| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| caeos |
Posted - 30/11/2007 : 22:41:00
http://www.thebiglemon.com/
quote:
* STOP PRESS *
30 November 2007
Due to a situation beyond our control we regret to say we are unable to operate our service any longer.
There are a number of reasons why, and a full statement will be issued next week. In the meantime we would like to thank all of our passengers and apologise to those for whom such a sudden termination poses significant inconvenience.
If anyone has bought a week ticket or a 6-journey lemonade pass I will refund them in full, including postage if you are able to send them to our office.
Please accept my sincere apologies once again
Tom Druitt
Managing Director, The Big Lemon CIC
* * * * * * * |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| long time no see |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 13:51:54
No way
same route of Falmer,
not enough to change anything,sadly. |
| Infinite Poppadum |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 13:07:32
Let's hope the Lemon puts the squeeze on Roger French. |
| Infinite Poppadum |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 13:06:16
Let's hope the Lemon puts the squeeze on Roger French. |
| Horseman7 |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 12:47:11
Not done for yet:
Dear Friends
Happy New Year!
I’m pleased to announce that our ‘break’ during December has been fruitful, and we now have a new office, secure parking for the buses, and a lot more energy to take into the New Year to make The Big Lemon a success!
On Monday 7th January we are starting up again, on the same route as before. The Service 42 we ran before is still registered and I have notified the Traffic Commissioner that we will run as much of it as we can. In order to make it clear to everyone, we have written up an interim timetable (on our website) with exactly the services that will run. These are peak times and evenings, and were chosen because a) they are when most people want to travel, b) they have the best chance of financial success (due to a!), and c) they are broadly-speaking what we have applied to run after January, when the current registration runs out (… due to a and b!)
After January we hope to run much the same thing, with a couple of regular private jobs we have arranged fitted around our rota and timetable. We are aiming at the regular commuters, the ‘dedicated Big-Lemoners’ that we saw almost on a daily basis, and whose loyalty deserves that they should be first in line for a budget service! They are also the ones most likely to help us realise our goal of making a profit this year! As I mentioned in my email of 6th December, we will be encouraging people to join a Passenger Club (one bottle of local organic wine to the person who comes up with a better name!) to help us gauge demand, plan better and help our cash-flow, as well as offering people a way of actively having a say in the way their service is run. We hope to develop a Club for this route, and in the future facilitate anyone who wants to, to start their own club and encourage people to join the Club for a route as yet un-provided. When membership gets past a certain point, we can then look at the viability of a route to that area, and this way we can develop and grow.
Wishing you all the very best for the New Year
Tom Druitt
|
| Daveb |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 11:43:43
If they cannot show a profit running buses on a busy route at peak times then I would very much doubt it.
Lets say each bus has time for 3 round trips and has 60 passengers all paying £1. (two lots of £60) = £360 morning & evening.
£720 per bus per day.
Will that cover insurance, fuel, wages & maintenance?
I may have this all wrong with the fares etc but please adjust.
|
| Control Panel |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 11:27:15
Will the Lemon's comeback work? |
| long time no see |
Posted - 08/12/2007 : 18:33:57
Driving on the A27, past farmer
this morning there was a Double Decker BL Bus
full of happy people.
I hope his next venture has a good route. |
| Horseman7 |
Posted - 07/12/2007 : 06:31:02
Good to see you at the bash tonight Tom and thanks for the lift in your big yellow bus.
Carry on trundling.
|
| long time no see |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 17:09:15
He says he is giving it a go
but it is hard for him.
He should get the Green Party (who now have a chunk of Brighton central)
behind his deal
getting more local funds. |
| Miriam Binder |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 17:06:10
quote:
Originally posted by long time no see
Sure
but what the bleedin' hell is the point
he may not last long?
Well, at least he is giving it a good go unlike you who seem to spend his whole time rubbishing everyone and blaming everything on bush/blairbrown/asda/walmart/george/bungle/rudolph and the tooth fairy |
| long time no see |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 17:05:41
quote:
Originally posted by Miriam Binder
Stakeholders has nothing to do with socialism LTNS. There are stakeholders in capitalism as well. For instance you are a stakeholder in the area you live in ... having an interest in whether or not streets are lit appropriately, refuse collected in a timely manner and transport links suitable to the area available - and other communal ventures.
Regarding the streets lit
I vote they turn them off on many roads.
In Hollywood California
some local housing roads have no street lights.
Much better. |
| long time no see |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 17:03:31
Sure
but what the bleedin' hell is the point
he may not last long? |
| Miriam Binder |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 16:50:15
Stakeholders has nothing to do with socialism LTNS. There are stakeholders in capitalism as well. For instance you are a stakeholder in the area you live in ... having an interest in whether or not streets are lit appropriately, refuse collected in a timely manner and transport links suitable to the area available - and other communal ventures. |
| long time no see |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 15:55:49
Miriam hard working
bus customers
just want a good deal,
it is a bit much to be part of a Company that may not last long , again.
Socailism views
it is right up your street.
But Not in the Real World.
Life In The Fast Lane. |
| Miriam Binder |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 15:33:02
Giving the public a stakeholder interest in the bus company is a shrewd move!
|
| long time no see |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 15:29:41
Some clever ideas
but you do not need a Club to get feedback.
