I originally launched the WMBU Community in 2020 on the back of having a vision of an open platform for bus users to come together and share opinions, and discuss various issues with bus services in the West Midlands region.
The timing was perhaps not that convenient, and I closed it all down earlier this year due to a lack of interest and participation.
Perhaps in hindsight I was a little too hasty, after all, the community launched during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, with overall passenger numbers drastically reduced due to lockdown restrictions.
As those restrictions have eased, more people are returning to using public transport, and passenger numbers are on the up, though still some way off pre-pandemic levels.
What we are starting to see now, is that owing to reduced levels of funding and support from central Government, designed to ‘prop up’ bus services and keep them operating, changes are being made to service levels, that more accurately reflect passenger usage levels.
Of course, we also have the ‘driver shortage’ issue to contend with too, whereby lack of staff is also hampering service level provision.
Now I fully appreciate that the vast majority of bus services within the West Midlands are operated commercially by private companies, and as a business man myself, I understand the need to make appropriate service level changes in order to keep those services at a profitable level. After all, no sane person goes into business with the intention of making a loss.
What is starting to concern me though, is that decisions are being made around service provision, with little input from the paying passengers who use or rely on those services.
It seems so long ago now when we had a few ‘golden years’ where Network West Midlands and bus operators engaged with bus passengers in open public consultations on proposed service changes and network reviews, in order to shape local bus networks to better serve the needs of the passengers who used them.
Nowadays everything seems to be wholly ‘data-driven’, and using computer modelling and predictions. Data is great for analysing raw passenger data, but I think you do need to take ‘opinion’ into consideration too.
For example, ‘data suggests’ that only X amount of passengers use service Y in order to get from point A to point B. On that basis, service Y gets a frequency reduction, or is removed, because passengers aren’t using it in great enough numbers to sustain the service profitably.
That’s fine on a mathematical or statistical basis. But what is missing is “why” this is the case. Why don’t people use this service? Does it not get them where they want to go? Are the ‘timings’ off so they don’t connect with another service?
The pandemic clearly reduced the possibility of public engagement via the regular ‘exhibitions’ we used to see, or even ‘face-to-face’ customer surveys. But not everyone has online access to participate in internet surveys and consultations, for example.
Beyond consulting on service changes, does anyone feel that if they make a formal complaint to a bus operator that their complaint will be listened to and actioned upon?
It’s all very well making a complaint by yourself because your bus was late, or was dirty. For most people, all you will receive is some standard apology and a promise that action will be taken.
Our Community Purpose
The WMBU Community is here to provide bus passengers – as well as other public transport users – within the West Midlands with an open and transparent community platform that allows people to post their thoughts, opinions and observations, with a view to engaging with other bus users in order to form a ‘consolidated voice’ and constructive lobby group.
While we cannot make any promises that any campaigns or activity carried out within this Community will be taken seriously or acted upon by the relevant authorities, mark my words, it is time that we came together as a collective voice, and stopped making our individual complaints via social media channels such as Twitter.
Only by coming together constructively can we hope to make a difference.
Unlike TfWM’s own Community, which is very much a ‘closed-door’ market research group, with any discussions and surveys ‘steered’ and led by its moderators on behalf of TfWM, the WMBU Community is open to all public transport users in the West Midlands to sign up and join, and to have their say.
If you have a concern or any issue with bus service provision or standards, then please feel free to raise it here in our discussion forums, so that other bus users can join in and have their say or offer constructive advice.
You’re not alone!
You may have gotten used to making complaints yourself to bus operators via social media or their contact form methods, but did you ever feel you never got your complaint sufficiently answered?
Or perhaps you felt like it was not worth complaining, because it seemed that nothing ever got done as a result?
Our aim is to stop passengers from thinking they’re on their own; there are bound to be hundreds of other passengers who share similar concerns, or have similiar ideas on how services could be improved. It is only by building this community that we can bring such people together.
It doesn’t all have to be negative – there are of course any number of reasons why services are not up to standard, but where constructive criticism can be collected together and discussed publicly, often positive solutions can be found, suggested or worked towards.
All that we ask
If you take the time to sign up and join our community, thank you! But please do feel free to join in with or start your own discussions or social groups.
And please do share this website link with anyone else who you think will find this useful.
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