Bus services to Witney and Chipping Norton

Tue 23 Dec 2008, 07:41

David, just because allot of time passes doesn't mean that the cause of the problem disappears or becomes irrelevant. In many ways forgetting history is what traps us in its consequences. " . . . doomed to repeat it" etc.

My argument isn't political, but I remember a time before privatisation became a religion and mysterious market forces were supposed determine all aspects of oursociety. This dueling bus scenario (like the one in Oxford) is just another example of the remnants of a defunct economic ideology.

The county council should be determining and regulating the distribution of transport into a joined up infrastructure that makes sense for passengers, not just the most profitable set up for the financial stakeholders.

Mon 22 Dec 2008, 23:56

Igor, I am not saying it was a good thing just something that happened so long ago there has been more than enough time to fix it. My son is 16 and can't remember Thatcher!

Mon 22 Dec 2008, 20:35

Interesting to see how the competing bus companies will make out. The County Council had little choice when Mr Worth decided to continue having lost the contract, partly on cost and partly as being unwilling to provide a limited evening service. I agree it would be great to have a half hourly service ,rather than two together. At this busy pre Christmas time both are carrying some passengers although few services get anywhere near full, other than peak journeys nearer Witney. Hopefully the County Council and the operators will think about sustainability and the true cost of providing such services in the future..We shall see. Mike B

Sun 21 Dec 2008, 17:37

Currently we have two buses going to Witney and two buses going to Chipping Norton within a couple of minutes of each other, on the half hour, this is a crazy competition!

There would appear to be a real opportunity to improve the Charlbury bus services to both Witney and Chipping Norton. For one bus company to run the buses on the hour to Witney and Chipping Norton and the other to run them on the half hour. Hey presto, Charlbury has a wonderful half hourly service to the local towns!

Sun 21 Dec 2008, 05:11

Of course it was bad thing. It was Conservative transport policies under Thatcher that directly led to the consequences we are all subject to now: the worst train infrastructure in Europe, over congested roads, and dueling bus systems: all in the name of free market fundamentalism. Even Douglas Hurd admitted on an Oxford Station platform (waiting for a delayed train), that his party had been 'overzealous' in its privatisation of transport.

The fact that we've learnt since is that you can't run efficient essential services (be they transport, health or education), for profit) this isn't politics, it just doesn't work.

And the Witney/Charlbury double booked route is another example of the kind of waste it produces: twice as many buses on the road, twice as much exhaust pumped into countryside and no liaison between the competing services so passengers have to keep track of which brand of bus they've bought a return ticket for.

There is such a thing as too much choice being no choice at all.

Sat 20 Dec 2008, 20:09

David - the fact is bus deregulation took effect on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985 under the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.

I'm not saying it was a bad thing but it saw the end of road service licensing and allowed the introduction of competition on local bus services for the first time since the 1930s. Competition has occured in most towns and cities across Great Britian in the 22 years since. Now it has come to the streets of Charlbury, and we have a choice of services which is not a bad thing. Time will tell though whether both will survive for very long.

Sat 20 Dec 2008, 10:32

Congratulations to all! There are plenty of areas of the UK that have no bus service at all and yet all we Charlburians can do is complain about the fact we have 2!! As a point of interest, Thatcher has been out of office for 18 years, so it is probably about time some of you moved on and found someone else more topical to blame

Sat 20 Dec 2008, 09:31

I came round the corner Park St/Church St the other day and was confronted with one coach and two double deckers trundling in the other direction, all nose to tail. At the very least, the timetabling is crazy.

Sat 20 Dec 2008, 07:15

Can someone explain to me what all the furore is all about please .I can't see when the worths service that has been running a relatively short length of time itself and the new boy on the block who started a week ago have had time to get going yet ,let alone establish themselves properly.

Sat 20 Dec 2008, 06:10

Now that the madness of Thatcher's de-regulation of essential services has been exposed for the anti-social, self-interested exploitation some of us always said it was, it's time for the users of these essential services to demand a service that actually works. And reject the blind, inept profiteering that lines the pockets of shareholders at the expense of those who actually use the service.

Or hasn't anyone been reading the newspapers lately?

Fri 19 Dec 2008, 22:50

Bus companies are allowed to run their buses whenever they like - its all part of Thatcher's deregulation of the bus industry in the 80's! It may seem crazy but if they want to run at the same time there is nothing to stop them doing so, and I think anti-competion law would stop them colluding together.

The Worths timetable for the 69 proudly says "with no council money" but the X9 is providing a better service and still costing the county council taxpayer 40% less than they were paying Worth's to run the 69 just a week ago. If Worths now think they can run the 69 service with no council money it must mean they were claiming money from the taxpayer for no reason all these years.

Well done RH Transport for using smaller buses which are much better for the older generation, people with shopping and young mums with their pushchairs. With both buses leaving at the same time it is clear from what I've seen this week that people are preferring the new service with its low floor buses.

Fri 19 Dec 2008, 22:26

i think it is very silly and there should be just one bus company we had worths for years so why change it this other bus service is silly and people are just say that they dont want to get on it as there waiting for worths as its cheaper my sons friend is 17 and it cost him £4.40 return from charlbury to witney thats a pound more and alot of money when they are at collage everyday.

Fri 19 Dec 2008, 21:11

I would call it privatisation at it's very best - what did they say?.'It will increase competition'??

Fri 19 Dec 2008, 17:39

Do any other fellow Charlbarians feel that the current duplication of the hourly bus service to Witney and Chipping Norton is crazy?

Would it not improve the service, if one bus company ran a service leaving Charlbury on the hour and the other on the half hour?

Congratulations to RH Transport for running buses of a size more suited to the centre of Charlbury though.