CamBUC Online Newsletter - August 2002

Today, Saturday 10th August 2002, CamBUC performed an informal monitoring exercise in the City Centre area. The results indicate that there is good cause for the current unrest amongst bus passengers being heard in bus queues and voiced in local media. Usually when a new driver is not available to take over a vehicle it will eventually be moved on to the parking bays on Parker Street or Emmanuel Road. Today that didn't begin happening until around 11 o'clock which allowed a much more realistic picture of the state of the service to be gathered.

The photos below show each vehicle that was abandoned in the City Centre area, together with its route and an indication of the time that it was there. Note that it may not have gone back into service after that time, but merely been moved to one of the parking areas near the City Centre. The times quoted are the earliest and latest times that the vehicles were photographed.

	Vehicle 564 on the C1. Stood in St.Andrews St between 09:45 and 10:17 approx.
	Vehicle 11, also on the C1. Stood in Emmanuel Street between 09:46 and 11:05 approx.
	Vehicle 30 on the C3. Stood in Emmanuel Street between 09:47 and 10:51 approx.
	Vehicle 32, also on the C1. Stood in St. Andrews St between 10:17 and 11:06 approx.
	Vehicle 24 on the C2. Stood in Emmanuel St between 10:18 and 10:50 approx.
	Vehicle 579 on the 77. Stood in Emmanuel St between 10:19 and 10:44 approx.
	Vehicle 576, also on the 77. Stood in Emmanuel St between 10:28 and 10:44 approx.
	Vehicle 12 on the C3. Stood in Emmanuel St between 10:45 and 11:04 approx.
	Vehicle 25 on the C4. Stood in St Andrews St between 10:48 and 11:07 approx.
	Vehicle 09 on the C2. Stood in Emmanuel St between 11:05 and 11:44 approx.
	Vehicle 45 on the 99. Seen at 13:10, but unlikely to move soon given that its route display has been switched to 'Not in service'

Taken as a whole, two vehicles were missing from the C1 for at least an hour. One from the C3 for slightly over an hour. One from the C2 for about an hour and half. Two from the 77 for at least 15 minutes. These vehicles either resumed their roster, running late, or were moved to Parker St/Emmanuel Road to await a crew. The fact that most of the time periods above end around 11.00 has more to do with a concerted effort on the part of County Council officers to move the vehicles than to their return to service.

When Citi was launched in November last year, strong brand awareness was promoted. However, it seems now that there is little grass-roots effort to keep Citi vehicles to Citi routes - and indeed is presumably a desire to do the opposite since five non-Citi low floor vehicles were placed in storage after the recent changes to routes and services. This selection of pictures, also taken during the informal monitoring exercise, illustrate the dilution of the Citi brand clearly. What is particularly difficult to comprehend is why so many Citi vehicles are assigned to Citi routes that non-branded vehicles have to be used to make up the vehicle complement on Citi services!

	Citi vehicle 22 is seen here working on the 77. Most days there are several more Citi buses on Park and Ride services, but this was the only example seen today.
	Citi vehicle 39 is seen here departing on a X46 service.
	Citi vehicle 27 leaves Drummer St on route 33.
	Citi vehicle 15 leaves Drummer St on route 118.
	Citi vehicle 33 is seen here on route 34.
	Citi vehicle 20 is seen on route X9.
	Citi vehicle 31 arrives at Drummer St on service 108.
	With at least seven Citi vehicles not working Citi services, it's not that much surprise that the Citi routes are short. Vehicle 431 is seen on route C6.
	Vehicle 214 (one of the few low-floor non-Citi branded vehicles still in service) also deputises on the C6.

Sadly it is not just the day to day operation that is showing cracks. A number of bus stops have still not been updated since the changes of July 22, and very few stops have been branded for the new Citi 6 service (and some spurious 16/17 stickers still remain on stops no longer served by the revised 16/17). Both versions of the Citi service poster inside buses are wrong - the original omits the C6 and the C4's extension as well as the new C2/C4/C5 evening service, whilst the new one claims that C1-C5 all have Sunday services as well as evenings (only C1/C3 run on Sundays). Likewise, ticket prices such as Megarider (now £7.50) are still advertised at the old price both on the rear of some vehicles and the interior of others.

With the launch of Citi, Stagecoach showed, at a managerial level, its commitment to, and belief in, providing a quality bus service for Cambridge. That faith has been justified with a growth in passenger numbers of around 20%. However, if that figure is to rise further effort must be spent at the grass roots to provide those reliable services promised and promote the Citi branding clearly and effectively.

Operating a bus company in Cambridge is not easy (indeed it is difficult in most of the country) because of the relatively low wages on offer. That is exacerbated in Cambridge where house prices means that those on low incomes become increasingly less likely to be able to live in Cambridge and are faced with the prospect of commuting to work in Cambridge or simply moving and working elsewhere. Stagecoach are taking measures to react to their shortage of drivers by bringing in drivers from other areas of the country, but based on today's monitoring exercise it is not doing enough to provide a solid reliable service that will convince those who currently drive to change to the bus. No-one will deny that Cambridge's centre is congested and with the Grand Arcade scheme closing the Lion Yard car park the situation will only deteriorate UNLESS there is an attractive alternative. Stagecoach Citi was heralded as that alternative. Now it's up to Stagecoach to deliver.

Alan Glover (CamBUC co-ordinator). All photos by and (C) Alan Glover 2002.