On Trains & Buses

Travel news, views & information from Europe & North America by an independent public transport user

Anywhere to go?

Posted on December 31, 2020

This has been a rough year for the railways and it is little wonder that Rail magazine constantly bangs on about getting passengers back. The safety of travel by train is espoused by various authorities and my own experiences during the past summer do little to contradict this but there is a flaw in the argument that safe travel by train is enough to bring back paying passengers.

The real issue for me is actually having somewhere safe to go. After all, many cities have been blighted by COVID during the last few months and that is likely to remain the case during the coming months too. Vaccination is ongoing but will take time to take effect, assuming that the virus does not evolve faster than the rollout. Going to rural areas could be an option and I certainly enjoy exploring hill country but those living in such places are understandably nervous about incursions from elsewhere.

The same problem affects bus services and there is the added issue of travel restrictions applying to areas such that you cannot go into or out of them. With a new strain of virus proving to be more infectious, that is not so likely to change for a good part of 2021 if not after that.

In tandem with all of this, many office workers have been developing a taste for working from home so will commuting be reduced in the future? It is a consideration being pondered by railway commentators but we have to get that far first. Thinking that far ahead when progress appears slow seems premature.

For now though, the government has stepped in with financial support for rail and bus services for those who need them. For rail services, that gets us into 2022 and looks sensibly farsighted while funding for bus services could do with extending.

To finish, 2020 felt a long year and signs are that 2021 may not be so different. Hope is facing a stern test so we need to find any kind of positivity that we kine so it can be relished. The ongoing pandemic looks like a long haul right now.

Gaining confidence

Posted on August 28, 2020

During the summer, I have been returning to some sort of normality in myself. It helped that things were emerging from lockdown when they did and a three week break from work proved enormously helpful. Returning to work afterwards overcame other obstacles to leave me with some more peace of mind at the end of the summer.

It also helped that I returned to using buses and trains again. The journeys were relatively short with Sheffield and Chester marking the extent of my comfort zone. Still, I did find that buses and trains were not so crowded though there were moments when things felt more cosy than was comfortable. Still, there were no lasting aftermaths so that added some confidence even as passenger numbers appear to be rising a little.

When there is talk of incentivising a return to public transport usage as suggested in a recent Transport Focus editorial, I confess to having misgivings. Confidence is something that can be slow to return and my finding more crowded surroundings remains outside my comfort zone right now. Also, scary talk of possible train service reductions in a previous issue of Rail magazine a few weeks ago did nothing to calm any sense of unease. After all, the pandemic is far from over at this point even if many things are on their way back to normality.

Nevertheless, I continue to make train and bus journeys to locations where I can find quiet spots so I hope that can continue. These may be rather short but they do what is needed. Longer trips to places like Edinburgh can wait and the same applies to air travel. Even going to Ireland is not such a possibility for now so travelling further afield does not feel like a possibility. A slow return suits and what is needed on the part of all of us is patient for experience is not acquired quickly and that needs to precede a sensible amount of confidence. While the situation continues to remain manageable, it remains important to avoid the rash foolishness of overconfidence.

Covering one's face

Posted on June 27, 2020

Last weekend, I caught a bus from Macclesfield to Buxton. It was something that I felt I needed to do, a bridge to cross on the way back towards a sort of normality. Even though I had travelled this way many times before, it also was something of a journey into the unknown.

After all, there were several unanswered questions. My journey was for leisure so would the driver ask me the purpose of my trip? Though the messaging regarding bus services in Cheshire East is much softer than in other areas and certainly more permissive than that from train companies, there was no cause for presumption in favour of travel. Would a Buff be accepted as a face covering? How many other passengers would there be and would social distancing be an issue?

In the end, there was no problem travelling and someone else even declared that they were going for a walk from near the Cat and Fiddle pub to Bollington and that did not stop them travelling. My own plan was similar except that I was going to walk back from Buxton to Macclesfield so that was one fear dismissed. After that, there only ever were three people on the bus at a time and my face covering was enough.

One thing that I did notice was that the two female passengers on board only covered their mouth and not not their nose. Unfortunately, that defeats the exercise since you really need to cover your nose as well though I do accept that some are concerned about their ability to breath. In a photo of passengers boarding a tram in Dublin, there was one man who had done things like those women and that defeats the exercise somewhat. Only children, the disabled and those with breathing problems are exempt anyway.

Thankfully, we all were far apart from each other on my bus ride so there was no reason for getting uptight even if bus windows were closed. After nearly four months without using a bus, that was reassuring and we have to await a more permissive message on train travel as well. That possibly depends on the status of the current public health emergency but Rail magazine has been critical of this stance with one contributor even calling it an act of sabotage for the problem might be getting passengers to return at all.

