I can remember travelling by train the odd time when I was younger when it would go wrong, and the line would be blocked or something would happen and we'd all get turfed out and told that buses would happen and - guess what - buses would magically appear! I just kind of assumed there was a big bus printing machine somewhere and if buses were needed in a hurry, the handle would be turned and out they would pop!
Fast forward to present day and why is it that I have a mental block about 0208 numbers? When my phone rings at odd times (and it does ring at some very odd times, because we divert the company landline to it out of hours), if I see an 0208 number I think that it will be some polite old chap enquiring about coming down from London for cricket at the Rose Bowl and how can he get from Parkway Station? Any why is there a 90 minute gap going home just as the cricket finishes? (HCC please note! Both HCCs for that matter - the County Council and the Cricket Club who still thing that Red Rocket run the bus to the ground despite us e-mailing them to tell them otherwise!)
One day, I will realise that an 0208 number on my phone means just one thing - South West Trains Wimbledon Emergency Control Centre (I don't know if that's its real name but it'll do for now!)
After a pleasant evening out with friends Sunday evening, I was ready for a relaxed start to Bank Holiday Monday. Sure it was raining, sure I had to go into Eastleigh to see Ant off on the service 8 duty, but once he was gone I could sneak off for a much needed coffee and breakfast and plan the rest of the day from there.
It's 0810 and I'm just leaving the flat. My phone goes and it's the 0208 number!!! Bit early for a cricket enquiry methinks! As soon as I press the green button I can hear the hubbub in the background and my brain suddenly realises it's SWT Control before the lady can even say the words! Southampton Central station is flooded. They need buses! I need thinking time. I'll ring them back.
First need is to count to 30 to avoid the easy temptation to say "sorry, can't help", and enjoy the leisurely Bank Holiday upon which my heart was set.
Second need is to think about what I can actually do for them. Obviously there's me. First to call would normally be Taz, but his parents in law are staying so that's probably a non-starter. Next nearest is Jamie. He was out with me and friends last night but seemed to be ok and didn't get too drunk so could be a possibility. Take a deep breath and dial the number, and he sounds pretty awake and he's up for it. So that's one double decker each then - single deckers are better if we have to go through the New Forest, but SWT are going to need seats this morning I suspect. Ring them back - "two double deckers?" - turns out I'm a diamond!
On the way in to Eastleigh, think I'd better ring Taz and check there were no problems on Sunday (he was on call, I was having a rare day off) that might affect my vehicle options this morning. He's in bed. Nicki, his wife, wakes him and he rings me back. We run through yesterday's highlights and I tell him Jamie and I are going out on emergency for SWT and leave it at that.
As I arrive at the yard no more than 10 minutes later, who's walking in but Taz! In full uniform! Puts me to shame! He tells me he's not missing out on some train action, regardless of in-laws staying! I ring SWT back, offer them a single decker in addition to the doubles and they say no thanks, they've got enough!!! I tell Taz this, but tell him not to go anywhere because I suspect that's not the end of the story. Sure enough, five minutes later, is the offer of the single decker still available? Can we go to Eastleigh station - they want one of us on Eastleigh - Bournemouth directs and two doing Eastleigh - Southampton shuttles. Jamie can go to the seaside in 303 I decide.
Can't remember when 303 and 309 were last fuelled, and in fact 309 hasn't turned a wheel for a week or more, so I take 309 and Jamie and I stop off at the petrol station. While we are there, Taz roars past us in V7, which means that the last person to know about the job is first on the scene at Eastleigh station!
In fact, from an initial call by SWT at 0810 on a Bank Holiday morning, I'm pretty impressed that we've got three buses at Eastleigh station by 0900!
Taz loads up for Southampton and he's gone straight away. Jamie is no more than a minute or two behind with a load for Bournemouth. Within ten minutes I'm on my way to Southampton too. Southampton Road in Eastleigh is horribly flooded over a short section. There's a car stranded in the middle, marooned, helpless! The traffic is getting round it ok, but you have to pity the poor driver. Later turns out that he was the car directly in front of Taz, and Taz says he was going way too fast for the conditions and got caught out so he has no-one else to blame!
I go to Southampton, weighing up the dilemma of which side of Southampton station to head for. Rail replacement action is normally on the south side (platform 4) but there's not much room there and I know they've done big rail jobs on the north side before. From a distance, I can see a police car at the top of the hill leading down to the platform 4 side, so I guess the road's closed and head for the north side - I've guessed right.
