Plymouth Citybus have posted the reasons behind their service changes coming up, giving an honest account of where they find themselves…
Today, (5th April 2022) Plymouth Citybus Management advised customers of changes to the Plymouth Bus Operation that form part of a multistep recovery plan commencing on 10th April 2022.
Along with many other organisations, the company is facing significant headwinds in terms of increasing costs and stagnant demand supressing revenue. Fare paying passengers are currently at 80% and free concession passengers at 60% of pre-Covid levels.
The company explained that, as with all bus operators, it has been in receipt of Government funding that was only paying for capacity to meet social distancing requirements. Now that the Government requirement for social distancing has been removed, the funding that was maintaining the network at pre-Covid levels is now being phased out.
The company has responded by developing a recovery plan that will secure as much of the existing network as possible, matching timetables to current demand levels. The company knows this will not be pain free as the only actions available are to increase prices and reduce service levels in areas with insufficient demand to cover the cost of operation.
Therefore, on 10th April 2022, prices across the network will increase by an average of 8%, (the first fare increase since Autumn 2019); to try and aid families the popular add a child for £1.50 ticket has been frozen.
Additionally, on the 10th of April 2022, the previously announced frequency changes to services 8/9, along with changes to services into Cornwall take effect. With the ensuing reduction to Torpoint services, the 33 timetable has been rerouted via Ford Hill to maintain a half hourly service to Stoke via Wilton Street.
The next step in the recovery plan takes effect at the end of the school holidays from 24th April 2022.
From this date changes to the network will affect the 5/5A which will operate between Royal Parade and Plymstock only; with the section between Royal Parade and Saltash being withdrawn.
There are changes to the way Southway is served, with reductions to service 41, the withdrawal of service 40 and then the provision of new journey solutions, through enhancements to services 42 and 42A.
The 42 and 42A will provide four buses an hour from Southway, operating via Looseleigh Lane or the George Junction to Derriford before continuing to Royal Parade. Additionally, a revised service 41 will run hourly to Mayflower Street, providing services to Sir John Hunt school.
The company is working with Plymouth City Council to finalise the next steps of the recovery plan that are anticipated to be implemented in September 2022.
Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus, said: “It is hard to see any good news in the steps we have been forced to take; in truth, they could have been much worse. As a company we have minimised the impact of the current situation the bus industry finds itself in, by absorbing as many costs as possible. This is a vital reset of our operation, that will provide a platform for reliable service delivery and an opportunity to grow back over coming years.
"It is no secret that our operational delivery has been severely challenged over recent months, I am hugely grateful for the patience and support our customers have shown and the valiant efforts of my team. I am personally devastated that people who rely on our services will have to shoulder the consequences of our Covid recovery in this way.
"With no further funding available, this is the only viable way forward; these changes are implemented with a heavy heart, I am sincerely sorry for the impact this may have on people’s lives.”
| Route | Details |
| 5/5A | Withdrawn from Devonport and Saltash to make it more
reliable between Plymstock and the City Centre. Anyone wanting to travel between Saltash and the City Centre can use Services 11, 12 or 72 every 20 minutes. Anyone wanting to travel between Devonport and the City Centre can use Services 21 or 21A every 10 minutes. School holiday timetables revised to reflect lower traffic levels. |
| 27 | Journeys between 16:00 and 18:00 from Royal Parade will run five minutes later on weekdays. |
| 28/28A | 28A brought back into use to serve Mainstone as Forder
Valley will be reopened, replacing Service 42. Services 28 and 28A will each run hourly, covering Henders Corner, Culver Way and Charfield Drive every half hour between them. Service 28 will continue via Shallowford Road and Austin Crescent to Crownhill, and Service 28A will go via Miles Mitchell and Forder Valley to Mainstone and Asda. The early journey from Derriford Hospital at 06:38 will run seven minutes earlier at 06:31. |
| 34/34A | New service 34A will run between the City Centre and
Royal William Yard. Service 34 will no longer go to Durnford Street or Royal William Yard, making a more direct route between Derriford Hospital, the City Centre and Devonport. Some weekday afternoon and early evening journeys are being extended to serve Plymbridge Road and Estover Industrial Estate, covering part of the former Service 42. The first Sunday journey to the City Centre will run five minutes earlier |
| 40/40A/41/41A | 40 and 41 services replaced by the 42 and 42A. Anyone
wanting to travel between Whitleigh and Southway will need to change at
Crownhill. Service 71 will also provide an alternative link between Whitleigh and Looseleigh. 40A and 41A services withdrawn to be replaced by the 44 for journeys to Whitleigh and the 42A for journeys to Southway. Southway will now be serviced mainly by services 42 and 42A, as set out below. The 42 and 42A will provide four buses an hour from Southway, operating via Looseleigh Lane or the George Junction to Derriford before continuing to Royal Parade. Additionally, a revised service 41 will run hourly to Mayflower Street, providing services to Sir John Hunt school. |
| 42 | Route changed to cover Southway running via Southway
Drive, Clittaford Road, Flamborough Road and back down Southway Drive, it will
no longer cover Estover and Mainstone. Retimed around Manadon Roundabout to improve reliability. School holiday timetables revised to reflect lower traffic levels. Evening journeys retimed to provide better departure times from Derriford Hospital towards the City Centre |
| 42A | Route changed to cover Dunnet Road and Clittaford Road
instead of the section between The Falstaff Inn and Southway Drive. Retimed around Manadon Roundabout to improve reliability. School holiday timetables revised to reflect lower traffic levels. |
| 42C | Sunday timetable retimed to improve reliability. Retimed around Manadon Roundabout to improve reliability. School holiday timetables revised to reflect lower traffic levels. |
| 44A | 44A route changed to cover Taunton Avenue in both
directions on most weekday journeys. Service 44 will have extra journeys on Sunday evenings to replace Services 40A and 41A. Retimed around Manadon Roundabout to improve reliability. School holiday timetables revised to reflect lower traffic levels. |
| 807 | Duplicate bus starting and ending at Mutley Plain is withdrawn – there will be just one bus on this service. |
From Sunday 10th April 2022 we will introduce price increases across a number of tickets on the Plymouth Citybus network.
