Search for
Search for
Search forBus operator given another chance
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 14:27
Flights Hallmark, which trades as Wessex Connect in the region and runs services in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, was hauled before the Traffic Commissioner today after a monitoring exercise carried out earlier this year showed a number of services were running early or late, or had not turned up at all.
Monitoring, which took place on 19 days between January 24 and June 11 this year, found that of 354 Wessex Connect buses due, 60 were running late, 53 early and nine failed to show up.
In addition, 48 buses were displaying the incorrect service number and/or incorrect destination information.
Flights Hallmark, which is owned by parent company Rotala, took over the running of two of Bristol's three Park and Ride services in April 2007. It subsequently took over South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach Company's operations in stages during the remainder of 2007 and early 2008. It also runs the U-Link buses for students attending the University of the West of England.
The firm is licensed to operate a total of 80 buses from its depot at Patchway, near Bristol.
Traffic Commissioner Sarah Bell told yesterday's hearing in Bristol that the early running of buses was of "huge concern" to her.
Giving evidence, Flights Hallmark bosses told Miss Bell the firm had inherited a ageing and dilapidated fleet from South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach Company but had invested about £7 million on replacing all but seven vehicles in that fleet with new or "modern second hand" buses.
Bosses pointed out the monitoring exercise had taken place while the takeover over South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach Co was still ongoing and that improvements had since been made. Meanwhile, drivers found to have flouted regulations by running early or off-route to make up time had since been disciplined, bosses said.
Flights Hallmark managing director, Simon Dunn, said: "We inherited services that needed re-routing and drivers were missing out some parts of routes to make up time or were running early to anticipate delays."
He acknowledged the firm was "not quite where we want it to be" but said significant progress had been made by retraining staff, disciplining those who flouted rules and by investing in new vehicles.
David Redgewell, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said early running was "unacceptable" but he was satisfied Flights Hallmark bosses were working hard to improve services in the Greater Bristol and that passengers were already benefiting.
Suspending the inquiry, Miss Bell said a review would take place after a new round of monitoring took place in the coming months.
Comment on this story