Back to Eastleigh, then back to Southampton again. A good few Brijan vehicles around but not much else yet. Arriving in Southampton the second time, I catch up with Taz so he loads up for a service to Eastleigh and I'm sent empty to St Denys where there are loads of people waiting to come into town apparently.
They are supposed to wait at the junction between Belmont Road and the road that leads down to the station itself, because you can't get a bus down that road really. So where are they waiting? At the station entrance of course. So 309 goes to places a double decker may never have been before. I trust that I will find somewhere to turn round, and luckily I do.
Back into Southampton, where traffic is now getting very heavy indeed because Millbrook Road - the main road out to the west - is apparently also closed for flooding so everything to and from the west is being funnelled through the choked artery of Shirley High Street. Or so Ant tells me - his 0944 from Hythe should be in Soton by 1038 but he's adrift in traffic.
I unload and, thinking myself to be an Eastleigh shuttle, start shouting for stations to Eastleigh. A train person sidles up. Is there * any chance * (going into severe grovel mode now) I could go to Bournemouth. They are inundated with Bournemouth people and haven't had any coaches for ages. I must admit I'm not overjoyed. I never managed that coffee break and certainly had no food so I'm feeling a bit sluggish, and a gentle plod to and from Eastleigh quite suited my mood, but life is never perfect so it's a deep breath and of course I'll go to Bournemouth.
From leaving Central, going up Shirley High Street because I'd love to think of something better but just can't for the moment, it takes 45 minutes to reach the M27 - passing Ant on the inbound 8 approaching an hour late in Shirley. A lady says "are you going to Brockenhurst?". I'm not, because the station staff needed me to go non-stop and have told Brockenhurst people to get a train back from Bournemouth. Five minutes later she's back... "If you're not going to Brockenhurst station, are you going through the town of Brockenhurst". Of course I resist the obvious retort that if I was going anywhere near the town I'd be going to the station, and instead offer a second apology and a just slightly firmer statement that I'm afraid I'm not.
309's demisters are not up to the task of overcoming 70-odd wet people inside the bus and driving rain outside and they are not really demisting anything. Luckily, in a flash of inspiration before leaving the yard, I picked up the blue roll. For those that don't know, blue roll is basically blue tissue paper, thicker than your domestic stuff but equally absorbent. Blue roll is the lifeblood of the bus industry. Without blue roll, the industry would be in its death throes. It's more important than oxygen it seems, and I've got our supply. So I'm driving down the motorway with a handful of blue roll at the ready for occasional wipes to keep the windscreen clear.
Mrs Brockenhurst comes forward again, "would you like me to wipe the windows for you driver?". Ok, nice offer, but NOOOO. I'm ok thanks, honest. I'm living in a small little world of my own, just me and my blue roll and that pane of glass in front of me that will eventually guide me to the coast. I've shut out of my mind the audience of 70 wet people - it's just between me, the rain and the traffic now! I see 303 going the other way, big wave from Jamie so he's ok. I'm also aware of continual traffic jams the other way - that'll be me in an hour.
Somewhere near Ringwood, the sun comes out. As it brightens up outside and the rain stops, the windows clear, my mood lifts and it's suddenly the greatest pleasure to be crusing down the dual carriageway in my beautiful bus, totally unruffled despite its 19 years.
5 minutes from Bournemouth Station, here comes Mrs Brockenhurst again... "Is this all the heat you've got driver, or do you have any more to give us". All the heaters are on full pelt - the bus is roasting. "No sorry madam, you've got everything I have, but we'll be there in five minutes". She returns to her seat and I can see the theatrical shivering in my mirror - luckily the sentiment doesn't appear to be shared by anyone else.
I arrive in Bournemouth and it's a lovely sunny day! Pull up alongside the big queue of people. The station staff ask me if I can do non-stop to Eastleigh! Joy!!! Load up and away we go. As we cruise north in glorious sunshine, I celebrate in the certain knowledge that I will be dropping off in Eastleigh, the trains will be running again, we'll be stood down and all I have to do is take my bus round the corner and park u and I can finally go for my coffee! The traffic jams don't hold us up too much either - it's all good now!
Arrive at Eastleigh and three things are immediately apparent...
1) There are millions of buses - especially Stagecoach ones and indeed it appears that Stagecoach bus people are in control now (must be an afternoon thing?)
