joseph
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Post by joseph on Jun 28, 2021 6:25:12 GMT 1
I've been noticing over the past few weeks that Dewsbury depot services keep being cancelled all over the shop, take Saturday night for example, an entire evening rota for the 203, 126/7 and 283 plus a couple of 212 journeys all cancelled, something like 3 drivers worth of work. It seems that nearly every evening, services here get cancelled a lot more than any other Arriva area. The public are starting to take notice as well with some replies to tweets talking of a shambolic company. Surely Arriva can find a driver from somewhere willing to pick up overtime, or is the overtime pay not worth it?
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Post by stephen01 on Jun 28, 2021 7:09:53 GMT 1
I've been noticing over the past few weeks that Dewsbury depot services keep being cancelled all over the shop, take Saturday night for example, an entire evening rota for the 203, 126/7 and 283 plus a couple of 212 journeys all cancelled, something like 3 drivers worth of work. It seems that nearly every evening, services here get cancelled a lot more than any other Arriva area. The public are starting to take notice as well with some replies to tweets talking of a shambolic company. Surely Arriva can find a driver from somewhere willing to pick up overtime, or is the overtime pay not worth it? The problem can be varied; it could be drivers off sick with stress or Covid, isolating if been in contqct with someone symptomatic with Covid, side-effects from the Vaccination or simply out of driving hours due to massive delays due to the protests/rallies and roadworks over the last several weeks. But Arriva have started a massive recruitment drive across all 5 Yorkshire depots for drivers but there's still high chances of cancellations when the training starts of the new drivers and then you'll also have the same with the drivers that cover the mentorship of new drivers. Another example of trips having to be cancelled is unruly passengers causing problems. If you look on some of the replies even drivers are saying the same and saying they are been asked to workover bit there's not many takers of it. There's also been some passengers calling for them to do similar to First Leeds and sub-contract out some of the routes (in the case of First it's some of Bramley depot's low frequency routes) but again that will take time as there's multiple stages to go through and again the sub-contracted company will need to learn the routes and also the ticketing systems if it's requested for same prices to be transferred over. |
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Post by adam on Jun 28, 2021 8:18:55 GMT 1
Are they a victim of honesty though? Dewsbury are obviously being honest and putting cancellations on social media, are the other depots keeping quiet and just cancelling chunks of services but because its not in the public domain nobody notices
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2021 8:37:22 GMT 1
Are they a victim of honesty though? Dewsbury are obviously being honest and putting cancellations on social media, are the other depots keeping quiet and just cancelling chunks of services but because its not in the public domain nobody notices No other depots post cancellations on social media as well. But unfortunately it does look like Dewsbury is the depot with probably most of the drivers off sick or stress or being sent home to self isolate as the being in contact with someone with covid symptoms. You have to actually praise Arriva for putting cancellations on as people can prepare or change their method of transport before hand. Also, does First actually post any cancellations at all? I can't see any on their twitter or FB pages at all? I can see service updates like roadworks but not actual any cancellations at all. I think the people slagging the company off as well, are bang out of order. |
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Post by stephen01 on Jun 28, 2021 10:36:13 GMT 1
Are they a victim of honesty though? Dewsbury are obviously being honest and putting cancellations on social media, are the other depots keeping quiet and just cancelling chunks of services but because its not in the public domain nobody notices No other depots post cancellations on social media as well. But unfortunately it does look like Dewsbury is the depot with probably most of the drivers off sick or stress or being sent home to self isolate as the being in contact with someone with covid symptoms. You have to actually praise Arriva for putting cancellations on as people can prepare or change their method of transport before hand. Also, does First actually post any cancellations at all? I can't see any on their twitter or FB pages at all? I can see service updates like roadworks but not actual any cancellations at all. I think the people slagging the company off as well, are bang out of order. First do post cancellations but it has been a while since they posted any. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2021 10:38:10 GMT 1
No other depots post cancellations on social media as well. But unfortunately it does look like Dewsbury is the depot with probably most of the drivers off sick or stress or being sent home to self isolate as the being in contact with someone with covid symptoms. You have to actually praise Arriva for putting cancellations on as people can prepare or change their method of transport before hand. Also, does First actually post any cancellations at all? I can't see any on their twitter or FB pages at all? I can see service updates like roadworks but not actual any cancellations at all. I think the people slagging the company off as well, are bang out of order. First do post cancellations but it has been a while since they posted any. Is that a case of they got enough drivers or they don't post their cancelled services/open as much as Arriva are in terms of cancellations? |
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Post by stephen01 on Jun 28, 2021 12:46:05 GMT 1
First do post cancellations but it has been a while since they posted any. Is that a case of they got enough drivers or they don't post their cancelled services/open as much as Arriva are in terms of cancellations? well First have had a few recruitment drivers across all West Yorks depots whereas Arriva's just undergoing one after focusing on engineering first |
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Post by guyarab on Jun 28, 2021 23:29:40 GMT 1
I reckon Dewsbury’s cancellations are Covid related and if they are appealing for drivers to work overtime and not succeeding is that because drivers fear being infected?
