First Devon and Cornwall acquires Truronian

First Devon and Cornwall has acquired Truronian Limited, which operates local bus services in the Camborne, Helston and Truro areas, provides the Eden Project Park and Ride, undertakes coach services for National Express, has a private hire division and organises GB and European coach holidays – the deal is subject to due diligence and approval from the Office of Fair Trading.

FirstGroup order new buses

FirstGroup has announced the acquisition of seven hundred new buses which will all be fitted with the latest EU approved ‘Euro IV’ fuel efficient engines. Aberdeen and Leeds will both benefit from some of the new buses, but it is not yet known whether any of the four FirstGroup subsidiaries in the South West of England will receive any of the new vehicles, in order to reduce the high average age of the local fleets.

CrossCountry start refurbishment of class 170 trains

CrossCountry has commenced the refurbishment of the twenty-nine two and three carriage class 170 ‘Turbolink’ trains, which operate the Cardiff Central – Nottingham service via Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa – the first refurbished two carriage unit is now in service.

People

Justin Davies, who is currently managing director of First Cymru, has been appointed as managing director of First Bristol and of First Somerset and Avon, in succession to Tony Anthistle.

And finally (1),

First Somerset and Avon withdrew the through bus routes between Bristol and Bridgwater and between Bristol and Yeovil last September, making customers change at Wells with lengthy connections.

The electronic departure boards at Bristol Bus Station still show the through buses to Bridgwater and Yeovil, and ignore the timings for the replacement service 376 (Bristol – Street)!

And finally (2),

Response from a local bus company to a customer who complained that a bus failed to stop at a bus stop to pick him up:-

‘The driver did not stop because you were not signalling to the bus in the correct way – you should hold out one arm horizontally, not wave both arms above your head.’