2) There are millions of people
3) There are no trains
Jamie and Taz are both there. Jamie is just leaving for another Bournemouth and Taz is nearly loaded for Southampton. Apparently I'm to be next. The 0208 number again - can I confirm my buses are still all on the job. Yes, in fact I can see them all! Apparently some buses have been sneaking off. Can't move for the damn things here!!! Take the opportunity to ask whether they have an estimate for when trains will be running again. They estimate the line reopening at 1700 hrs - that's nearly three hours away!
Loaded once more, within 20 minutes or so of my arrival I'm on my way to Southampton again. I'm sorry to say that the next two hours are a drag. I'm bored out of my brain, and all I can do is keep thinking of the money! Back to Eastleigh, then back to Southampton a second time. At Parkway station they have glued pictures of the flooding at Central Station on the front door. This is probably a wise move, I can guarantee there will be people who refuse to believe that there was ever any flooding and just think that it is a cunning ploy by SWT to ruin their day!
As we roll down the hill to Central, we see a train leave heading towards Portsmouth! A real, actual train, running on the real actual railway! In the station we are told that trains are running again to Portsmouth and Cardiff. Two people ask me for Bristol. I tell them there are trains. They say the station staff have told them there aren't. Bristol is on the way to Cardiff. I'm losing the will to live, but after suggesting they go back and talk to the station staff again they don't reappear so perhaps their luck is in. So's mine, we're off back to Eastleigh now for what must be the last time!
At Parkway station, two mouthy teenage girls get off and harangue the station staff. They need to get to Portsmouth. The station guy tells them the best bet is to stay on the bus to Eastleigh and get a train from there, or they could get another bus back to Southampton now that there are trains running from there. On hearing this latter news, the two girls stomp back on to my bus and one of them bends down and shouts in my face, "the station guard says there are trains running from Southampton now, so you've brought us here for NO REASON!!!" I remember them getting on but they never told me where they were going. This doesn't improve my mood, but I'm friendly and polite as always and they calm down and sit back down on the bus.
Back in Eastleigh it's a mess. There are trains, but no-one knows quite when. So they seem to be despatching buses at random intervals, with the odd train in between. One minute we are being told we will be kept on standby for 30 minutes, then an hour, then two hours. Then a train leaves for Poole (via Southampton) and this is treated almost as if it were a miracle by the rail staff. They still won't release the buses though. I wander off to refuel - there's nowhere near enough space to park, and then decide that it's now 1830 hrs, I'm supposed to be playing football at 1910 hrs, there are seven buses in the railway station and another five or so parked down various side streets. The trains are running again. They can surely do without us now. Not that I mind the money you understand, it's just that we were first on the job at 0900 hrs and we're flagging. They ask Taz to stay until 2000 hrs, he agrees, but he hasn't seen his in-laws all day so Jamie very kindly steps in to take his place.
Did I enjoy it? Mostly yes, but it just went on too long. A bit like this post perhaps! But next time you get turfed off a train and a magical bus appears from the bus printing machine, you may now know a little more about how it all happens!
Tuesday 27 May 2008
Sunday 18 May 2008
Sunday driver
It fell to me to do the Sunday duty on the 8 today! It was Steve's turn on the rota, but we were tight last Tuesday so I did a deal with him that he came in then on his rest day, in exchange for which I'd cover his Sunday turn. What that was supposed to mean of course was that I would find someone to do his Sunday duty, but there was nobody really available and interested, and to be honest I didn't try all that hard because I've fancied a day on the 8's ever since we got the contract!
Turns out it's exactly as most of the drivers have said - a really enjoyable duty. Four hours plodding up and down between Hythe and Southampton, half an hour off, then the same again on a very nice enjoyable steady route, half countryside, half urban.
One of the highlights was the bloke who got off in Hounsdown and said "that's a lovely bus you've got here - I take it it's brand new?" He was really shocked when I said it was 8 years old but newly refurbished. V12 it was - a very smooth effortless steed for a 10 hour shift. These DAFs really are awesome buses to drive.
The break is in Hythe Multi-Modal Interchange (aka the ferry yard) from 1339 to 1414. There was a chalkboard in the entrance to the ferry saying "no ferry at 1410 - Sunday break!" I don't know if this happens every week, but there is definitely a 1410 in the timetable. I wonder how our customers would react if we decided to cancel a journey with such casual nonchalance. Never mind the Traffic Commissioner.