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Post by yorkshireman on Jul 8, 2021 20:20:28 GMT 1
I'm a Dewsbury driver and we are trying our best to cover what needs doing but we can't do much when drivers feel taken advantage of by the company and refuse to do overtime but some do it just to keep what services we can running. Ive been doing overtime non stop over the last four week and actually forgot what a day off feels like.
Having roadworks on scout Hill mixed with Dewsbury Road in Leeds didn't help things last week making buses anywhere between 20-40 minutes late. I got into Leeds on a 202 and got told to put Dewsbury on the destination display and ring depot for further instructions once back at Dewsbury and was told to run up to Saville arms and then continue back in service at Miller and Carter returning to Dewsbury. The inspectors need a big pat on the back for what they're doing behind the scenes to keep services running.
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twy7
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Post by twy7 on Jul 8, 2021 22:14:39 GMT 1
I'm a Dewsbury driver and we are trying our best to cover what needs doing but we can't do much when drivers feel taken advantage of by the company and refuse to do overtime but some do it just to keep what services we can running. Ive been doing overtime non stop over the last four week and actually forgot what a day off feels like. Having roadworks on scout Hill mixed with Dewsbury Road in Leeds didn't help things last week making buses anywhere between 20-40 minutes late. I got into Leeds on a 202 and got told to put Dewsbury on the destination display and ring depot for further instructions once back at Dewsbury and was told to run up to Saville arms and then continue back in service at Miller and Carter returning to Dewsbury. The inspectors need a big pat on the back for what they're doing behind the scenes to keep services running. You do not drive my route but for the people who rely on you in dewsbury you are doing a good job. Why is it so bad and will it get better when the changes happen because looks like dewsbury will get less service? Sorry to ask but I do not know about the reason. So many road work will not help at all too |
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Post by adam on Jul 9, 2021 12:27:31 GMT 1
A daytime 126/7 or 202/3 board wouldn't have a huge affect if cancelled but a lot of the cancellations on social media seem to be late buses sometimes last ones on the route or route group
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joseph
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Post by joseph on Jul 9, 2021 17:14:52 GMT 1
What's really needed then is a major overhaul of all timetables based on what can realistically be covered, and if that means services are axed, then so be it, at least people will know where they stand where as at the moment you need back up plans for when evening, and in particular last buses are cancelled. I personally would never want to work as a bus driver from any depot in West Yorkshire, unless I was doing rural services only, even if the pay was millions. Crap streets to look at, endless roadworks, lights stuck on red, stop after stop after stop, I'd be stressed and bored to death so if it turns out the industry is badly short of drivers, I'm not surprised!
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Jul 9, 2021 18:37:11 GMT 1
Other operators, such as Go North East are having similar problems with Test and Trace, but as well as sub contracting to other bus companies who may have slack, they have also got some coach firms to help out.
