Council check: Cumbria County Council

Each Sunday, we take a look at a local authority's attempts to publicise the bus routes on its patch. This week, it's the turn of Cumbria County Council.

Where do the buses go?

A range of maps cover the whole county, including separate enlargements for the main towns. 5 out of 5.

Timetables

Bus timetables for all routes in the county are here. 5 out of 5.

Fares

Nothing about single fares, but this page gives details of the day tickets available. Unfortunately some of the information is out of date, such as the prices of Stagecoach Dayrider tickets. Plusbus, available in Barrow, Carlisle, Kendal, Whitehaven, Windermere and Workington, is mentioned. There is no multi-operator ticket, but then Stagecoach run all of the major routes anyway. 1 out of 5.

Summary

Cumbria is very geared up to welcome tourists. Maps give a good overview of which bus goes where and timetables are easy to find. A point has been deducted for the out-of-date prices given for Stagecoach tickets, but this is overall a good effort for one of the main tourist regions of the UK. Cumbria County Council scores 11 out of 15.

Council check: Strathclyde Partnership for Transport

Each Sunday, we look at how one of our local transport authorities provides information on the buses running in its region. Today, it's the turn of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, better known as SPT.

Most people know they oversee public transport in Glasgow, but they cover a few neighbouring council areas too, not that their own website will tell you what their region actually is. According to Wikipedia, they cover the following council areas:

• Argyll and Bute
• West Dunbartonshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• North Lanarkshire
• South Lanarkshire
• City of Glasgow
• South Ayrshire
• East Ayrshire
• North Ayrshire
• Inverclyde
• Renfrewshire
• East Renfrewshire

The Daytripper map shows the whole region:

Where do the buses go?

Don't ask SPT, they won't tell you. No maps of any description. Not even a list of routes. You can search by area for a list of routes over at Traveline Scotland, but that site is very clunky and SPT don't tell you about it anyway. 0 out of 5.

Timetables

There is a timetable section, but it only covers those routes that are subsidised by SPT. Most bus routes are commercial and SPT offers absolutely no help (other than a list of commercial operators) to potential passengers regarding those routes. Traveline does have timetables for all routes, but SPT don't tell you that, and it's rather difficult to use anyway. 1 out of 5.

Tickets

There is a region-wide multi-operator and multi-modal ticket, the Daytripper. But there is no information on single or return fares, nor on operators' own day tickets. No mention of Plusbus, which is available in Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. 1 out of 5.

Summary

So, you have no way to find out which bus goes where, let alone a comprehensive route map, no easy access to timetables for the majority of routes and next to no information on fares. The only thing SPT can seem to do right is promote the Daytripper ticket. For a region of huge interest to tourists from elsewhere in the UK and from abroad, this is a shockingly poor offering. SPT scores just 2 out of 15.

Council check: Durham County Council

This week, we judge how well Durham County Council promotes the buses on its patch.

Where do the buses go?

A series of semi-interactive maps cover the whole county. Town and city centre enlargements are included. 5 out of 5.

Timetables

Click on a route number within the maps and a link to the pdf timetable pops up on screen. 5 out of 5.

Fares

Durham's advice is to check with the bus operator, which isn't really good enough when they could have told us about the Explorer North East multi-operator ticket. Nothing about operators' own tickets, nor about Plusbus, which is available in Durham. 0 out of 5.

Summary

Good maps with integrated timetable information, totally let down by the lack of information on tickets, even though a regionwide multi-operator ticket does exist. Durham County Council scores a total of 10 out of 15.

Court backs wheelchair priority / Pensioners' passes causing cuts

A wheelchair user in Wetherby wanted to travel by bus, but couldn't because a mother with a pushchair would not vacate the wheelchair space. The bus driver only requested for her to move and she refused, so the wheelchair user couldn't travel. Today a judge at Leeds County Court has ruled that situation in breach of the Equality Act 2010 and First have had to pay damages to the man who couldn't travel. Full story at the Guardian.

More bus cuts are on the way due to council funding cuts in Hampshire, Derbyshire and elsewhere. One letter-writer to the Derbyshire Times blames pensioners' passes for making so many routes unviable, a point that this blog has made before.

Council check: East Sussex County Council

Each Sunday, we look at the bus-promoting activities of a local transport authority. Today, it's the turn of East Sussex County Council.

Where do the buses go?

This interactive map shows all bus routes in the county. There are also enlarged maps of the major towns. 5 out of 5.

Timetables

There are links to timetables from the interactive map and also on Traveline. 4 out of 5.

Fares

Details of some day tickets, including the multi-operator Discovery ticket are here. It is not exhaustive however, missing out some of the single-operator local day tickets. Plusbus, available in Lewes, Eastbourne, Hastings and Rye, is mentioned. 3 out of 5.

Summary

Excellent maps, timetables linked to on third-party sites, but not enough information on fares. East Sussex County Council scores a total of 12 out of 15.

Council check: Somerset County Council

How easy does Somerset County Council make it to find out about the buses on its patch?

Where do the buses go?

No maps and not even a list of bus services. Appalling. Those in the know will head to Traveline, where you can search for a bus route by location and see an individual route map. 1 out of 5.

Timetables

The council just sends you over to Traveline, where admittedly you can find timetables for all routes easily. 2 out of 5.

Fares

Absolutely no information is provided. There is no multi-operator ticket. Plusbus, available in Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil, is ignored. 0 out of 5.

Summary

This is a very poor performance all round. Anyone would think Somerset County Council is trying to put local public transport operators out of business. They are rewarded with a shameful score of 3 out of 15.