"Dear Customer, there will be no buses for the next hour or so. We can't really be bothered. Tough!"
Not impressed! I kind of hoped this might push some business my way, since people would turn up in droves to catch the ferry, and then on learning of their stupidity for daring to turn up for an advertised sailing that happened to coincide with lunchtime, divert their attention to the lurid purple bus parked immediately adjacent with "Southampton" on the front, but sadly those few who did wander up seemed content to shuffle off down the main street, presumably feeling too abashed to dare venture into Southampton after realising their mistake.
All in all though, a very enjoyable day. I think I'll go to the pub to celebrate - haven't been in there for weeks and weeks!
Turns out it's exactly as most of the drivers have said - a really enjoyable duty. Four hours plodding up and down between Hythe and Southampton, half an hour off, then the same again on a very nice enjoyable steady route, half countryside, half urban.
One of the highlights was the bloke who got off in Hounsdown and said "that's a lovely bus you've got here - I take it it's brand new?" He was really shocked when I said it was 8 years old but newly refurbished. V12 it was - a very smooth effortless steed for a 10 hour shift. These DAFs really are awesome buses to drive.
The break is in Hythe Multi-Modal Interchange (aka the ferry yard) from 1339 to 1414. There was a chalkboard in the entrance to the ferry saying "no ferry at 1410 - Sunday break!" I don't know if this happens every week, but there is definitely a 1410 in the timetable. I wonder how our customers would react if we decided to cancel a journey with such casual nonchalance. Never mind the Traffic Commissioner.
"Dear Customer, there will be no buses for the next hour or so. We can't really be bothered. Tough!"
Not impressed! I kind of hoped this might push some business my way, since people would turn up in droves to catch the ferry, and then on learning of their stupidity for daring to turn up for an advertised sailing that happened to coincide with lunchtime, divert their attention to the lurid purple bus parked immediately adjacent with "Southampton" on the front, but sadly those few who did wander up seemed content to shuffle off down the main street, presumably feeling too abashed to dare venture into Southampton after realising their mistake.
All in all though, a very enjoyable day. I think I'll go to the pub to celebrate - haven't been in there for weeks and weeks!
I love Delays!
If ever there was a band with a name with worse connotations for the transport world than "The Delays", I'd like to meet them!
However, all jokes aside, The Delays are truly an awesome band. It so happens they are from Southampton, but that was irrelevant when I first started following them in my Cheltenham days - it's pure coincidence that I now live in their home town - but it's amazing how many people even here have not heard of them, or have heard of them but don't know anything about them.
A couple of weeks ago, they released their new album "Everything's the Rush" - their third major album - and it's fantastic. Last night, they played live at Southampton Guildhall. They were brilliant - loved every minute. I've seen them live previously in London and Portsmouth, and they were really good both times, but for some reason last night they seemed on a different level.
The performance was jumping from beginning to end, with a slow bit in the middle when they sang one of the song's on their latest album - "Pieces" - which just tears me apart! Very emotional and brilliantly performed!
I don't know what else I can say about them - I think you get the message! :-)
However, all jokes aside, The Delays are truly an awesome band. It so happens they are from Southampton, but that was irrelevant when I first started following them in my Cheltenham days - it's pure coincidence that I now live in their home town - but it's amazing how many people even here have not heard of them, or have heard of them but don't know anything about them.
A couple of weeks ago, they released their new album "Everything's the Rush" - their third major album - and it's fantastic. Last night, they played live at Southampton Guildhall. They were brilliant - loved every minute. I've seen them live previously in London and Portsmouth, and they were really good both times, but for some reason last night they seemed on a different level.
The performance was jumping from beginning to end, with a slow bit in the middle when they sang one of the song's on their latest album - "Pieces" - which just tears me apart! Very emotional and brilliantly performed!
I don't know what else I can say about them - I think you get the message! :-)
Saturday 17 May 2008
Good Luck Year 11
We quite like Wildern School students. Every day we take around 30 of them to school and bring 50-70 home again, and they are one of the best behaved, friendliest bunches of students I've come across.
We got wind of the fact that it was Year 11's last day on Tuesday, before they get let off regular school to concentrate on exams. (By the way, this makes me feel really old, year 11 didn't exist in my day - it was the Fifth Form in those days - at my school at least! I also did my GCSEs in the second year of their existence after they replaced O-levels.)
