Arriva put Prices up again

[Mayneway]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again

(24/02/2015 20:25)Dentonian Wrote:  I don't recall Dennis' running 330s, but to say they weren't "confrontational" on 219 was an understatement. They simply dropped the service to run schools, despite them being registered. This was, of course, illegal, not least because they were fraudulently claiming Fuel Tax Rebate. It was also why Stagecoach took 'deckers off other HE routes to run 219s. They were the ones recieving complaints of overloading - because the competition simply weren't running.

They ran 330's using Wright handy bus Darts I seem to remember. It was a short lived affair, and obviously Dennis's were never challenged over the fraudulently claiming fuel rebates or not showing up at all, yes were better off without them but the point I'm trying to make is that by having a level of commercial competition it keeps fares down whereas the situation we have in some areas now is that the passenger is getting a raw deal being ripped off by greedy profiteers.

[MPTE1955]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again
Indeed buses are no different to anything else, if there is no competion there is no choice and therefore they can get away with charging whatever they like.

[wirralbus]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again
The bus companies have to raise there game , admittedly Arriva have started to invest in some new vehicles with the right capacity , but have been lagging behind for far too long.

The difference between Bus and Rail , is usually Rail is the faster point to point .

[motormayhem1]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again
Another point people seem to forget is the cost of insurance as insurance claims are quite high due crash for cash scams and fraudulent claims going in.

[wirralbus]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again

(25/02/2015 08:05)motormayhem1 Wrote:  Another point people seem to forget is the cost of insurance as insurance claims are quite high due crash for cash scams and fraudulent claims going in.

This has caused the likes of Arriva and Stagecoach to start putting CCTV front , back and inside the vehicle , this must be slowly reducing that problem .

[Mayneway]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again

(25/02/2015 09:27)Dentonian Wrote:  I know this had been a particular problem in this region, but is it still increasing. Also, from the public's point of view, they don't understand why fares in heavily bussed "politically correct" areas are frozen whilst their fares keep going up, and in some cases services cut.

Because they don't bother to explain why fares are going up. It's like a big secret. If they took the time to explain why their increasing fares instead of using the old line 'rising operational costs' I don't think people would think thier getting a raw deal.

[Barney]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again

(25/02/2015 10:06)Dentonian Wrote:  Until 6-12 months ago, I would have entirely agreed. However, the massive drop in oil prices and the expanse of the bus war, combined with service cuts elsewhere, means even detailed explanations would now be dismissed as disingenuous.

There is no secret why Arriva has increased fares in this area. The answer is quite simple: because it can. It's a business with little competition in a deregulated market and its primary concern is to increase profits for its parent company (DB). Arriva does not have to justify its fare structure to anybody, especially its passengers/customers. Unlike Tescos, Arriva's customer base cannot chose to 'shop' elsewhere.

[wirralbus]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again

(25/02/2015 09:35)Dentonian Wrote:  Rail is usually faster from point to point, but their "point" is usually more remote than either your local bus stop or centrally located bus station. Also, in my experience, trains are less reliable. Fares are varied. Longer distance rail journeys can often still be more than double the equivalent bus/coach journey, whilst short, off-peak journeys are usually cheaper than the parallel bus service.

Im sure we could turn that argument upside down as well , because another of the arguments could be that buses are more unreliable than the trains on some routes.

[wirralbus]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again

(25/02/2015 11:02)Barney Wrote:  There is no secret why Arriva has increased fares in this area. The answer is quite simple: because it can. It's a business with little competition in a deregulated market and its primary concern is to increase profits for its parent company (DB). Arriva does not have to justify its fare structure to anybody, especially its passengers/customers. Unlike Tescos, Arriva's customer base cannot chose to 'shop' elsewhere.

We went from a publicly owned monopoly to a private monopoly effectively over a number of years , there now needs to be checks and balances to ensure we have a balanced effective bus network for everybody not just the few.

[E400]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again
Any route that is shared by different operators eg the 86, 10 etc, should allow the use of either operators tickets, regardless of ticket type or whether the route is QBP. I don't understand why 1/2/471/472 on Wirral accept all tickets on both Arriva and Stagecoach yet the equivalent services in Liverpool do not. I also think the likes of the 14 and 79 should have to accept Halton and Arriva tickets for the shared route between the city and just past Belle Vale. It isn't the customers fault that, especially on the likes of the 86, a Stagecoach bus arrives when an Arriva 86A is timetabled, and those with Arriva tickets any more than weekly have to then wait for an Arriva bus, particularly at night. If bus companies want to share routes, then they should share the customers that they serve. Arriva and Stagecoach have got it right in Wirral, hopefully Liverpool can be sorted out prompt. Does anybody know of a reason why this is the case with tickets in Liverpool?