Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2014-07-12 07:54:35 - Graham Ellis
There is concern in Radstock at the new First bus fares, just as there is concern in Melksham. There's a Melksham community transport group meeting on 30th July, and as a member of the First Bath Customer panel (and so perhaps more informed than most on these matter), I went to Radstock yesterday evening as something of a learning experience - it's hardly likely that problems and concerns of Radstock and the rest of the Somer Valley are going to be totally different to those of Melksham ... indeed their might be scope for co-operation and co-ordination as well as the learning.
A number of shops in the town had signs advertising the meeting - I arrived on an early bus and had a look around, ate fish and chips in the park and got a feel for the place. The venue was well situated just across from the bus stops, but had to be sought out as no external signs saying "meeting here". I didn't see anyone at the bus stops / greeting or signage there - such as an "A" board - to inform users.
The meeting was in the Methodist Chuch and attended by around 30 people. Perhaps 10 or a dozen bus users, mostly for occasional journeys / non-standard hours / students and using it to sign on, etc. A handful, very quiet, of experts - the owner / operator of a competing bus company, a local council technical transport information systems expert, Somerset Guardian journalist and I'm going to allow me to group myself with them. And a lot of political representatives; Radstock is a strong Labour area and the the parliamentarty candidate, Todd Foreman, was key speaker with lots of councillors and candidates at various levels there backing him up.
Sign in sheet passed round. Name, Address, Phone No. No "organisation" and no "email"; I chose to give just my name and email address as it didn't say "postal".
There was no round-the-room intro (no teas and coffees either) and we started off with a guessing game to guess the salary of First's chief executive ... told it's 2 million a year, up from 1.1 million last year, and that figure was referred back to through the evening. Quiet admission in the "smalltalk" that the figure is a total package. We were told that First had been invited but declined to attend, but had sent a statement; we were also told that it was 4 pages - "too long to read in full and with errors in it, so we'll ony read parts" and in fact none of it at all was read out - just critical comments made. There weren't copies to hand around - there was an invite to come to the front and read it after the meeting.
After the meeting ... I left on the 20:59 bus. It was conveniently 5 minutes after the meeting, in which I had said not a word and not been asked a single question as to who I was, nor given a word of welcome (but it was NOT hostile - good). As I sat on the bus, there were six other passengers, there was not one other person on board from the meeting. Most of them, lead by the parliamentary canidate, had crossed the road behind the bus and, studiously ignoring the vehicle, were having their group picture taken in the lovely low evening sun. It struck me that I had far more attended a political rally than a constructive transport meeting, and was reminded of the story back in the 1960s where a group of people from some town went to London to plead for their railway to be retained ... but they went by car. They lost the railway.
So - there's your drift, and some background. Journey out / back was good - caught the 272 at 16:23 (a few minutes late) at the end of our road and confired that it DID run the proper route past Mallory Place. 7 people on it for Bowerhill drop-off / just myself plus one other on as it left Melksham for Bath ... picked up a three more through Shaw and Whitley and 2 more on the A4 on the way into Bath, on time at bus station. An unexpected 184 took me on quickly to Radstock - 17:20, with about 20 people on. ("unexpected" because I hadn't checked the timetable for that route which goes to Frome, althoug this was a short working). Noticable that few people paying, and most of those who did were presenting some form of ID.
On the way back, 20:59 bus dropped off most people at Peasdown St James, just 2 through passengers to Bath. Connected into 22:02 train (or rather intended to) to catch the 22:26 bus from Chippenham, but this got steadily delayed and I went to the station supervisior for help when it became so late that the connection was going to miss. THANK YOU First Great Western for sorting me out. Makes me realise just how good the customer care can be at times.
So - the meat of the meeting.
First half, people telling their stories and airing concerns - much of that swining between the possible and the fanciful, and between the well informed and the incorrect (e.g. it ain't going to cost 14 pounds now - you don't need two day tickets!). But actually I have huge sympathy for these issues; First haven't made it easy and appear to have done a few cynical / underhanded and manipulative things in the pricing, and left information release on specifics so late that they have built up a head of negative steam. I say "appear" - whether it's intentional or just "oops", I can't tell.
Second half, a draft charter which the meeting wants to (?) take forward. Prepared, printed as a handout for modification ahead of time. A few changes which the meeting trusted the organisers to put in and take forward; no vote taken of those present, rather an assumption made that it was unanimously accepted. No "any questions / comments" opening given to the meeting / no wash-up. You had to jump in and push to say things and I'm afraid I just let things roll over. Personally I feel that some very good, clear inputs could have been made / agreed that could effectively have opened the way to a conversation.
It was understood at the meeting that First in Bath now have a consultative committee, and this document will be presented to that committee at some stage. Listening in, I'm pretty sure it'w the customer panel they're talking about - they certainly named out contact there as the person to refer too (and have her as "management" and "fat cat" in their view). I'm afraid I find the thought of a group of them coming and presenting to the customer panel a bit pointless as they don't know the panel and if invited I would have suggested that two or three of them learn in, make a good case, and join the panel to work on things. I'm sure they wuld be welcomed; although the panel is toothless at least it's something that can notify First bus of issues, and inform customers back in reverse.
I have cut from here the specific meeting comments ... my raw text is available on one of our internal boards for discussion - [here] - but some of the things said are reported verbatim and are plain incorrect, and I could get myself into serious trouble but publishing them to the world.
There are some good and valid points. The Radstock group could do well to learn and tune and ask for things that are within First's remit and give First something too; if they want political and systemic change to separate that out. There is much that could be done ... I have learned a great deal from Radstock, though.