We therefore decided to programme the destination for the afternoon bus to convey our sincerely meant good wishes to the kids. Unfortunately, Year 11 came out at a different time to everyone else, so everyone else caught the bus - and not Year 11!
So, just in case any of Year 11 should happen to stumble across this blog (and you never know, one of them just might), this is what you missed....
We got wind of the fact that it was Year 11's last day on Tuesday, before they get let off regular school to concentrate on exams. (By the way, this makes me feel really old, year 11 didn't exist in my day - it was the Fifth Form in those days - at my school at least! I also did my GCSEs in the second year of their existence after they replaced O-levels.)
We therefore decided to programme the destination for the afternoon bus to convey our sincerely meant good wishes to the kids. Unfortunately, Year 11 came out at a different time to everyone else, so everyone else caught the bus - and not Year 11!
So, just in case any of Year 11 should happen to stumble across this blog (and you never know, one of them just might), this is what you missed....
Sunday 11 May 2008
Black Velvet Travel - Alison says "bye"
On Wednesday, Alison became our first ex-employee! Faced with all kinds of domestic pressures, trying to keep the job going while travelling up from Portsmouth each day was clearly proving difficult and in the end proved to be an unsustainable situation.
I'd like to publicly wish Alison every possible success in her future career. She's a lovely person and deserves to do really well, and I hope she will be proud of the fact that she was a founding member of the Black Velvet team!
Good luck Alison!
I'd like to publicly wish Alison every possible success in her future career. She's a lovely person and deserves to do really well, and I hope she will be proud of the fact that she was a founding member of the Black Velvet team!
Good luck Alison!
Monday 5 May 2008
Seeing the wood for the trees
As followers of the gricernet (or indeed our website) will know, we've won some more contracts!
From Tuesday 27th May, we will be operating the Ringwood - Lyndhurst - Southampton corridor in place of Wilts & Dorset.
There are a number of reasons why this contract attracted me. Chief among them is the fact that Ringwood is a major town without a rail station, and I simply refuse to believe that there isn't a meaningful (if not commercial) market for travel to and from Southampton. While the town benefits from an excellent service to Bournemouth and Salisbury courtesy of W&D, and I appreciate that Southampton might take third place in order of importance, to only have two direct buses a day (as has latterly been the case) and then only via Burley and Lyndhurst - hardly all that direct really - must surely underestimate the potential market.
The tender as published invited quotes for various versions of present and current timetables. There was no mention of anything more direct between Ringwood and Southampton. This might partly be because Hampshire County Council invited bids for a direct service when W&D pulled their commercial X33 a couple of years ago, and either didn't receive any bids or at least nothing they could afford. At the time, I was very keen to offer something based on an extension of the Solent Shuttle, to create a Portsmouth - Southampton - Ringwood - Bournemouth corridor, but was told in no uncertain terms by Go South Coast High Command that our appearance on Ringwood - Bournemouth would not be welcomed. Heaven forbid we should actually do something exciting!
However, despite what some people would have you believe, I am not on a one man crusade against my former employer, and in lots of ways they do a good job, I wish them well and there is not a single member of the Go South Coast top team that I would not shake his/her hand and buy a beer. In the case of X35 however, they have steadily run the service down over a number of years, which says two things to me...
1) It's an area they have clearly decided is not remunerative for them and their attention is better focussed elsewhere
2) For this reason, they can hardly object if someone else steps in who thinks they can do better
Ringwood - Southampton is a corridor that seems to me to have some development potential. The successful package that we proposed as a "tenderer's alternative" to the options supplied is one that has been bouncing round in my head for a while...
- Look after the established 'unique' market with a Ringwood - Lyndhurst service that offers timings suitable for workers, shoppers and leisure travellers (to be the 35)
- Look after the Ringwood - Southampton market with an express service straight up the A31 (to be the 300. Where did we get the number from? Don't know really - I hate 'X' numbers, and I suppose a round number in the hundreds sounds perhaps a bit more expressy?!?)
Happily, there is a workable timetable that covers both with one bus and this is what we proposed.
The art of proposing "tenderer's alternatives" is a tricky one. My commercial instincts often tell me that we should be maximising the elements that are marketable and developable and not be afraid to throw away insignificant or declining flows. The local authority's social conscience will instruct it first to look after the people it already serves, and then see how it can improve on that. Logically therefore, in proposing a "tenderer's alternative", you have to find the point that gives the best of both worlds. I have wasted too much time in the past proposing tenderer's alternatives that - with the benefit of hindsight - could never have been accepted because they just didn't pay enough respect to what the local authority's priorities would be.
