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Thread: Do we have to standby and watch our bus service disappear?

  1. #1

    Default Do we have to standby and watch our bus service disappear?

    I find it very worrying to read in The Journal that buses north of Keiss may soon cease to run. Several questions come to mind:

    1) Are the people making these decisions car owners, below retirement age, with good salaries? ....I guess that's probably a yes. Hmmmmm!

    2) Where is the competition so that Stagecoach do not have a monopoly that can prevent young people getting to their work (eg Natural Retreats) older people getting into the hospital, or to the shops?

    3) If Andrew Banks can run the Pentalina at a profit, without a subsidy, then surely someone could run a bus service locally even if it was non profit making?

    4) Why should Stagecoach be allowed the ability to increase social isolation in our community?

    5) Can Highland Council do anything? Are they subsidising this threatened service? In which case can the subsidy savings be used to fund an alternative, at least in part, or am I being naive here?

    6) What is the point of giving pensioners free bus passes if there are no buses?

    Just a few of my thoughts for now.

    Janey
    Last edited by janeyj; 13-Jun-18 at 12:07.

  2. #2

    Default

    We have to realise that we don't count until it comes to election time.
    Where is our SNP MSP Gail Ross in all this as far as I am concerned they are trying to de-populate the Highlands and have us all move down to the central belt.
    We pay the same as everyone else but over a period of time we see our services decline more and more.
    We are becoming a wasteland.
    Perhaps you should try to organise a demonstration outside the bus station in Thurso.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by janeyj View Post
    2) Where is the competition so that Stagecoach do not have a monopoly that can prevent young people getting to their work (eg Natural Retreats) older people getting into the hospital, or to the shops?
    I would strongly suspect that even 1 operator is not making money. Hence why they are pulling out, and why there are not 2 operators or more

    Quote Originally Posted by janeyj View Post
    3) If Andrew Banks can run the Pentalina at a profit, without a subsidy, then surely someone could run a bus service locally even if it was non profit making?
    The Pentalina is "stowed oot" most of the time. So much so that, to quote the infamous Roy Scheider in Jaws - "You're gonna need a bigger boat" - I somehow doubt that the Stagecoach buses north of Keiss are running with folk sitting on the roof.

    Quote Originally Posted by janeyj View Post
    4) Why should Stagecoach be allowed the ability to increase social isolation in our community?
    Its not compulsory for them to run the service at a loss, if folk are not using it.

    Quote Originally Posted by janeyj View Post
    5) Can Highland Council do anything? Are they subsidising this threatened service? In which case can the subsidy savings be used to fund an alternative, at least in part, or am I being naive here?
    Should public money be spent on a loss making service? Yes, to a point. But below a certain threshold, its not good use of public money.

    Quote Originally Posted by janeyj View Post
    6) What is the point of giving pensioners free bus passes if there are no buses?
    Even more of a loss maker if no-one is paying for it.

  4. #4
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    this is what i have been saying for years about the buses

  5. #5
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    Highland Clearances II. The evidence is there, whether its busses, health services or jobs; those who have the power will not be happy until the land north of Inverness is depopulated to make way for wind turbines and marauding motorhomes.
    'We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.'
    Maya Angelou

  6. #6

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    Caithness a sinking ship

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by JANJO View Post
    Caithness a sinking ship

    “We're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine....
    And the machine is bleeding to death."


  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by JANJO View Post
    Caithness a sinking ship
    Don't worry, the rest of the country are with you, and us over here. All the time, folk don't make use of a service or a facility, then bleat when it closes down.

    Folk that buy a case of lager and sit in watching Love Island or other bruck - Then complain when the pub down the road closes - The one they go to every few years.

    In Kirkwall there was a huge hoo haa when they took away the 2 red phone boxes of Broad Street a couple of years ago. Did those making the hoo haa use them? Heck no, they would rather use a £600 mobile than use a phone box - "But they have always been there, and I don't like the look of the street without them".....

    Folk that sit in and shop for everything online - Then complain that the local shop that they were last in in 2007 has closed down.

    Folk that sign up to expensive Sky TV packages, then complain when the cinema closes down.

    And folk that don't use the bus services. Then complain when they get stopped.

    Happening nationwide, in a locality near you.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by orkneycadian View Post
    Don't worry, the rest of the country are with you, and us over here. All the time, folk don't make use of a service or a facility, then bleat when it closes down.

    Folk that buy a case of lager and sit in watching Love Island or other bruck - Then complain when the pub down the road closes - The one they go to every few years.

    In Kirkwall there was a huge hoo haa when they took away the 2 red phone boxes of Broad Street a couple of years ago. Did those making the hoo haa use them? Heck no, they would rather use a £600 mobile than use a phone box - "But they have always been there, and I don't like the look of the street without them".....

    Folk that sit in and shop for everything online - Then complain that the local shop that they were last in in 2007 has closed down.

    Folk that sign up to expensive Sky TV packages, then complain when the cinema closes down.

    And folk that don't use the bus services. Then complain when they get stopped.

    Happening nationwide, in a locality near you.

    whats this got to do with buses ???? !!!!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by orkneycadian View Post
    And folk that don't use the bus services. Then complain when they get stopped.
    In particular - The rest was drawing comparisons to other services and facilities that close down through lack of support. And drawing comparisons to everywhere else in the country that is suffering the same thing, to counter the suggestion that this was a conspiracy plot against solely Caithness.

    Hope that clears it up for you.

  11. #11
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    2 x99 buses book down yesterday at 8.20am

  12. #12
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    Me no comprende

  13. #13
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    Most people now have cars and yes ... I agree with orkneycadian we are all guilty of online purchasing to the detriment of our community!
    I was in our local bike shop recently ... yes I am related to them! ... and someone who had purchased 'online' expected to get their bike problems fixed for free because the shop sold the same make of bike ... really!

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by her00026 View Post
    Most people now have cars and yes ... I agree with orkneycadian we are all guilty of online purchasing to the detriment of our community!
    I was in our local bike shop recently ... yes I am related to them! ... and someone who had purchased 'online' expected to get their bike problems fixed for free because the shop sold the same make of bike ... really!
    To be fair, thy have probably been used to working with franchised car dealers which would work in that manner, alas that isn’t the case with other things.
    I cannot even get my caravan serviced by the local dealer as I didn’t purchase from him and that is as a fully paying customer. But if he doesn’t want the business then It’s his call.

  15. #15
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    I don’t mind paying a little more to shop locally and get the product in my hand but I do baulk at paying 50% or more over other retailers.
    I was in the market for a plastic Xmas tree and tried the local retailers, in one shop they were selling a nice one for a little over £200 I took the product number and googled it and found it could be bought online including delivery for £99.
    I never bought that particular one but that ended my local search for one.

  16. #16
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    And so the race to the bottom continues.....

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by orkneycadian View Post
    And so the race to the bottom continues.....
    I have got to agree with orkneycadian: Use it or lose it. Why not just leave your car at home some days and take the bus? Enjoy life in the slow lane for once and doing so, maybe help save the bus service?

  18. #18
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    That’s ok if I wanted to walk 2 miles to the stop then get the one bus to town and one out per day that’s available, no handy for nipping to get milk

  19. #19
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    A round trip by car of at least 4 miles just to nip to get milk, shows indeed just what we have become.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by orkneycadian View Post
    A round trip by car of at least 4 miles just to nip to get milk, shows indeed just what we have become.
    Milkaholics.

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