There's another set of changes and cuts to hit Torbay, and this time, it falls on Monday, 23rd May.
One that surprised many was the withdrawal of Stagecoach 111.
After having changing the route to run from Paignton (not Torquay), this service is now to be
withdrawn. This should come as a surprise to many: not only was a Sunday service due to come into effect the Sunday of 29th, but it's been little more than a month since new timetables, route maps, stickers for the stand in Paignton Bus Station, set-up of ticket machines, new destination blind settings and information informing people of the change were all set up.
In fact, the "new" 111, as some refer to it, will only have operated for 42 days. For those of you in the know, you'll have guessed what's going to be said next... but for the benefit of others - the minimum time to register a change/cancellation to/of a bus service with VOSA is 54 days. Therefore, Stagecoach would have had to have known they were going to withdraw it 12 days before it started running from Paignton with a Sunday service. Of course, VOSA can grant these things under short notice (so it can be fewer than 54 days). But neither @blytheski on Twitter nor I could find anything under Section 3.5 (Cancellation of Existing Services) or Section 3.6 (Cancellation of Existing Services Granted Under Short Notice).
It came as a surprise to many, I'm sure, that the 111 was to be withdrawn after such a service change. However, if you then look into it further, it does start to become clear as to perhaps why Stagecoach has decided this will be the 111's fate. Firstly, First (that's not a pun!) extended their X81 service (originally between Torquay & Totnes) all the way to Dartmouth, running the same route between Paignton & Dartmouth. It appeared that Stagecoach have tried to hit back at this by providing services on double deckers: something that was never before seen under usual circumstances on the 111's original route.
But there's more: all 111 and X81 journeys in the morning and into early evening are timetabled at the same timing points throughout the whole route with a five minute gap either way. That means that if you've just missed an X81 in Harbertonford, then never fear: a 111 is no more than 5 minutes away! This is clearly a huge competition, but Stagecoach should have the upper-hand. They have been running the 111 for a very long time, and most have Stagecoach passes, which aren't valid on First. Moreover, everyone was used to the 111. Suddenly, the people of Dartmouth and the villages between there and Totnes have got an X81 coming through, and it seems to have confused some.
From my own observations one early Saturday morning (07:55 from Dartmouth, in fact), people were waving on the X81 and hailing down the 111. I thought: "But people are choosing the 111 over the X81! Why is it being withdrawn?"
There's also another area that Stagecoach must have been wary of when making the decision to withdraw the 111: remember the X45? Stagecoach launched an express service between the Bay & Plymouth, in competition with First's X80. What did First do? They increased to every 15 minutes and dropped the fares to rock bottom prices. They even had radio adverts playing on the local radio (which also played on the 12's during the summer), advertising that their tickets were cheaper between Paignton & Torquay than on Stagecoach's buses. Yes, Stagecoach did make sure the radio stations were turned off! But then what happened when the X45 was withdrawn? Up went the fairs. Down went the frequency.
So perhaps Stagecoach is now scared that First will start to add lower fares, higher frequencies and many more journeys to their X81 - things that Stagecoach may not necessarily be able to compete with. So it could be seen as quitting while their ahead. It seems very much like de-ja-vu of the X45 days, so maybe that's what Stagecoach is frightened of. But I'm sure they could put up a fight against First: the passengers seem to want the 111.
Anyway, rant over. Until next time. Over and out.
