I heard back from Stagecoach as follows:
On 9 Aug 2011, at 15:35, Philip Norwell wrote:
Dear Mr Pollock
Thank you for your email. I can appreciate your concern in respect of those students wishing to stay on at school later, however the change in timetable is actually designed to benefit potential customers from Cranfield who wish to travel into Kempston and Bedford. The overall journey time for these customers, who are the majority, is significantly reduced - whilst the facility to Kempston Saxon Centre is maintained.
It is still possible to travel back from Wooton following after school activities, by travelling on new route 53 to Kempston Saxon Centre and then changing onto the new number 52 back to Cranfield. Buses leave Wooton at 10 and 40 minutes past each hour, arriving at Kempston 8 minutes later. Bus 52 leaves Kempston Saxon Centre at 40 minutes past each hour arriving at Cranfield Village at 08 minutes past the hour. Therefore a student, for example, leaving Wooton at 1710 will arrive back in Cranfield at 1808, having changed at Kempston (including allowing 22 minutes for the change). I fully understand that this is not as good as the direct bus home, but those making the journey are in fact very few.
This route is entirely commercial, in that it does not receive any funding from the local authority, Central Bedfordshire; our focus is therefore to offer the majority of potential customers a more attractive service. I believe this has been achieved and would suggest you talk to the local authority about this facility if you believe it is a social need that is not being met by commercial bus operators, such as ourselves. It is they who have the responsibility to decide whether this is the case and the mechanism to address this.
In reply I stated:
Dear Mr Norwell we have recently had presentations about changes to local services from the police and education managers. In the past health providers have done the same.
Stagecoach has not had the decency even to inform local residents in Cranfield about the impending changes, let alone seek their views. We only discovered the planned changes indirectly. I am fully aware of the deregulated, profit driven nature of modern public transport and Central Beds' indifference to supporting evening and Sunday services is a matter of record.
Users might be more confident about your change-at-Kempston solution if they could rely on Stagecoach buses turning up on time, not leaving early, or arriving at all.
You can contact Laurence Pollock on 07801 665961 or broadgreen68@btinternet.com
On 9 Aug 2011, at 15:35, Philip Norwell wrote:
Dear Mr Pollock
Thank you for your email. I can appreciate your concern in respect of those students wishing to stay on at school later, however the change in timetable is actually designed to benefit potential customers from Cranfield who wish to travel into Kempston and Bedford. The overall journey time for these customers, who are the majority, is significantly reduced - whilst the facility to Kempston Saxon Centre is maintained.
It is still possible to travel back from Wooton following after school activities, by travelling on new route 53 to Kempston Saxon Centre and then changing onto the new number 52 back to Cranfield. Buses leave Wooton at 10 and 40 minutes past each hour, arriving at Kempston 8 minutes later. Bus 52 leaves Kempston Saxon Centre at 40 minutes past each hour arriving at Cranfield Village at 08 minutes past the hour. Therefore a student, for example, leaving Wooton at 1710 will arrive back in Cranfield at 1808, having changed at Kempston (including allowing 22 minutes for the change). I fully understand that this is not as good as the direct bus home, but those making the journey are in fact very few.
This route is entirely commercial, in that it does not receive any funding from the local authority, Central Bedfordshire; our focus is therefore to offer the majority of potential customers a more attractive service. I believe this has been achieved and would suggest you talk to the local authority about this facility if you believe it is a social need that is not being met by commercial bus operators, such as ourselves. It is they who have the responsibility to decide whether this is the case and the mechanism to address this.
In reply I stated:
Dear Mr Norwell we have recently had presentations about changes to local services from the police and education managers. In the past health providers have done the same.
Stagecoach has not had the decency even to inform local residents in Cranfield about the impending changes, let alone seek their views. We only discovered the planned changes indirectly. I am fully aware of the deregulated, profit driven nature of modern public transport and Central Beds' indifference to supporting evening and Sunday services is a matter of record.
Users might be more confident about your change-at-Kempston solution if they could rely on Stagecoach buses turning up on time, not leaving early, or arriving at all.
You can contact Laurence Pollock on 07801 665961 or broadgreen68@btinternet.com
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