Revised timetable for Plymouth Citybus will begin on May 5 - check online to see if it affects you
BUS chiefs have announced a raft of timetable revisions aimed at putting more vehicles into in-demand areas.
Plymouth Citybus said the changes will come in on Sunday, May 5, just six months after the last set of route alterations.
Managing director Richard Stevens said the revision was "building on last year's changes".
"Our reliability and punctuality has increased," he said. "We started at 72 per cent of our buses running no more than five minutes late as of last November, but we've really upped our game and that figure has risen to 95 percent.
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"These new changes will refine some of the punctuality pressures. We're taking resources that don't cover their operating costs and putting them where the demand is."
Mr Stevens stressed that under-used routes were unworkable in the long term and the aim of the revisions, having looked at the figures, was to "take buses from where they are not profitable".
He said he recognised some of the changes would be "contentious", particularly those to the 61/61A service.
The 61 will be circular, running from the city centre to Honicknowle, onto Transit Way, Brake Farm and Peverell, finishing back in the city centre.
Service 61A will run the same route in the opposite direction.
According to Citybus's website, these services will no longer serve Derriford Hospital.
Passengers are urged to check with services 29 and 30 for new connecting journeys to Derriford from West Park and Transit Way.
Mr Stevens said the less-used buses on that route were being "reinvested" in the new 30 service from Victoria Road to Derriford Hospital.
"There's no reduction in the number of buses, but we are going where the demand is greater," he said. "Some people will lose their direct link but there are through links.
"For the 8, 9, 23 and 24 services we've invested extra buses. That's a £120,000 investment in those two services."
Changes will occur for the following services 5 & 5A, 8 & 9, 14D, 16, 20, 21 & 21A, 23 & 24, 25, 26, 26A, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33 & 33A, 34, 35, 40 & 41, 42/42A, 43, 43A, 43B, 44/44A, 45, 46, 50, current 61/62 to be replaced by 61/61A service. All other services remain unchanged.
For more information about the timetable revisions visit the website: http://www.plymouthbus.co.uk/about-us/news/service-revision-5th-may-2013.
Comments
by timplymouth
Friday, March 22 2013, 11:18AM
“To increase punctuality what they usually just do is increase the timetabled journey times so that instead of taking 30 minutes it now takes 35 minutes. Hence a lot of the time the service is early and is late less often. This is annoying though if you want to get on at an intermediate stop as the bus often comes and goes before the time the timetable indicates.”