#trentbarton

a first for me: all the timetables aligned perfectly to whenever i wanted to take a particular route! hurray. the skylink express has been on my bucket list for a while but whenever i was at EMA/in nottingham it was never convenient for me to take, and i managed to tick it off today

i set off from derby on the 32 service towards ilkeston aboard an eclipse numbered 735, registered FJ09 BXP. it's a real mishmash of stock on the 32 route, i'm suprised anything wider than a solo is used on there considering the narrow roads. initally i wanted to take the ilkeston flyer, but the service didn't show up. the 32 traversing the edge of chaddesden was rather charming, it's really something that a city can end so rapidly.

upon arrival in ilkeston, i transferred to the my15 bus to east midlands airport using versa 803, YJ11 ENF. compared to the former rainbow one and threes versas, i feel like the my15 branded ones lack personality and are a rather bit tired on the inside. something about their interiors feels so sad, but i digress. the sawley loop, although minor, was great to experience - i really didnt expect a full sized bus to be able to do that turn. i have ridden the my15 but only between long eaton and ilkeston.

i really want to come back to the airport again just to planespot because suprisingly there was a lot of activity going on - between the arrival of the my15 and departure of the skylink express i've only had about 15 minutes. but, it's time for the star of the show! i hopped onto a wright solar numbered 663, FN54 AEB. she was a bit battered and messy on the inside, but it's forgiveable as she was produced and delivered in 2004. let me tell you, you don't get these types of engine sounds elsewhere. they're one of a kind, especially when it's being thrashed at 50mph down a dual carriageway.

upon arrival into nottingham, it was time to begin the pilgrimage from the broadmarsh end of the city centre towards victoria. let me tell you, it is not fun. i can cope with it being up hill but not when there's multiple other people. i feel as though there needs to be better intergration between the two bus stations, so if by any chance anyone from nottingham city council is reading this, please consider something, thank you!

once i finally arrived at victoria bus station, enviro 200 mmc 163 YX20 OJF took me to ripley. enviros are lovely buses and i just cannot get enough of them, especially the engine sound.

Trentbarton announces festive bus schedule

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Trentbarton has announced its bus services for Christmas and new year.

The season’s services feature buses up to 6pm on Christmas Eve, a Sunday service on Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve buses until past 4am on New Year’s Day.

On Christmas Eve, there will be a normal Tuesday service until last buses around 6pm on most routes.

There are no services on Christmas Day.

On Boxing Day there will…

The bus company Trent Barton seem to have caused considerable anguish to the residents of Little Eaton and Coxbench with plans to cut out service of the buses 9.1 and 9.2 at the end of May 2016. 

In an apparent attempt (from user feedback) to make the 9.1 and 9.2 have better timekeeping, the routes will cut out the village to save a few minutes on the timetable and avoid getting snagged up in traffic at the Little Eaton/Abbey hill roundabout on the A38, a known trouble spot for traffic ques. Instead, the bus services will stay on the A38 instead of nipping off into the two villages to pick up passengers

The effects of this on the village means that there is now only two buses serving the village (also owned by Trent Barton) and results in No Night service for the village after 7PM and the Sunday service will also be impacted with fewer buses

Young people will not be able to get the bus into Derby, only 3-4 miles away to meet friends after school or get back late from college or University. A taxi to or from Derby is around £10 each way, compared to a £2.40 bus ticket each way

Others people won't be able to get to work in the village that several businesses expressed concerned about and would have a profound impact on their staff. With unhelpful suggestions that they should get off at Pektron Roundabout and walk, with no mention of how someone with a disability would cope with the distance of about a mile

The other downside is that the 9.1 & 9.2 also go north of the villages to Alfreton, Ripley, and Mansfield. Now passengers will need to travel into Derby and change, so the bus can come back the same way they traveled and drive past the villages adding an additional 40 minutes on to a typical journey

The open meeting, thrown together in hastily but organized fashion and was heavily attended (I counted 98) Which showed the concern especially as lots of people were at work for the 11.30 Monday morning start. As I only saw the posters up on Thursday they had managed to get two two representatives for TrentBarton to attend, who admittedly were also shocked by the turnout

Some of the residents after the meeting expressed concern for further reduction in bus services to the village, as the Council subsidies of bus services which will end in 2017 due to economic cutbacks. As the Amberline service is a subsidized Sunday route there is already speculation that this may be lost, meaning no bus service on a Sunday at all. The Derby Garden Centre, The Queens Head, Debs and Nursing Homes all have staff traveling into the village on a Sunday.

To whoever it may concern,

I am writing with sheer disappointment in the Trent Barton company. As a regular user of the bus company, I can conclude that I am not satisfied with the lateness of the buses (I usually catch the two from (MY LOCATION) to get to college). 

Furthermore, on the 26th of March in 2015, I had to catch the two to Balloon Wood Crossroads. After a restless night of sleep, I awoke to realize that my alarm had not gone off and that my usual college bus had already gone. Therefore I was obliged to catch the two.

I am 17 years old and I was not made aware that this was not a child fare until that day when I requested a child single fare to Balloon Wood Crossroads and the man (who obviously doesn't enjoy his job according to the sour look upon his face) asked me if I was under the age of 18. I replied that I was 17 and the man informed me that this was in fact an adult. He asked for three pounds for my fare. Shocked, I told the driver that I had only £1.50 (because I assumed that this was my fare, as it had been through all my life). He told me that three pound was my fare and that there was nothing he could do. I informed him that I was late for college and he still insisted that there was nothing he could do. Instead of permitting his natural human instincts to help out a fellow human, the man just shrugged me off as if I was nothing. Flabbergasted (and even more late for college) I replied with 'right' and departed the bus. 

Not only all this, the bus was six minutes late which suggests that the bus timetables ought to be changed because the phrase 'every twelve minutes' is not true. Although, six minutes late is quite an achievement for the Trent Barton buses as I've had to wait half an hour before! After this confusion, I had to return home and request a lift from my mother, who was then late for work. All in all, I am disappointed in my travels with Trent Barton and I refuse to use your bus service in future.

One thing that bewilders me more than anything is that an average bookmakers cannot bring themselves to classify children (under the age of 18) as responsible adults however in Trent Barton's eyes, as soon as a person shall turn 16, they are classed as an adult! 

I would like an explanation to these offences and I would like Trent Barton to justify their in-humanitarian actions. 

With regards,