Getting from A to B: Traveline

[Vorpal]

Maybe becasue Huntingdonshire only exists these days as a district and hasn't been a county since the 60s(?).

I thought it was the 70s but basically yes. Why do we expect visitors to really know the intricacies of our government structures?

You're right that they shouldn't have to, but that has very little to do with Huntingdonshire, or the organisation (or lack thereof) of public transport in the UK. It doesn't even (have to) have that much to do with privatisation. With funding and direction from central government, there could still be reasonable coordination, integration, and information.

I'm not a fan of privatisation, but it is possible to provide decent services with a privatised network. It is the lack of funding and direction from central government that causes the poor service, not necessarily privatisation.

[Mike Sales]

Traveline declined to give me an itinerary from Swineshead Lincolnshire to Stornaway, or even Ullapool. Perhaps because it takes over twenty four hours.

[mjr]

I'm not a fan of privatisation, but it is possible to provide decent services with a privatised network.

Where does?

[mercalia]

Traveline declined to give me an itinerary from Swineshead Lincolnshire to Stornaway, or even Ullapool. Perhaps because it takes over twenty four hours.

the version i posted at the start of this thread does - took some time to think about it
so maybe that the one to bookmark not the later link?

just a bit of it

http://www.travelineeastanglia.org.uk/ea/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en&timeOffset=15

[Mike Sales]

Traveline declined to give me an itinerary from Swineshead Lincolnshire to Stornaway, or even Ullapool. Perhaps because it takes over twenty four hours.

the version i posted at the start of this thread does - took some time to think about it
so maybe that the one to bookmark not the later link?


Thanks, Mercalia.
Maybe it should have thought for a bit longer. That itinerary starts by taking the K59 in the wrong direction, then takes the same bus in the correct direction back to Swineshead and on to Boston!

[Vorpal]

I'm not a fan of privatisation, but it is possible to provide decent services with a privatised network.

Where does?

I know of two places... The East Coast of the USA, and California. There are multiple services and companies involved, yet, it is possible to buy a ticket in Lancaster, PA for Montauk, NY, make two changes and arrive the other end of Long Island some hours later. There are at least 3 different rail companies involved and the possibility of more on slightly different routes. Yet, there are various apps and websites that tell you how to do this, and it works fairly smoothly for the traveller.

California has one of the best integrated mass transport systems I've seen, with busses that have times reasonably coordinated with trains, and system maps for cities, intercity, and all of California, even though it involves hundreds of different companies. You can also get a rail pass in California, like in most European countries. That would be almost pointless in many US states, but it's useful in California.

It works pretty well in the Chicago area, too, where the entire mass transit system is privatised, and there are at least 6 different companies running services. One thing that doesn't work so well in Chicago, is busses integrated with trains, if you are going opposite typical commuter traffic. Busses go to suburban train stations in the morning, and away from them in the afternoon, and those who work in suburbs, work night shifts in the city, or just happen to be visitors on a flexible schedule are out of luck.

[Cyril Haearn]

California just overtook the UK in economic output
You have seen the future and it works

[Mike Sales]

I'm not a fan of privatisation, but it is possible to provide decent services with a privatised network.

Where does?

I know of two places... The East Coast of the USA, and California. There are multiple services and companies involved, yet, it is possible to buy a ticket in Lancaster, PA for Montauk, NY, make two changes and arrive the other end of Long Island some hours later. There are at least 3 different rail companies involved and the possibility of more on slightly different routes. Yet, there are various apps and websites that tell you how to do this, and it works fairly smoothly for the traveller.

California has one of the best integrated mass transport systems I've seen, with busses that have times reasonably coordinated with trains, and system maps for cities, intercity, and all of California, even though it involves hundreds of different companies. You can also get a rail pass in California, like in most European countries. That would be almost pointless in many US states, but it's useful in California.

It works pretty well in the Chicago area, too, where the entire mass transit system is privatised, and there are at least 6 different companies running services. One thing that doesn't work so well in Chicago, is busses integrated with trains, if you are going opposite typical commuter traffic. Busses go to suburban train stations in the morning, and away from them in the afternoon, and those who work in suburbs, work night shifts in the city, or just happen to be visitors on a flexible schedule are out of luck.

Do you know how all that is coordinated? It would seem to need extensive cooperation, which does not come easily to competing companies.

[Vorpal]

Do you know how all that is coordinated? It would seem to need extensive cooperation, which does not come easily to competing companies.

I know that both California, and Illinois have government departments dedicated to transport coordination. On the East Coast, the coordination crosses state lines, and I am not very familiar with how that is managed.

In Illinois there is a Regional Transportion Authority that oversees it. The Chicago Transit Authority runs the city busses and local rail, including Chicago's 'El' trains. Regional rail is run by Metra, which contracts out services to multiple companies, much like the rail operators in the UK.

[Mike Sales]

Do you know how all that is coordinated? It would seem to need extensive cooperation, which does not come easily to competing companies.

I know that both California, and Illinois have government departments dedicated to transport coordination. On the East Coast, the coordination crosses state lines, and I am not very familiar with how that is managed.

In Illinois there is a Regional Transportion Authority that oversees it. The Chicago Transit Authority runs the city busses and local rail, including Chicago's 'El' trains. Regional rail is run by Metra, which contracts out services to multiple companies, much like the rail operators in the UK.

I supposed it would need government supervision, as local bus services in Britain are run, I believe.

[mjr]

I supposed it would need government supervision, as local bus services in Britain are run, I believe.

The supervision is greater in London, West Yorkshire, West Midlands and some others with transport authorities or executives, than in most of England.

[Mike Sales]

I supposed it would need government supervision, as local bus services in Britain are run, I believe.

The supervision is greater in London, West Yorkshire, West Midlands and some others with transport authorities or executives, than in most of England.

When I lived in Gwynedd I understood that route subsidy gave the council a useful lever.

[Vorpal]

California just overtook the UK in economic output
You have seen the future and it works

California is more progressive than much of the rest of the USA, but it is still extremely car-centric and consumption oriented.

They do some things well, but I'm not sure that they hold the keys to the future.