Guildford Bus War – Reactions

Published on: 19 Nov, 2018
Updated on: 22 Nov, 2018

Following up on our story: Stagecoach and Arriva’s Guildford ‘Bus War’ Leaves Safeguard Feeling The Pinch we asked the bus companies, the University of Surrey and some local councillors for their views. Here is what they said…

Stagecoach statement:

“Stagecoach were successful in winning the tender for University of Surrey bus services and we launched routes 1 & 2 back in July 2018.

“Stagecoach has not recently introduced any other services in Guildford, but we are aware that from 4th November, another bus company in Guildford launched new bus services to the Westborough, Park Barn and Stoughton estates.

“We cannot comment on network changes conducted by other operators”

Andrew Halliday

Andrew Halliday, MD, Safeguard:

“Despite the current efforts of international bus company Arriva to destabilise us, family-owned Safeguard will continue to offer its much appreciated high standard and very frequent service to the Hospital, Park Barn and Westborough as it has done for more than 90 years. We are truly humbled by the support and loyalty that we have received from the local community as Arriva tries to muscle in.

“We believe that this show of support is because people recognise the value of buses that are always clean, drivers who are professional, friendly and dedicated and because Safeguard has regularly reinvested in its community by improving the level of service (unlike what has happened elsewhere in Guildford) while keeping fares well below the average for Guildford.

“With the support of the community Safeguard will ride out this storm until Arriva stops competing directly for our customers and realises that it would be much better for it and the whole Guildford community for it to refocus its efforts in other parts of Guildford that do not enjoy such good bus services as the Hospital, Park Barn and Westborough and seek to replicate the success of Safeguard in those other areas.

“Then together we could make buses a significant force for good across the whole town by offering a realistic alternative to driving for many shorter journeys in a town beset by chronic traffic congestion.”

Spokesperson for the University of Surrey:

“We procure our bus services on a regular basis as part of our desire to deliver the best value for money for our students and staff. This year Stagecoach successfully won that contract, and we are currently very satisfied with the services, which benefit the local community as well our students and staff.

“We would hope that healthy competition among local bus services will provide the best value for money for consumers in the Guildford area.”

Cllr Fiona White

Fiona White, Lib Dem county councillor for Guildford West

“As The Dragon’s article pointed out, this problem started when the University of Surrey appointed Stagecoach to operate services through their roads in place of Arriva. This meant that Stagecoach and Arriva were operating on the same routes for a time, with the exception that Arriva could not go through the university estate.

“Residents of the Rydes Hill area and Park Barn Drive ended up with about seven buses-an-hour past their houses, many of them nearly empty just following one another. Many residents complained and I contacted the university and both bus companies on their behalf.

“Eventually, Arriva decided to withdraw from parts of that route and instead to shadow the Safeguard route through Park Barn. That merely moved the problem to other roads and residents in the local area.

“The whole issue arose because of a decision by the Thatcher government to deregulate bus services. The best way of dealing with the situation would be for the bus companies to talk to one another and come to a sensible arrangement, especially as there are large parts of Guildford that have inadequate services.

“However, there are laws to stop anti-competition agreements between companies and I am told that even having the conversation could put the companies in a difficult situation.

“I have a lot of sympathy for Safeguard who seem to have been caught up in a war between two bigger companies determined to fight it out with one another.”

Cllr Julia McShane

Julia McShane, Lib Dem Borough councillor for Westborough:

“It does seem ridiculous to have three bus companies running a service in one area but because of bus service deregulation, it is possible for them to do that on any route they choose. The travelling public, potentially, has the solution as they choose to support the service provider that they consider to be the best.

“Bus companies will inevitably review the profitability of services that are not attracting enough customers and withdraw from routes that are not viable.”

Arriva was also invited to comment.

Responses to Guildford Bus War – Reactions

Jim Allen Reply

November 20, 2018 at 12:46 am

Perhaps it is time to ask all residents of Guildford Borough – not just current bus users – where they would like the buses to run? Once that is done we could then plan out some sensible routes

For instance along Ladymead from Burpham and Merrow, into the town centre. Perhaps actually going to the train station and the hospital from Burpham and Merrow (as one journey) or to Newlands Corner to avoid parking charges or even to the Silent Pool for some gin (from the railway station).

Who knows what routes would emerge? It is time to take a more, rational and common sense approach.

Currently, there seems no rhyme nor reason to the bus routes. Perhaps we could even try a Caribbean approach, small buses that commence their journeys to outlying areas once they have filled up in the town centre, returning at 5- or 10-minute intervals.
Jeff Hills Reply

November 20, 2018 at 10:30 am

The answer is that on routes operated by Safeguard passengers should boycott the other companies buses. They will then give up if they are not making any profit on the route.

Please back Safeguard as we can not afford to lose them. They are as part of Guildford as all of us.
- Charlie Nicholls Reply
  
  November 21, 2018 at 11:21 am
  
  Although the routes do cross, it is not for whole journeys, so as much as I would like to support Safeguard I cannot get from my house, just 10 mins away, to work at the hospital. Although people are quick to say how many buses are passing per hour they do not all cover exactly the same routes, yes, parts of it but not completely.
  
  Therefore, although living locally, I am being missed for much of the journey altogether. The problem does need looking at but some of the suggestions indicate responses from people that don’t actually use the buses so cannot fully appreciate the problems.
- Sara Tokunaga Reply
  
  November 21, 2018 at 3:17 pm
  
  I totally agree with this comment. I use Safeguard a lot and will not be using Arriva. Safeguard’s drivers are friendly and helpful and recognise their regular passengers. On the few times I have travelled on Arriva buses on other routes the drivers have been surly and unwelcoming. We should all back Safeguard.
Brian Holt Reply

November 20, 2018 at 1:25 pm

What a surprise, “no comment” from Arriva Buses. They have tried this before in Park Barn and it failed due to no support from the local community.

