A day on the Buses

Recurring Punctures in all three bikes and replacement tyres awaiting delivery from Wiggle, the car at the garage, and a few errands to run. What's to do? Looks like it's time to head for the bus stop. Big changes are in store with Sheffield buses, as the Bus Quality Partnership takes hold. So what's it like on the buses in Sheffield, once the home of cheap efficient buses, at the moment? Here's how my day went.

My local bus is only half-hourly and the times and route don't suit, so I hoof it down to Banner Cross (fine for me as I am able-bodied but if you are old & infirm or disabled it's a steep walk back up, with no dropped kerbs in this area.) The 30 comes along which goes where I'm going so I hop on and buy a First Day (Sheffield) Saver, a snip at £4.80. With local journeys in my area on First at £1.40, and Stagecoach £1.20, (they are a lot more expensive in other parts of the city) I'm going to have to hop on and off a lot of buses to make it worthwhile, and they are all going to have to be First Buses.

It being August, there's not much traffic on the roads and the trip to work is pretty quick. Come lunchtime, I need to get over to Heeley (& fast). The journey planner says walk to Moorfoot and catch the 20, so I do. From the top of the bus you can see that work on the Markets site is well started. Pick up the car from it's MOT, and a Very Large Amount of money is deducted from my card for the privilege of driving my ageing
estate car around occasionally for another year.  (About a 100 days worth of bus passes in fact.) Not wishing to pay for my parking, I drive the car to Fulwood. to catch a bus back to work. However, the one I've selected turns out to be run by Stagecoach, so I have to move the car up the road to catch the (very efficient) no.40 back towards town. Mission accomplished within the timescale!

After work, a quick run back up to Fulwood enables me to pick up the car, pick up a few heavy items and transport them home. Have arranged a meet with a pal at the Sheffield Tap, so it's back down to Banner X, where I encounter the 6 p.m. Black Bus Hole  - the first -  (as opposed to First) three buses to come back are either heading to the depot (they don't like to come out at night) or are Stagecoach. Eventually a First bus comes along and the driver is very grateful to me for pointing out that the headboard says Hunters Bar rather than City Centre. Hardly any passengers so it's a quick trip back to town.   We pop in to the rail ticket office to buy an advance ticket from Fishguard back to Sheffield, total cost £45 - or 9 days travel on First buses (approx.) Then I get a lift to Lower Walkley for some tea, leaving me with the last trip of the day, back to Greystones. The local bus is run by TM Travel so I hoof it down to Langsettt Rd, ignoring the frequent Supertrams sailing by. A First comes stops that is driven by a guy for whom it is clearly the last run of the day, so it takes no time to get to Snig Hill, just in time to see my bus setting off. So it's another stroll up Fargate, (following a cyclist up the pedestrianised part and thinking that it really that it really wouldn't be a problem if cycling was allowed 7p.m. to 7 a.m. along here)

Get to Pinstone St && then I get Stagecoached - the first bus to come along is the 88a, which strangely goes up the road very close to my house, but not down the road.  This gives us two buses an hour, but they go at more or less the same time, so it's not all that convenient. Anyway, my principles break down here, and I fork out an additional £1.20 for the privilege of getting off outside the Greystones before closing time. (Dear Reader, I did not go in.)

So what, I hear you say? So what are my conclusions, I hear you say? Well I just about made a profit on my all-day saver. My journeys would have been a lot more convenient if I could have used my day pass on any bus, although I'm not sure I would have been willing to pay more than a fiver for the privilege. The journeys themselves were fast & efficient, although it's a different story in October when the schools & universities are in full swing, and the drivers were great. It was eye-opening to see how randomly cyclists behave around buses, and how considerate and alert the drivers are, although I know it often doesn't seem like that when you are on a bike. Roll on the BQP and let's get some of the problems fixed, I say!