In the case of South West Hampshire, the cards are played by a chap called Colin Wright. I have nothing but the greatest respect for Colin. He is ultra-professional, experienced and knowledgeable. I suppose I would say that - he has just given us £xx,000 worth of annual income - but I mean it. He is not given to radical change, and sometimes I would argue he should be more open to this, but has proved in this case that he can spot a good thing when he sees it!
Not that I would suggest the decision was entirely his - clearly there are others within the county who have to have their say, and I am just glad that we have managed to propose something that seems to have struck a collective chord with them.
There are plenty of other declining markets that will come out for tender that will offer nothing more than the opportunity to oversee ongoing decline for a further four or five years. This is one of the rare ones where there seemed to be the opportunity to offer something genuinely better at a reasonable price, and that is why we put a lot of effort into it!
Now all we have to do is get the good folk of Ringwood out on our buses. Can't wait!!!
From Tuesday 27th May, we will be operating the Ringwood - Lyndhurst - Southampton corridor in place of Wilts & Dorset.
There are a number of reasons why this contract attracted me. Chief among them is the fact that Ringwood is a major town without a rail station, and I simply refuse to believe that there isn't a meaningful (if not commercial) market for travel to and from Southampton. While the town benefits from an excellent service to Bournemouth and Salisbury courtesy of W&D, and I appreciate that Southampton might take third place in order of importance, to only have two direct buses a day (as has latterly been the case) and then only via Burley and Lyndhurst - hardly all that direct really - must surely underestimate the potential market.
The tender as published invited quotes for various versions of present and current timetables. There was no mention of anything more direct between Ringwood and Southampton. This might partly be because Hampshire County Council invited bids for a direct service when W&D pulled their commercial X33 a couple of years ago, and either didn't receive any bids or at least nothing they could afford. At the time, I was very keen to offer something based on an extension of the Solent Shuttle, to create a Portsmouth - Southampton - Ringwood - Bournemouth corridor, but was told in no uncertain terms by Go South Coast High Command that our appearance on Ringwood - Bournemouth would not be welcomed. Heaven forbid we should actually do something exciting!
However, despite what some people would have you believe, I am not on a one man crusade against my former employer, and in lots of ways they do a good job, I wish them well and there is not a single member of the Go South Coast top team that I would not shake his/her hand and buy a beer. In the case of X35 however, they have steadily run the service down over a number of years, which says two things to me...
1) It's an area they have clearly decided is not remunerative for them and their attention is better focussed elsewhere
2) For this reason, they can hardly object if someone else steps in who thinks they can do better
Ringwood - Southampton is a corridor that seems to me to have some development potential. The successful package that we proposed as a "tenderer's alternative" to the options supplied is one that has been bouncing round in my head for a while...
- Look after the established 'unique' market with a Ringwood - Lyndhurst service that offers timings suitable for workers, shoppers and leisure travellers (to be the 35)
- Look after the Ringwood - Southampton market with an express service straight up the A31 (to be the 300. Where did we get the number from? Don't know really - I hate 'X' numbers, and I suppose a round number in the hundreds sounds perhaps a bit more expressy?!?)
Happily, there is a workable timetable that covers both with one bus and this is what we proposed.
The art of proposing "tenderer's alternatives" is a tricky one. My commercial instincts often tell me that we should be maximising the elements that are marketable and developable and not be afraid to throw away insignificant or declining flows. The local authority's social conscience will instruct it first to look after the people it already serves, and then see how it can improve on that. Logically therefore, in proposing a "tenderer's alternative", you have to find the point that gives the best of both worlds. I have wasted too much time in the past proposing tenderer's alternatives that - with the benefit of hindsight - could never have been accepted because they just didn't pay enough respect to what the local authority's priorities would be.
In the case of South West Hampshire, the cards are played by a chap called Colin Wright. I have nothing but the greatest respect for Colin. He is ultra-professional, experienced and knowledgeable. I suppose I would say that - he has just given us £xx,000 worth of annual income - but I mean it. He is not given to radical change, and sometimes I would argue he should be more open to this, but has proved in this case that he can spot a good thing when he sees it!