So in West Yorkshire you could have someone like CT Plus running a few boards
This comes across like weak management at Arriva who are happy to just let it drift along rather than thinking outside the box, or being unable to authorise the cost unlike firms like Go Ahead
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Jul 9, 2021 20:07:10 GMT 1
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twy7
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Post by twy7 on Jul 9, 2021 20:15:40 GMT 1
What's really needed then is a major overhaul of all timetables based on what can realistically be covered, and if that means services are axed, then so be it, at least people will know where they stand where as at the moment you need back up plans for when evening, and in particular last buses are cancelled. I personally would never want to work as a bus driver from any depot in West Yorkshire, unless I was doing rural services only, even if the pay was millions. Crap streets to look at, endless roadworks, lights stuck on red, stop after stop after stop, I'd be stressed and bored to death so if it turns out the industry is badly short of drivers, I'm not surprised! Is that what is happening with the change to 126 and 127? |
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joseph
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Post by joseph on Jul 9, 2021 20:27:24 GMT 1
Some of the Leeds cancellations tonight are down to the farce what is Leeds (traffic lights stuck on red, broken down vehicle blocking Vicar Lane on top of the usual stuff) but it does appear that Dewsbury depot heavily relies on overtime to plug major gaps from mid afternoon onwards, especially evenings, and this has been going on for far too long so something needs doing now. For those unlucky enough to need the last bus from Leeds to Huddersfield, then yes there is the train but if you live quite far out from a station then you may have no choice but to get a taxi from Leeds, not a great advert, after all who wants to be hanging round isolated Mirfield and Ravensthorpe stations waiting for a taxi for example.
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Post by stephen01 on Jul 9, 2021 20:29:56 GMT 1
The 202 & 203 are currently going to end up with trips cancelled as the roadworks across the route which can cause massive delays plus this week there's been extra problems in Leeds which will have added to timing issues. Arriva Dewsbury have been working tirelessly to keep the services running as best they can. It's all good saying about getting help from the independant operators but that's not always a quick solution as they'll need to get the route information Arriva and get the fares set up on their ticket machines and the drivers would need to learn the routes and the destinations adding to their blinds. The 202 & 203 routes are going to be getting worse with delays with the Mirfield-Leeds Cycle highway been done and there's improvement works due to start at Cooper's Bridge. It might be visable to have independants help out after next week (w/c 12th July 2021) when schools have broken up and that's also if they've got staff wanting overtime themselves. |
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Post by stephen01 on Jul 9, 2021 20:32:53 GMT 1
What's really needed then is a major overhaul of all timetables based on what can realistically be covered, and if that means services are axed, then so be it, at least people will know where they stand where as at the moment you need back up plans for when evening, and in particular last buses are cancelled. I personally would never want to work as a bus driver from any depot in West Yorkshire, unless I was doing rural services only, even if the pay was millions. Crap streets to look at, endless roadworks, lights stuck on red, stop after stop after stop, I'd be stressed and bored to death so if it turns out the industry is badly short of drivers, I'm not surprised! Is that what is happening with the change to 126 and 127? Possibly but i'd say it's more to do with the fact they're putting deckers on the 280 on a regular basis which is actually what Arriva has on their website for 280's changes. |
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joseph
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Post by joseph on Jul 10, 2021 7:23:06 GMT 1
The thing I'm really surprised about is the lovely people at Hilcrest House not taking action, IMO if it were an independent having such problems I bet they'd have them hauled in a lot faster.
I think it's time for a more radical re-think, Arriva should simply amend timetables on an emergency basis, terminate all 117/8 and 200/1/2/3 services at White Rose and refuse to serve Leeds until the council does something about the slowworks. I've seen many a situation of men standing doing nothing whilst one man does all the work, I'll go on record and say I bet the council have instructed the construction company to drag it out so they piss off motorists to the extent they feel forced to cycle.