In parallel with all this, Transport Focus did a survey on how people felt about using public transport in the current circumstances. They have put a preliminary summary on the their blog and the results are interesting so far. Those who have not used public transport are more apprehensive about doing so while regular commuters who are key workers feel safe doing so.

As might be suspected, it is all about your experience during this emergency. Scaring people away could be too easy and getting them to return then becomes much harder but that could help others who only have buses, trams and trains to get around to feel more confident in doing so.

There have been many reductions in service frequency while most choose not to travel using public transport as advised. Service frequencies still are being enhanced though many Cheshire East bus services operate only on a Monday to Saturday or Monday to Friday basis. Sunday travel by bus remains very restricted and it was not extensive around Macclesfield before the introduction of the pandemic restrictions anyway.

Normality remains elusive even now and it is unlikely to return to how things were before in any event. If an added reluctance to use public transport persists, that will cause big changes on its own. Bus use already was declining and commuting by train was under threat so it may be that services become less frequent in time. So far, that is only a thought so we will need to see how things work out in reality. Active travel (walking and cycling) has grown during a dry spring but what could a prolonged period of wet weather, like what came in February, do? Only time can answer such a question and any more that we may have.

Confined

Posted on June 6, 2020

2020 is turning out to be a year that is unique in so many ways because of the ongoing pandemic. While it is true that some things are opening up, possibilities are not so good for those among us who depend on public transport as our only means for getting around. After all, those with private transport have greater freedom and that is set to remain the case for the foreseeable future.

Train travel is utterly out of the question for all but essential journey so I have lost the leisure travel possibilities that I once enjoyed. Though they are running largely empty around my locality, the same thinking applies to travel by bus too and services have been heavily reduced too. Some routes have been discontinued while others operate less frequently.

If the cost of getting more mobility is the use of face coverings and cashless payments, then I am more than open to accepting those and that is a price worth paying. So far, I have got to dreaming about going to Buxton or Congleton by bus and walking back to Macclesfield from there since it would get me out of the house for a day. Getting those possibilities back would make for a significant morale boost.

Good health remains a priority though even if some may be getting complacent and others could feel frustrated. The latter is understand if you feel cut off and something of a second class citizen when you see others having greater freedom when it comes to getting around. All in all, this needs patience but those who only have buses, trams and trains for getting around need not be forgotten either and it can feel like that is how it is for now. In fact, if the pandemic makes public transport less attractive to many, it could have the effect of making it easier to allow further steps towards a restoration of added normality.

More overseas experiences

Posted on December 23, 2019

So far, most of what you find here pertains to British or Irish public transport but I have sampled their counterparts elsewhere too and I have had it in mind to feature my experiences using these. The countries include Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands and Canada so there is scope for a few articles though I may not spread things out so much that is one per country. Perhaps, there is room for one post about getting around the European Alps, another for Scandinavia and so on.

So many travel guides do not feature public transport as a way to get around overseas destinations that I feel that there is a gap that needs filling. It is all too easy to choose fly/drive deal that negates these. In truth, there are limitations and they especially apply in the U.S.A. something that is dulling any enthusiasm for that part of the world since I myself do not drive.

Nevertheless, other perspectives feel in order and that especially applies in a time bus usage is declining in the U.K. A current sign of that is Arriva’s decision to cancel service 130 between Macclesfield and East Didsbury, something that I see as a trunk route so I hope that someone else steps into the gap that is left behind. It all shows that there is need for added positivity in these times of great upheaval.

Recent Snippets

21:51, January 31, 2024

Earlier in the month, LNER announced the start of a simpler fares pilot to proceed for two years from 2024-02-05. Only three kinds of fare are available and both Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares are unavailable.

Flexibility continues in the form of Anytime tickets with Advance ticket being the most restricted. There is a new semi-flexible offering called 70min Flex that allows travel on any service departing within 70 minutes of the booked departure.

Thankfully, flexibility remains for walk-on passengers despite some appearing to want a book-ahead railway. Apps may be a workaround, but there is something about turning up and going that is so precious.

21:47, January 31, 2024

The RMT union has announced two two-day work stoppages for 2024-02-19 to 2024-02-20 and 2024-03-04 to 2024-03-05, respectively. Like other strikes, this again is related to pay increases that the union complains are not keeping pace with inflation.

Extras & Utilities

Carrying Bikes on Buses

Transport Blogs

Privacy Policy

Get in Touch