So, that's 2022

Sadly for both of you who read this blog I'm sitting here on Christmas Eve in a reflective mood. I've just spent a week hacking up my lungs with a bronchial cold and now have a functioning voice again. As opposed to the exceptionally poor Darth Vader voice I can do when full of cold.  I've got Radio 2's Pick of the pops blasting out and I'm starting to type as Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' is in full flow. This afternoon's choices are 1983 and 1995, both fairly decent years for music. 

Christmas 1995 was the Wonderwall christmas, where Oasis had their hit high up in the charts. However it wasn't a no 1 - which is why the Channel 4 'Greatest Number 1 singles' compilation and programme doesn't include it, but instead has 'Don't Look Back In Anger' from April 1996 as the sole Oasis record on the compilation.   See, my useless knowledge extends beyond the world of buses.... :D 

What have we achieved in 2022? Well, we've begun the process of replacing older buses with brand new buses in the form of baby Optare Solo SRs. We've changed tack again with fleet composition having had a bus network stabilise at around 60% of pre covid passenger levels. We were in the process of adding a new fleet of Enviro 400 MMCs for the mainline 15 route but those aren't being completed now. 

So, only all the work of 12 years being undone. We've significantly cutback the bus network to a level which is commercially sustainable and that has meant the loss of two town networks and a chunk of interurban routes and a halving of our bus PVR. We've now got just over 20 buses working timetabled services. 

I've been fairly open about the profit levels we make from running local buses. Essentially we don't. The network does have some profitable services amongst them, but those profits are outstripped by loss making services we provide. So, overall, we're at breakeven level. Why do we persist with running local buses? 

Putting it simply, we're raising awareness in the communities we serve. We would sooner provide the services than someone else coming in and doing this, as then they'll look to cement that work with other things.  This mindset was why we kept running buses during the lockdown of 2020, as the frequencies were what we considered bare minimum. Further cutting back would mean no bus at all, which is something we won't entertain.  

It's with this that the Government's maximum £2 single fare cap is a welcome introduction. From 1st January to 31st March 2023 all participating operators have capped the maximum single fare at £2. The difference between that and the 'normal' fare is met by the Government.  Like many things introduced by Government there are valid funding concerns  - notably those raised by Julian Peddle in Route One and in his latest Buses column. 

For our operation our maximum fares aren't too adrift of that £2  -  we offer discounted travel tickets where all day travel is £3, all week for £15 and all month for £50. Alongside this we have 5/10 single trip tickets sold on bus where each single equates to £1 a trip.  So we're not going to 'lose' a massive amount with the upside that we might generate a load more traffic to offset what we've lost. Would be a nice problem to have, but one we could address through duplication, as the staff shortage hasn't hit us as badly as other operators. 

We've also launched Tours UK during the Autumn of 2022.  One strand of my workload in the fleet is the operation, for others of extended tours. We work with incoming tourists of various nationalities and take them from an airport (usually LGW - Gatwick or LHR - Heathrow) and coach them around the UK. As it's a small island we can top this in 12 days. Not sure on the general state of the customers at the end having seen so much but it's an established model with Chinese groups. 

There's two main players in that market - Miki and Omega though there's others catering for other nationalities. Americans like to visit the UK too and they have companies catering for them. Most of the itineraries appear to be similar, so for the operator of the vehicle that makes planning relatively simple as the routings aren't going to vary too much.  Easy for drivers to learn the routes too - and if you've got a local bus operation/school bus operation in your fleet it provides opportunities to move drivers up the work types. 

Strangely, not many model fleet operators do this sort of work which is a surprise as it pays quite well. So a fair chunk of the summer and autumn has been taken up getting this off the ground. As operators ourselves it means we're going to be the primary customers of the tours operation, so we can also set the 'rates' to reflect actual costs of operation. Tours has been established as an adjunct to Flexicoach as the invoicing functions can be accommodated within that set up and there is also an established pool of operators. 

We will have 10 branded white Irizar i6 triaxles working on this come the spring, and shortly we're taking delivery of a vehicle which will be undertaking the publicity side of things ahead of launch. Much like Just go we're offering xxx days of annual work for vehicles, outside of which times the vehicles are available for the operator's own use.   

We have also been busy expanding our fleet AEC Routemaster buses. The autumn months have seen the arrival of another batch to be worked on during the winter. First of the 'white' ones has entered traffic in November, using the identity of RM1599, currently in France where it was exported in 2003. That bus was 'unveiled' at the first Model Bus Scotland show at Bridgeton Bus Garage in Glasgow, where I had the most enjoyable day.  

RM1599 - YTS 820A unveiled at Bridgeton in November

Outside of buses, I've recommenced cycling after 25 years off the bike. Mindful of the apparent largeness I have these days I'm hoping some of it disappears. When much younger I was a keen rider of a tricycle as it offered more 'stability' than a bike but I outgrew the one I had as a child and it never properly got replaced. Dad did build up a frame with a conversion kit on the rear and I wanted it in Southern National (or being more truthful, Southdown!) green and cream. The frame never got completed. 

When Dad passed away almost 5 years ago (that 5th anniversary is very close now) I inheirited the 1946 Stephens fixed wheel trike which sits in my bedroom in a pile of bits, all of which are there. What we lack is an instruction manual for constructing said bits. I've decided the 77 year old trike needs to be ridden again, but being the age it is, it demands respect and isn't for someone who is returning after 25 years non cycling anywhere.

So I have a Pashley Picador which I'm presently building up on. To the bottom of my village is 0.6 miles - so the round trip is 1.2 miles. Last time I went out I managed to ride 2.4 miles. Stopping twice. An improvement on the first go where I almost died on the way home and stopped 6 times on the folding bike. 

I bought it for £240 from someone in Doncaster on a well known auction site. I could have found one for sub £200 down south, but once you've spent £60/70 on fuel collecting, it made more sense to stay local. I'm unsure of the provenance of the trike, but the last owner had it 'new' and had stood it for 2 years in their garage. 

I'm yet to fall off....  

I don't live anywhere scenic.