If everyone boycotts Arriva Buses like they did before they will have to stop running empty buses in Park Barn as it’s not covering their operation costs such as wages, diesel fuel.

Why Arriva Buses cannot understand how unpopular this is making their company in Guildford area I don’t know, they have a bad reputation all over Guildford and the villages as a bus company.

How come Arriva are running these empty buses in Park Barn and, at the same time, fail to run buses on their other bus routes?.

Is there any chance of Arriva Buses explaining this to the public please?
Thomas Taylor Reply

November 20, 2018 at 4:31 pm

They effectively flood some routes with buses and on other routes services suffer, like Woodstreet Village, which has virtually no bus service at all. Stagecoach seems to cancel services with no warning; children are left waiting to get to school and workers trying to get to work. The time comes for a bus to arrive – no bus, no explanation. That is no way to operate a service.
Martin Elliott Reply

November 21, 2018 at 7:00 pm

What is SCC’s function in all of this? It has a large section on its website and it has links to timetables for all(?) the Surrey bus routes.

They’ve added the new 1&2 and A, B, C timetables but yet to amend the Guildford Bus Route map. That is quite enlightening on routes and frequency, especially in individual residential areas. Also bus lanes, one direction only, with just one bus route.

Is it really true that the university has more control over bus routes than SCC? The tentacles of the University of Surrey seem to spread beyond Millmead.
Fiona White Reply

November 22, 2018 at 9:39 pm

Unfortunately neither Surrey or Guildford councils have any say in this. Bus services are not regulated any more. Companies can register a route and run it. The only answer is for local people to vote with their feet, or their fares.

The Park Barn & Westborough Community Association held their AGM last night and local people were quite clear about their feelings.
Keith Parkins Reply

November 23, 2018 at 3:56 pm

There is no problem if bus companies run routes that in parts overlap but not when they simply run buses to poach passengers.

We also need to be able to use tickets on rival bus services. For example, if catch a bus into town and another bus runs over the same route we should be able to use the same ticket.

The regulator must enforce or change the rules.

For those with a council bus pass, it is not a problem as they can use any bus.
- Martin Elliott Reply
  
  November 23, 2018 at 9:04 pm
  
  Mr Parkins seems not to have read Fiona White’s comment.
  
  There is no regulator.
  
  It’s like the Victorian era, soon they’ll be rounding up passengers for buses that don’t arrive.
  
  SCC subsidises some routes to outlying villages. The subsidies £7m a year. Concession passes cost £0.4m a year but SCC is consulting on removing the non-statutory ones for the disabled. A few £100k will certainly make a dent in the £85m cut in the budget they want next year.
Charlie Nicholls Reply

November 23, 2018 at 4:28 pm

Perhaps the representative from the university should ask her colleagues who actually travel on the bus if they are “very satisfied” with the service. I do but to try to get to work and wait at the same stop as university passengers is difficult. As others have said, first one doesn’t come, so you wait for the next one, sometimes its only the third one expected that turns up. Meanwhile, we have all been out waiting in the rain and cold generally for over half an hour with everyone standing there, moaning about how unreliable the buses are.

We are all having to leave home several buses earlier than we should need to according to the timetable because of the unreliability. The buses are late and drivers are not properly trained in issuing fares.

Stagecoach is never going to be hugely more reliable than Arriva was over the same route as it is using the same roads at the same rush hour times of day with the same level of other traffic going to the local schools and town, so its buses will be held up in jams the same as those of other companies.

I am not sure why people think a different company will magically change the reliability of the service. And to mention the Thatcher government of over thirty years ago was unnecessary but typical of councillors. Instead of just blaming others they should try actually doing something to help the situation.
Sean Jenkinson Reply

November 24, 2018 at 8:39 am

We are really happy for the residents of Park Barn for having such a choice of buses but, unfortunately, other people and routes seem to be suffering. My wife waited 50 minutes for a bus to Bellfields on Friday night and in that time at least 13 buses went to Park Barn, after three buses did not turn up she gave up and I left work and drove to Guildford to pick her up so we don’t know what time a bus did eventually turn up.

And it is no use trying to find out what is going on from Arriva as their office shuts at 4pm in the bus station and the signs give you no updated information at all.
Steve Grove Reply

November 24, 2018 at 11:27 am

Perhaps Safeguard, which I used a lot when living in the Woodbridge Hill area, should fight fire with fire and run buses on the Merrow/Burpham route, currently run by Arriva. I am now living in Merrow and miss the friendly and professional service that Safeguard provides.
Brian Holt Reply

November 25, 2018 at 4:25 pm

In reply to Charlie Nicholls comment that Stagecoach is never going to be hugely more reliable than Arriva over the same route and roads at the same time of day.

No two bus companies operate the same way. I notice that with Arriva buses at the bus station, they seem to change drivers for each journey. Before the different driver takes the bus back out, he/she can be seen having to move the seat, set the mirrors etc.

But what happens if the driver taking over has been delayed on their last journey into Guildford?

Another main difference is staff shortage. Some companies are popular with drivers who want to drive for them, while another company is always short and cannot keep their staff. This is one reason why buses don’t turn up, along with higher rates of drivers going sick.

Brian Holt is a former bus and coach driver.