Why the changes?
As with many industries we have seen a large increase in our costs recently. We have tried to absorb as many of our cost increases as possible by working more efficiently to provide your bus services throughout Plymouth.
The last bus fares increase in Plymouth was back in 2019. We have tried to hold off on the decision to raise bus fares as long as possible.
What is changing?
We will be freezing the price of our ever popular ‘Kid Add-On’ at £1.50, which helps hundreds of thousands of families each year and has been at this price since 2018. Our Weekend Wonder, Night Rider and Group tickets, all remain frozen.
| Tickets | Details |
| Singles & Returns | Single tickets will see an increase of 20p or 30p. Returns will see an increase of between 30p and 50p, dependant on distance travelled. |
| Day Tickets | Dayrider zone 1 & 2 ticket will increase by 30p to
£5.00 for adults and £3.80 for children. We have been studying new passenger travel trends; to help passengers will be replacing our bundles of 12 Dayriders with a new ‘Flexi 5’ day ticket via our App. This will allow passengers to buy a bundle of 5 day tickets for just £20 (or £4 a day) for adults and £15.20 (or just over £3 a day) for children. The ticket bundle is valid for a month from purchase, meaning there is a lower up front cost to take advantage of the lowest cost day tickets. |
| Week & Month Tickets | Our weekly zone 1 & 2 ticket will rise by £1 to
£20 for adults and £15 for children. This has only increased by 11% in over 5
years! We will be removing any of our route week tickets that are still in circulation. |
I must admit I am more disappointed that the 12 rider ticket is no longer being offered as the replacement 5 day rider although reasonable value only lasts for one month. It might become more usable for me later in the year but one month isnt that long. Having said that though I do have 11 dayriders left on my phone which at the current rate will last me well into Summer…You have a few days left to top up at the old prices…
Sources:
| Date | Source | Publication | Archive Copy |
| 05 Apr 2022 | Plymouth Citybus | Today, (5th April 2022) Plymouth Citybus Management advised customers of changes to the Plymouth Bus Operation that form part of a multistep recovery plan commencing on 10th April 2022. | L0051 |
| 05 Apr 2022 | Plymouth Citybus | We’re planning some changes in April which will involve reductions to some services as we continue to emerge from Covid. | L0052 |
| 05 Apr 2022 | Plymouth Citybus | From Sunday 10th April 2022 we will introduce price increases across a number of tickets on the Plymouth Citybus network. | L0053 |
| 05 Apr 2022 | Plymouth Citybus | Your Citybus Ticket Guide: New fares from 10th April 2022 | L0054 |
Presumably Church Road in Saltash will no longer enjoy buses Graham as Stagecoach 2/2A does not serve it?
ReplyDeleteThink the 72a covers this
DeleteAlso with 34 no longer serving Durnford Street area, does that mean it no longer calls at the Cremyll Ferry stop Graham? Indeed will it still serve Millbay Road or is that just left to the new 34A?
ReplyDeleteI worry what other cuts are coming in September. I must say I am not a fan of this writing the news in 3rd party terms rubbish. What is this 'the company has announced'
ReplyDeleterubbish? They are the company and it is they who have decided the cuts no one else. I think in terms of PR announcing cuts and fare increase at same time is awful idea.
I see your point but at least it is being honest and upfront with people whereas Stagecoach just appears to have merely kept most of its emergency temporary Exeter (and a few elsewhere) severe reductions due to dire staff shortages with them seemingly now becoming permanent as part of its 10 April changes. So many routes have halved in frequency such as the important Gold 57 Exeter-Exmouth link which was quarter-hourly but now only half-hourly & struggling to cope with loadings when I've seen it particularly when a bus is missing.
DeleteThe changes to the 34 are rather confusing with nothing actually stating anywhere that there's changes due on the 34 - TravellineSW had changes made to the 34 on the 4th April but it only runs between Devonport and City Centre?!
ReplyDeleteCitybus also starting to part ways with their older buses now the ex London E400s are on their way to Cornwall. Milehouse does look more and more like a bus graveyard these days...
No service what so ever on 75 today! Had to drive from Liskeard to Downderry which was fine but parking proved very difficult. Are Go Cornwall that short on drivers that they are having to cut actual routes?
ReplyDelete