Making it Complex
is not a good move,
I just hope you try a mega 259 run. |
| Miriam Binder |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 14:36:46
You keep plugging away Tom ... Good luck to you! |
| Horseman7 |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 14:25:47
The latest:
Dear Friends
As many will have heard, unfortunately we had to stop running our Service 42 last Friday 30th November. We had a review of the service last week and concluded that we had to slim down and concentrate on the busy times, as we were losing too much money on those times of day that were too quiet. We had planned to run till Christmas Eve, and then start a leaner service using two drivers instead of six, in January. Unfortunately this meant making at least four of our six drivers redundant, and as soon as the situation was communicated to the team, the jitters set in. Over the next couple of days half the team left without notice and we were suddenly in a position where we couldn’t run any services. I had actually considered this as a possibility, and even been advised against telling the staff the situation until the last day of the service; however, I don’t consider that to be fair treatment and so decided to take a risk and share the situation with the team at the earliest opportunity. I also obviously wanted to share our plans with the passengers, and I couldn’t tell anyone what was going on without first telling the staff. Unfortunately the worst-case scenario rapidly unfolded, and as soon as I started implementing Plan B, the circumstances had changed again, and Plan C was needed. Then D, E, F and so on until Friday when the buses didn’t even leave the yard in the morning as the drivers on duty decided not to take them out, and unfortunately declined to tell me. It was obvious then that we were not going to be able to run a reliable service, so I decided it was in the interests of the passengers to have no service rather than a patchy one, as at least they’d know not to wait for us.
We have had a number of meetings this week to find the best way forward, and the plan now is to apply to run the leaner service we had planned next year, whilst working on developing Passenger Clubs for different areas in the longer term. These would involve inviting people who wanted a local service in their area to submit their interest by starting or joining a Club in their area. Club members would be asked to pledge a membership fee, but they would only pay it when the membership reached a certain number, and the service could be started. Then membership fees would be collected to pay for the service implementation, and members would get a discounted (possibly half price) fare. The general public would be able to use the bus too but they would pay full fare unless they decided to join the club. Members of the club would be able to have a say in how the service operated, and the more members there were, the more comprehensive the service could be. Members would also benefit financially if the service was profitable, and could get incentives from introducing other members, much like a bank might give £25 or a bottle of wine to you for introducing a friend to the bank.
However, back to Friday (tomorrow!). As a way of saying ‘Thank You’ to our customers and spreading a little Christmas Cheer, we are going to run a free service tomorrow during the periods 8-11am and 3-6pm, along our route 42 according to our normal timetable. We will then spend the interim part of the day at the Universities and Falmer Station talking to passengers, and getting feedback. There is a rumour that Father Christmas might join us – indeed I did hear that he has a bus-driving licence…
All the best
Tom Druitt
Managing Director
Hang in there Tom.
|
| long time no see |
Posted - 03/12/2007 : 16:42:17
From the Ultra thin Argus today,
the owner of BL
wants to try another route,
I hope it is a busy route like the A259
he would then be the Only Eco Bus on a better route. |
| Martha Gunn |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 20:31:30
quote:
Originally posted by Control Panel
What is the pull Roger French has over the Council?
By cosying up to Roger French, the council can be seen to be promoting public transport over the car. There are better options for public transport but B&HCC prefer to take the easy option - promote the bus - as its the path of least resistence.
Lest we not forget, after the one-way North Street system was generally received as being popular, who demanded it be turned back to two-way? Yes, Mr French.
Essentially, he ticks B&HCC's boxes when residents could reasonably expect the criteria for those boxes to be of a much higher quality.
As an aide, its interesting to note that the powers that be within B&HCC live right in the town - many within walking distance of the major council buildings. Of course for them, the bus is a viable option but for those pushed to the suburbs and beyond by low wages & high house prices, the prospect of a 30min wait for a bus seems a lot less attractive. |
| Fluffy Sheep |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 19:07:11
Re. `Mad Jeff`, I believe there have been many attempts by officialdom/ the rival bus company to curtail his style of operating - and they`ve failed. Thing is, it`s just one man, and one bus, and his regulars are nearly all friends and/or neighbours, so they aren`t going to shop him. As his diversions aren`t predictable it`s not that easy to monitor them. One up for Individual enterprise! |
| Daveb |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 13:21:33
It would be interesting to hear him speak.
Any chance of free bus travel to the venue??? |
| long time no see |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 12:40:24
£7 entrance fee
Bastards. |
| Horseman7 |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 12:34:39
Come to the Chamber of Commerce on 25th January and find out.
|
| long time no see |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 10:57:43
Monorails cost over budget
as with trams.
Big Lemon had the Future Eco Bus.
R.French is stuck in the Past
FACT. |
| Daveb |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 09:29:31
B&HCC want to be seen as a go-ahead city with good public transport (Rapid Transport Sysytem).
They see Roger French as the person to provide that.
All Roger French has to say is how can I provide that with other traffic in the way of my buses and competition from others.
With all their green credentials you would think B&HCC would support and help fund Big Lemon?????
Again it may that with investment in other forms of transport (monorail, trams) it may be achievable?????
|
| Control Panel |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 09:19:26
What is the pull Roger French has over the Council? |
| Daveb |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 08:54:10
Good luck to Mad Jeff.
Here in Roger French world he would be watched by the B&H bus Stazi! Any detours would be punished. |
| Fluffy Sheep |
Posted - 02/12/2007 : 02:30:19
We`ve had `Mad Jeff` doing his bus runs in this area for years, a one-man company, and nobody thought he`d last more than a couple of months. He drives a great scruffy, wobbly double-decker and diverts where he chooses/where folks ask/off normal bus routes. Not Eco, not cherry-picking, but bloody marvelously doing his Own Thing. |
| long time no see |
Posted - 01/12/2007 : 19:30:13
As a Eco Bus
he should get any route.
As for the Mega other buses
they still will never have a problem
but they will look Out Dated. |