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Post by deerfold on Jul 10, 2021 8:58:30 GMT 1
I'll go on record and say I bet the council have instructed the construction company to drag it out so they piss off motorists to the extent they feel forced to cycle. I'll go on record and say that's a ridiculous suggestion. |
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Jul 10, 2021 11:17:13 GMT 1
The thing I'm really surprised about is the lovely people at Hilcrest House not taking action, IMO if it were an independent having such problems I bet they'd have them hauled in a lot faster. I think it's time for a more radical re-think, Arriva should simply amend timetables on an emergency basis, terminate all 117/8 and 200/1/2/3 services at White Rose and refuse to serve Leeds until the council does something about the slowworks. I've seen many a situation of men standing doing nothing whilst one man does all the work, I'll go on record and say I bet the council have instructed the construction company to drag it out so they piss off motorists to the extent they feel forced to cycle. What has missing evening boards got to do with the roadworks in Leeds? Also it doesn't seem to be effecting Heckmondwike who also run services into Leeds |
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Post by dwarfer1979 on Jul 10, 2021 18:30:36 GMT 1
The thing I'm really surprised about is the lovely people at Hilcrest House not taking action, IMO if it were an independent having such problems I bet they'd have them hauled in a lot faster. No they wouldn't, any investigation takes months after complaints are received and then the legal process that may or may not follow also takes months - even if they are taking an interest it would be 6-9 (or even 12 months) before anything became public. Smaller operators may go through this process slightly quicker simply because there is less to check (if a problem is identified investigations tend to be wider than the individual routes complained about - our last interaction led to data for the entire depot being looked at). The DVSA is under-resourced to investigate bus services so there are only so many they can look into, the staff who handle this are also the ones who check the roadworthiness of trucks which takes up most of their time - nowadays they seem to primarily rely on complaints and then investigate through accessing operator tracking records rather than standing by the roadside (and so actually get a more accurate & full picture of the performance than the old way) - the DVSA officers were active when the system changed a few years ago talking to operators about what data they held and what they could provide and if they needed to improve this. From my experience in recent dealings I have knowledge of it seems the DVSA is more keen to promote improvement rather than just go for prosecution so the operator, as long as they show co-operation to the process, is given a chance to fix problems before a final decision is made on whether to refer to the TC (who may also decide not to go straight to prosecution but use a step below that if the operator shows itself worthy of such consideration) - this fix can be through timetable/schedule changes or, as could occur in this case, showing an uptick in a recruitment drive. |
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Post by yorkshireman on Jul 12, 2021 1:49:40 GMT 1
Is that what is happening with the change to 126 and 127? Possibly but i'd say it's more to do with the fact they're putting deckers on the 280 on a regular basis which is actually what Arriva has on their website for 280's changes. The 280 doesn't require deckers to be used on it regularly. The only reason deckers are gonna be on the 280s is because it's now getting mixed in with our 126/7 boards which are mostly always deckers. We've had two boards taken off which will turn the 126/7 to every 15 minutes which is why they're putting us on 280s with them. It's being monitored though when it goes live to see how it pans out. Us drivers think it's stupid because you can easily get stuck behind traffic coming down from Thornhill then you're behind time on the 126/7 which will knock on so arriva is going to monitor it to see if it works. |
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Post by yorkshireman on Jul 12, 2021 1:52:25 GMT 1
I'm a Dewsbury driver and we are trying our best to cover what needs doing but we can't do much when drivers feel taken advantage of by the company and refuse to do overtime but some do it just to keep what services we can running. Ive been doing overtime non stop over the last four week and actually forgot what a day off feels like. Having roadworks on scout Hill mixed with Dewsbury Road in Leeds didn't help things last week making buses anywhere between 20-40 minutes late. I got into Leeds on a 202 and got told to put Dewsbury on the destination display and ring depot for further instructions once back at Dewsbury and was told to run up to Saville arms and then continue back in service at Miller and Carter returning to Dewsbury. The inspectors need a big pat on the back for what they're doing behind the scenes to keep services running. You do not drive my route but for the people who rely on you in dewsbury you are doing a good job. Why is it so bad and will it get better when the changes happen because looks like dewsbury will get less service? Sorry to ask but I do not know about the reason. So many road work will not help at all too It's only this bad because we're roughly 12 drivers short so we have lines that basically isn't filled which means if the spare driver has a duty then some services won't run because Noone is free to cover them. |
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joseph
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Post by joseph on Jul 12, 2021 6:30:43 GMT 1
Some very interesting points here, now some of the cancellations on the 202/3 are down to endless Leeds roadworks, I have been on a couple of 202/3s whereby the driver has been asked to skip sections of route, such as Dewsbury to Huddersfield and turn short because of delays so I've no doubt this is the reason for SOME cancellations, and hence why Arriva need to stand up to LCC and force them to get these blasted works done a lot quicker. However, how come I've not seen ANY cancellations from Heckmondwike or Wakefield? I bet they've got enough spare drivers to cover, and enough willing to do overtime over there.
It's very obvious some cancellations are down to chronic staff shortages, 12 drivers short at Dewsbury is shocking, as I've said earlier if it were a smaller independent, they'd be hauled over the coals and made to pay. At the end of the day, drivers should be drafted in to cover from ANYWHERE within the Arriva West Yorkshire and Selby network, just like I have to do in my job as the public can not have this shambolic situation every night.
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