WorstGroup in Bristol

Bank Holidays are bonus days.

That’s the way I’ve always looked at them. Days where the world slows for just enough time to enjoy yourself and do things you wouldn’t normally be able to given working restrictions. So this Bank Holiday Monday, I chose to visit a friend in Shirehampton – something I have been promising for too long. Living only a ten-minute walk from Bristol Temple Meads, and my friend a similar distance from my destination stop, I thought the train would be a speedy and sensible way to travel.

To my horror, the train was on time, clean, and more importantly, extremely reasonably priced. I managed to get a return from Bristol Temple Meads to Shirehampton for only three pounds. Three pounds! Let me put this in to perspective. Last Friday I caught the (late) bus up the hill to work. Lazy I know, but I’d played football the evening before and my legs were only quasi-functional. Now this used to be a journey that I was able to make using First Group’s ‘Three Stop Hop” fare, where I could travel for three stops for just £1. A small price to pay for those who know the gradient that awaits a pedestrian on Glyn Vale. Having removed the Three Stop Hop in April this year because of “widespread abuse”, the same journey now costs £2.30.

The distance is 0.7 miles, which Google equates to an 18p fuel cost. It would be foolhardy and reductive to suggest that this 18p is in any way indicative of the journey cost in itself – driver’s wages, bus maintenance etc – but £2.30 for less than a mile’s travel is extortionate. So much so, that I have had no fewer that three bus drivers apologise to me for the cost of the fare. Of course, it’s not their place or responsibility to apologise – this must come from higher up the chain of command. However…

I have read that Bristol City Council’s Director of Transport was speaking at a public transport conference organised by Bristol Civic Society, and when asked “Why can’t First Bus do XYZ?” the response was,

We have no powers.

So who has the power? One would hope that it would fall in to the lap of the newly-elected Bristol mayor come November 15th and that it would be a power that they are willing to finally wield. All of the candidates to be the first Bristol mayor highlight public transport as an issue that needs addressing, offering solutions ranging from creating a Bristol HUB at Temple Meads to an Oyster-like Cabot Card. They are written down in their pledges for office, but not much is being said since those were drafted:

All #Bristol Mayor candidates talk of improving public transport. Yet, in over 500 tweets, the word BUS is only mentioned once #BristolMayor — Mayor for the Day (@MayorForTheDay) August 23, 2012

Through doing a quick bit of research, Bristol appears to be lagging behind other major cities in when it comes to providing competitively priced bus fares, even some that are fuelled by FirstGroup :

London £2.30

Liverpool £2.00



Leeds £2.00 (FirstGroup)



Birmingham £1.90



Glasgow £1.85 (FirstGroup)

Cardiff £1.70

Sheffield £1.40



Edinburgh £1.40



We need a better, more reliable, and more importantly, more financially attractive bus service in Bristol. The Three Stop Hop was a brilliant introduction by FirstGroup, but it’s withdrawal has prompted questions about the data behind it’s “widespread abuse” claim. Having lived in Bristol for 9 years, I have been an ardent bus user, but the time has come where they must become cheaper.

I hope that the mayoral candidates aren’t leveraging the need for this improvement to gain office. Only time will tell whether we’ll be left out of pocket, waiting for a bus that doesn’t come…

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This blog forms part of a campaign to increase the turnout in the Bristol Mayoral Election, taking place on November 15th.

You can follow the campaign on Twitter @MayorForTheDay or on Facebook at facebook.com/MayorForTheDay

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