Not that I would suggest the decision was entirely his - clearly there are others within the county who have to have their say, and I am just glad that we have managed to propose something that seems to have struck a collective chord with them.
There are plenty of other declining markets that will come out for tender that will offer nothing more than the opportunity to oversee ongoing decline for a further four or five years. This is one of the rare ones where there seemed to be the opportunity to offer something genuinely better at a reasonable price, and that is why we put a lot of effort into it!
Now all we have to do is get the good folk of Ringwood out on our buses. Can't wait!!!
Playing trains
Very kind of most readers not to point out the lack of activity here in a while! Truth is, the workload has been a bit overwhelming, among the reasons being (in no particular order)...
1) Financial year end
2) Winning new contracts (of which more anon)
3) Looking after Taz's cat
Tommy (Taz's cat) - or Thomas the Tank Engine to give him his full name (honestly, would you let a three year old name your pet? Oh ok, you would...) - was great company for a week, but tore my arms and hands to shreds. I now discover it is quite a normal feature of young cats that they will play with you with claws fully extended. Tommy will nuzzle up to you, let you stroke him for ages and then - completely without warning - take a swipe at you, often drawing blood, or - if he is feeling particulary playful, try to bite your hand off. Then, when you retreat feeling that you have perhaps upset him in some way, will come running after you looking for more attention. But I love him to bits and will gladly have him again when the time comes.
One other highlight of the last week has been our debut appearances on rail replacement for two separate train companies.
Much to our surprise, the Go-Ahead Group actually gave us a job on the Three Bridges to Brighton line the Sunday before last. This involved one double decker out all day, with two shifts - one early, one late. Jamie did the early, I did the late. Three Bridges is in Crawley, in case you didn't know, so it wasn't exactly local, but I've done the Brighton Main Line before in Solent Blue Line days and it's always fun. Needless to say it's a very busy line, and at times they were firing off two fully loaded double deckers at roughly ten minute intervals. It makes quite a sight, driving down the A23 seeing this procession of deckers from all over the south east trundling past.
We used F303 MYJ, looking resplendent with its new interior, and including the long dead journeys to and from Eastleigh at the start and end of the day, covered 464 miles in one day. It performed faultlessly, although 10 mph up Handcross Hill was a bit disconcerting! Easily made it back and more on the flat bits though!
I got back to Eastleigh at 0130 on the Monday morning and promptly drove in to the petrol station. The attendant was one of the ones who's regularly there when we fuel up in the evening. He didn't bat an eyelid when I presented myself at this time, nor when I reappeared ten minutes later with V384, which had been used on service 8!
On Wednesday last week, we got an emergency callout from South West Trains. Emergency, as in they wanted the buses on Thursday night. So at least we had some time to think about it. They wanted two buses - one each to do 0040 and 0140 Southampton to Bournemouth in the early hours of Friday morning. With me, Taz and Jamie all available and up for it, I decided to proceed on the basis that we would take three down, as I had a hunch that one bus each trip didn't seem like a lot for the numbers likely to arrive on the connecting trains.
So after a tortuous exercise to give everyone enough rest before and/or after to keep them legal, we were all set to go on Thursday night. At 2215 the phone rang - South West Trains - any chance of two more buses??? Well, I thought about it theatrically for a moment, looked at Taz, Jamie, looked myself up and down and announced that we could probably muster a third. A fourth was stretching it a bit too much though, and in the end they got Brijan Tours to provide the fourth vehicle. The guy at the other end of the phone took a deep breath and said, would one of us be able to go as far as Weymouth if required on the 0140? I took a deep breath and said yes, knowing that would be my job as I know where all the stations are!
Taz and I then wandered off to the office for a bit and when we got back to the compound at 2345, Jamie had got the three working DAFs - V7, V11 and V12 - up and running, all lit up with "rail replacement" on the destination. They looked absolutely stunning! At that moment I really wanted my camera to have a better phone! You'll have to take my word for it.
We all set off in convey into Southampton, getting to the station at 0015. By 0020, the first bus was full! So with the approval of the station staff we despatched Jamie, and made Taz the only bus for the 0040 - worried now about how he'd cope with the numbers. Luckily we had nothing to worry about - they'd cancelled the connecting train, so he left on time with three passengers!
That left me to do the 0140, and in due course Mr Brijan Tours himself - Brian Botley - appared with a coach called "Alfie" and we spent a pleasant hour or so chatting until departure time.
