Buses running in snow?

Fri 6 Feb 2009, 14:56

Yep, two gritters came through yesterday during the day. Slade gritted at about 10.30 last night and gritter with lights on seen on Park Street at 5.30 this morning.

Fri 6 Feb 2009, 14:27

Has anybody else spotted any gritting lorries around Charlbury over the last 24 hours. Last time I saw them grit the local roads was Wednesday evening!

Fri 6 Feb 2009, 09:35

And congratulations to News & Things for getting the papers delivered this morning, too...

Fri 6 Feb 2009, 08:50

Just been reminiscing about 1981 in the Coop though I don't remember the snow being as bad. Coop is baking like mad but no milk. Congratulations to the Dairy for completing their delivery. Those of us still using Michael the milk are feeling smug.
Don't forget to check on your elderly neighbours.

Fri 6 Feb 2009, 07:40

And are buses less stable in snow than they used to be? I caught a Worths bus earlier in the week and the driver told me he had swopped his (modern, low floor, rear engine) bus for one of their older coaches (presumably with a front engine) because the rear-engined bus had been sliding around in Finstock. As he was demonstrating, the old coach was very stable.

Looks like a walk or hitch to work again today... at least it's downhill in the mornings.

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 23:14

In my earlier post, "-18°F". should, of course, read "-18°C".

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 23:10

How times change.

Does anyone recall that dreadfully cold winter of about 1981/2? With the temperature on my thermometer reading -1°F (about -18°F) and in the full knowledge that no trains were running, due to a strike, I made my way to Church Street to travel to work in Oxford by bus. Despite reports of diesel freezing in tanks, Worths bus turned up only a few minutes late. It could not get through deep snow to Stonesfield, so went via Woodstock Road. In the evening, Worths got me safely home again. On that day there was at least a foot of level snow and it was up to coach window height in places, where it had drifted.

I suppose that, in these days of health and safety gone mad, our 2½ inches of snow this morning were considered more dangerous than what we experienced in 1981/2.

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 22:14

Funnily enough, Worth's information may have been more reliable than Stagecoach's, precisely because they don't use a website. Stagecoach posted the news of today's cancellations (no services at that time to Charlbury, Chippy or Witney, among others) about 8.30am, more than an hour after giving the information in an interview to Radio Oxford and presumably 2-3 hours after making the relevant decisions. Websites take time and staff to update.

If you phoned Worths, you got instant accurate information. Doubtless the same would have been true for Stagecoach if their lines weren't too busy.

It was the Traveline website that produced a timetable for a bus service between Chipping Norton-Charlbury-Witney on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, a work of complete fiction.

More snow is forecast for tonight...

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 19:23

What exactly is your gripe John? It a bit harsh to single out one bus company when all of them made the same decision.

At least Stagecoach and RH Transport kept their websites updated so people knew what was happening; what a pity Worth's doesn't embrace the modern age with a decent website!

I'm sure there were times in the past when Worths didn't run the bus they were paid more to operate. Anyway, I'm sure the council won't be paying for the days when no service is provided.

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 19:22

Thanks for the update, Jon. But I'd be grateful if people could say when the 69 buses are running again (also to Chipping Norton). Worth's don't have a website update on whether buses are running, and it's necessary to phone.

Actually, Jon, I think you might being unfair to Stagecoach: after all, the S3 does have a somewhat tortuous route through the villages. But perhaps you are right and all the relevant roads are clear. It is simply impossible to tell from where I sit, looking at the toboggans in the road. In fact, there's been snow & ice all week & it makes travelling conditions hard to assess.

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 18:38

I hitched a lift in from Finstock this morning, and walked back this evening -- a beautiful walk in the fading light, and to be recommended now the wind has dropped.

I can see why the bus companies suspended their early journeys this morning, but sending the drivers home and abandoning all services for the day seems inexcusable. The main road was clear and safe from 10 am onwards, if not earlier. Some companies tender for a County Council subsidy to run their services, after all: something over £200 a day, Monday-Saturday, in the case of the X9 RH Transport service. For that, they could at least run a service once the roads have cleared. Still, I had a pleasant walk home, and the ways things look, I may be doing the same tomorrow!

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 13:42

Oh dear - walking to work from Finstock doesn't seem like such a good idea now!

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 09:22

Links (thanks to Jon Carpenter):

RH Transport have suspended all services: www.rhtransportservices.co.uk/latestnews.htm .

So have Stagecoach: www.stagecoachbus.com/oxfordshire/serviceinfo_6115.html .

Thu 5 Feb 2009, 08:55

Are any of the buses to Witney running? And, if so, do you know if they getting through OK? I'd be grateful for any information.