Option 24/7 - the way forward for Wiltshire buses

Extras module Z407

Resources from the web site of Well House Consultants on the subject of Option 24/7 - the way forward for Wiltshire buses. We provide open source training course and business hotel accommodation in Melksham, Wiltshire, England

Articles and tips on this subject		updated
4703	What do people use the bus for in Wiltshire - survey interim results. At the end of "Catch the Bus" week, I promised an update on how our survey's going. With people still completing the survey by the day, I don't want to give away very early data on their opinions on whats important on bus journeys as it might influence others yet to complete the survey. However, I don't ...	2016-07-11
4693	Wiltshire supported bus service consultation, early 2016 - interim results published Results of Wiltshire Council's Public Consultation of Supported Bus Services have been published in papers for next week's Wiltshire Cabinet meeting on the Council's web site. I have placed a mirror copy on the Option 24/7 web site, with easy links via http://option247.uk/links.html. This is the (probably) ...	2016-06-15 (longer)
4694	Supported Bus Services in Wiltshire - analysis of written-in comments The background to write-ins on consultations It's an excellent idea to allow "write in" answers on surveys - but a nightmare for the statistician to classify and count them. Typically, the survey analysis team will classify the write-ins into groups and perhaps subgroups, with a section highlighting ...	2016-06-15 (longer)
4692	How are bus support payments currently calculated? How are current bus subsisidies calculated? Based on competitive bids from different operators to provide supported services, or that's the theory. But if there's only one operator bidding, if there's a rush to replace a commercial service that's being withdrawn, there will be a temptation for the ...	2016-06-07
4691	Real life PHP application using our course training MVC example Yesterday, I had a requirement to write a multistage web application, using an existing look and feel template, and I did so using the training example from our Learning to Program in PHP. Quick and easy - most of the work is (or was) in working out the text and factors involved - the data - rather ...	2016-06-05 (longer)
4690	Buses in Wiltshire - potential changes and where we stand at the moment Last year (2015), starting in April, Wiltshire Council investigated options for reducing the amount of money it spends on subsidising public transport buses, with a view to halving the amount spent. Through the summer and autumn, stakeholder meetings were held, inputs sought and a public consultation ...	2016-05-30 (longer)
4669	Buses - how did we get into the situation we are in? Since I wrote this article, I have been informed of some inaccuracies / errors (for which I apologise) and been made aware of a couple of places where clarification / extra depth to a simplification would be useful. Accordingly, I have cut in notes of the form {{1}} to indicate those areas, italicised ...	2016-04-04 (longest)
4667	Wiltshire Supported Bus consultation - final few days There's just a few days remaining for you to make your inputs to Wiltshire Council's consultation on the future of supported buses. They're looking to reduce the amount of money paid for support by a half from next year. A straight cut of a half of the funding would almost inevitable lead to significant ...	2016-03-31
4660	What is happening on the 231 bus? What are you going to do about it? Question from my inbox: "What is happening on the 231 bus? What are you going to do about it?" Answer: At present, First (West of England) run a bus service - the 231 - from Chippenham to Bath, via Corsham and Box. Apart from the final two journeys from Chippenham to Bath on Monday to Saturday (at ...	2016-03-04 (longer)
4657	Rumours of bus changes by First in Wiltshire - what we know and suspect There are rumours flying around concerning the future of First Bus routes to the east and south of Bath, into Wiltshire and Somerset. Some of these rumours conflict; I'm posting here what I believe to be the situation. 25 hours later (late 2nd March) - I'm updating this article with information received; ...	2016-03-04
4658	The end of competition on a bus route - the effects from then end of the 234 When a commercial bus operator decides to drastically change or cease operating a route, they do so based on the business case for their shareholders, rather than out of consideration for existing regular passengers or the effect on the area served or other operators. They just need to give legal notice ...	2016-03-02 (longer)
4654	Getting to the Royal United Hospital - the Hopper and the alternatives Written 23rd February 2016 / completed and posted 24th I had an outpatient appointment at the Royal United Hospital in Bath's western suburbs this morning; left home at 06:50 and caught the bus (272) a couple of minutes before 7 at Mallory Place ... into Bath at 07:58, half an hour there for a quick ...	2016-02-24 (longest)
4648	Why is bus funding a much hotter topic than a new set of traffic lights? When you look at an annual spend of 5 million pounds spread over a population of 483,000 in Wilsthire, you're looking at 20p per person per week, 14p of which comes from council tax and 6p from central governmnent funding. Problem is that (in the case of being a bus subsidy) it's a revenue cost that ...	2016-02-16
4636	Rail user groups worried about what is happening on the buses On 20th January I attended the West Wilts Rail User group meeting in Trowbridge, and yesterday (30th January) the RailFuture Severnside meeting in Frome. Very different groups - one a current passeneger group with a strong interest in rail history, and the other a group that looks forward - and far ...	2016-01-31
4631	What would the Wiltshire Council bus cuts mean for Melksham? Result of option 6 - the following services would remain Monday to Saturday To Bath with Faresaver at: 07:03, 07:38, 08:24 and every hour to 14:24, 16:24 and 16:54 To Bath with First at: 07:35 and every hour to 16:35 To Bowerhill and Devizes with Faresaver at: 07:28 ...	2016-01-24
4630	The story behind the bus cuts, and what they could mean I'm going to post this in "purely personal" because I may regret going public and having labels on it at a future date. The top brass at Wiltshire Council require each department to make a 10% saving in expenditure in the year from April 2017 to March 2018 - that's making cuts that will come in just ...	2016-01-24 (longer)
4625	Where does Wiltshire bus subsidy money come from? I have been asked where the bus subsidy money of around 5 million pounds per annum comes from, and how it fits in with other council expenditure. Not sure if the web page at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/council/howthecouncilworks/budgetsandspending.htm id the latest, as these chart are for the last ...	2016-01-20
4624	Campaigning for a sensible bus solution and not against anyone! Oh my goodness - Radio Wiltshire had me featuring as a campaigner yesterday morning ... and colloquially it's against bus cuts. But actually I'm campaigning for a better alternative / system to what we have at the moment. There could be (and indeed there was in the headline / tone) doom and gloom. ...	2016-01-17
4621	The power of scripting Over the last few days, I've been helping to populate the Option 24/7 web site - suggesting an alternative to Beeching Style cuts to save money on bus subsidy - by looking at the network as a whole rather than individual routes. Example - don't run all buses the same route between two major towns - ...	2016-01-13
4619	Buses - not about the buses, but about the people who use the buses I'm helping to promote Option 24/7 - a practical, positive and affordable development of the public transport network in Wiltshire. Money has to be saved on current subsidies, and the other options on offer are "Beeching Style" cuts - a downward spiral of services. But a network solution rather than ...	2016-01-11

Topics covered in this module

How should Wiltshire's bus services be taken forward?
Options include withdrawing all council support, reducing council support, and re-organising out public transport network to make it run better and encourage more users. Wiltshire Council consulted the public on the first two options from January to April 2016, offering those as what it considered the only viable options available at the time. However, the Bus Service Bill introduced in May 2016 may offer other possibilities that allow for a network re-organisaition. My blog on this subject presents evidence in the various directions and encourages discussion on both well established and new options.

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