Anyway, despite being primed to go to Weymouth (a bit odd, since there wouldn't normally be any trains going anywhere near Weymouth at that time), Brian took the Bournemouth and Poole passengers and left me to go all the way to.... Brockenhurst and New Milton!
Thoroughly enjoyed the job though, and got back to the yard at around 0330, hoping for more soon!
1) Financial year end
2) Winning new contracts (of which more anon)
3) Looking after Taz's cat
Tommy (Taz's cat) - or Thomas the Tank Engine to give him his full name (honestly, would you let a three year old name your pet? Oh ok, you would...) - was great company for a week, but tore my arms and hands to shreds. I now discover it is quite a normal feature of young cats that they will play with you with claws fully extended. Tommy will nuzzle up to you, let you stroke him for ages and then - completely without warning - take a swipe at you, often drawing blood, or - if he is feeling particulary playful, try to bite your hand off. Then, when you retreat feeling that you have perhaps upset him in some way, will come running after you looking for more attention. But I love him to bits and will gladly have him again when the time comes.
One other highlight of the last week has been our debut appearances on rail replacement for two separate train companies.
Much to our surprise, the Go-Ahead Group actually gave us a job on the Three Bridges to Brighton line the Sunday before last. This involved one double decker out all day, with two shifts - one early, one late. Jamie did the early, I did the late. Three Bridges is in Crawley, in case you didn't know, so it wasn't exactly local, but I've done the Brighton Main Line before in Solent Blue Line days and it's always fun. Needless to say it's a very busy line, and at times they were firing off two fully loaded double deckers at roughly ten minute intervals. It makes quite a sight, driving down the A23 seeing this procession of deckers from all over the south east trundling past.
We used F303 MYJ, looking resplendent with its new interior, and including the long dead journeys to and from Eastleigh at the start and end of the day, covered 464 miles in one day. It performed faultlessly, although 10 mph up Handcross Hill was a bit disconcerting! Easily made it back and more on the flat bits though!
I got back to Eastleigh at 0130 on the Monday morning and promptly drove in to the petrol station. The attendant was one of the ones who's regularly there when we fuel up in the evening. He didn't bat an eyelid when I presented myself at this time, nor when I reappeared ten minutes later with V384, which had been used on service 8!
On Wednesday last week, we got an emergency callout from South West Trains. Emergency, as in they wanted the buses on Thursday night. So at least we had some time to think about it. They wanted two buses - one each to do 0040 and 0140 Southampton to Bournemouth in the early hours of Friday morning. With me, Taz and Jamie all available and up for it, I decided to proceed on the basis that we would take three down, as I had a hunch that one bus each trip didn't seem like a lot for the numbers likely to arrive on the connecting trains.
So after a tortuous exercise to give everyone enough rest before and/or after to keep them legal, we were all set to go on Thursday night. At 2215 the phone rang - South West Trains - any chance of two more buses??? Well, I thought about it theatrically for a moment, looked at Taz, Jamie, looked myself up and down and announced that we could probably muster a third. A fourth was stretching it a bit too much though, and in the end they got Brijan Tours to provide the fourth vehicle. The guy at the other end of the phone took a deep breath and said, would one of us be able to go as far as Weymouth if required on the 0140? I took a deep breath and said yes, knowing that would be my job as I know where all the stations are!
Taz and I then wandered off to the office for a bit and when we got back to the compound at 2345, Jamie had got the three working DAFs - V7, V11 and V12 - up and running, all lit up with "rail replacement" on the destination. They looked absolutely stunning! At that moment I really wanted my camera to have a better phone! You'll have to take my word for it.
We all set off in convey into Southampton, getting to the station at 0015. By 0020, the first bus was full! So with the approval of the station staff we despatched Jamie, and made Taz the only bus for the 0040 - worried now about how he'd cope with the numbers. Luckily we had nothing to worry about - they'd cancelled the connecting train, so he left on time with three passengers!
That left me to do the 0140, and in due course Mr Brijan Tours himself - Brian Botley - appared with a coach called "Alfie" and we spent a pleasant hour or so chatting until departure time.
Anyway, despite being primed to go to Weymouth (a bit odd, since there wouldn't normally be any trains going anywhere near Weymouth at that time), Brian took the Bournemouth and Poole passengers and left me to go all the way to.... Brockenhurst and New Milton!
Thoroughly enjoyed the job though, and got back to the yard at around 0330, hoping for more soon!
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