The 969 Twice-a-Week Bus / Dial-A-Ride Service 

What point?

​@@eadweard.That the service can literally take you anywhere...

@@eadweard. That it's an important service they rely on, I'd say.

Yes I love that! They were probably offered a private hire car but made a point to do Dial-a-Ride so the pictures seen here would get out there

@@eadweard. Something like 'Anywhere YOU can go I can go too but I have to take a bus'.

It actually is as most buses and trains can only accommodate chairs under 300kg so most power and a lot of specialist wheel chairs can't travel via bus and train

What 😟😟😟

Yeah, this is why deregulated busses in the UK doesn't work, and is a breach of human rights

@@fin720s Alot of mobility routes exist still with deregulated buses.

@@Mgameing123 yeah under council contracts which the counsils loose so much more money on than if they could run it them themselves end often and up having to stop services because of lack of funds. There is no point of denying that the small amount of casses where privatisation has benefits doesn't outweigh the negatives of it, which is the bus service should be run based on where people want to and need to go, not where they will make the most money. And any money from a transport network should be reinvensted into local public transport not funneld to foreign owned shareholders often including companies owned by foreigned state owned companies such as until recently deustche Bahn with arriva and nederlandse spoorwagen with abellio and of course keolis (owned by SNCF) with the dlr, metro link and govia Thameslink railway (although that's not busses but still)

Because the govt pays them too​@@Mgameing123

Not great for the poor staff that have to work Christmas Day. As an ex bus driver I fully understand how bad bus drivers shifts are and having to work Christmas Day is too much

​@@chrishenry-my8wpnot that I disagree but how is a single bus that runs once in a day any worse than literally any other TfL drive shift?

​@@chrishenry-my8wp Several cultural populations don't celebrate Christmas; I'm fairly certain at least some people in those populations probably work for transit systems. Transit is (or should be) a 24-7-365 business; those who want holidays off should work in another industry. Love, someone whose careers have been in healthcare and hospitality and therefore has never had a holiday off.

@@ofallsadwords3207 The total shutdown of public transport on xmas day in the UK is a relatively new thing. Up until the 80s some buses and trains operated on 25th.

@@chrishenry-my8wp not working on Christmas Day is quite unique to the UK, I work in public transport, and either I work, or I use the train to get to where my family is gathered. I have known others, like nurses, who would ask to work on the holidays because they preferred not to meat their in-laws or something, and that includes people in my family :p

The fact the 969 goes near my house :)

It sounded like he was genuinley passionate about helping everyone participate in society. I bet he gets so much satisfaction from his job. The use of that service on Christmas day made me so happy.

Mellor, but I believe they were built in Scarborough at the Bluebird works - they used to build the Dial a Ride buses before Mellor took over - the model is their Tucana.

I have sure Sir Keir would much rather talk about buses than Mr Ali!

Had to spend 6 months in a wheelchair due to a back injury when at school, wheelchair users had to travel in the baggage van of a train, no access to anything, need a pee, take a bottle with one, which was often in winter as were freezing. The British Railways staff were fantastic carrying one in the chair up and down the station stairs or pushing one across the tracks.

Would it be goer in the USA as there is no fare charged to those that use this service. However, I feel there is plenty that profit from this service in so many ways but not monetarily. Brought a tear to my eyes watching.

Tfl seems to usually do the right thing. Sad that it is doomed to deal with Tories addiction to austerity

I assume that's what I keep seeing in Gotham and East Leake?

@@theimaginativelad3491 no that’s DRT. We do Easylink in the city boundary

Here in America, that's a ridiculously high frequency. 1 per month is standard.

So sorry to hear that, where I'm from in Denmark the equivalent to this would be something that only runs 3-4 times in each direction per day on weekdays. But you guys in Northern England have it rough! And why do I have a feeling your issues come from bus privatization. Here in Denmark our buses are organised like how TFL and the BEE Network in Manchester are organised.

Yeah but London is a massive metropolitan area with a diameter or almost 30 miles and nearly 10 million people with many big population centres surrounding it... (so a bus that runs twice a week is highly unusual)

@@wta1518i think it exists on timetables and etc, but it always gets """"""""canceled"""""""" for no reason or it gets stuck in traffic, which is why its usually 10+ min late

I’m up north the least frequent bus around here is once an hour, 8-5, Monday to Saturday connecting 4 I think it is villages

True, he gives the right vibe.

Yeah I live in a town in Sussex. One road the council kept the upkeep of a bus stop for route that was discontinued years ago years later removed the bus stop the more years later now there's a Hail and ride. Another area had a bus shelter they Council kept the upkeep long after the route was discontinued because buses couldn't fit. Also there's one really long road with one bus stop in the middle drivers don't like it when you try and get on anywhere else I wish it would be Hail and ride.

Aldershot & District logo on them by any chance?

There’s bus stops all over the country when nothing serves them as the routes have been withdrawn. There’s one in Hackney.

​@@RS-pb2se Was that for the 812?

@@nathanw9770 Not sure about the 812. I am thinking of the 30 when the route changed to use Wick Road instead of Kenton Road

It has changed over the years from regional London to a London wide integrated, some "community transport" areas operate as sub contractors, providing depot space, rather than being in the main London Transport contractor bus garages.

7 a week i guess? 7 a day would be like a decent route in europe with 2h schedule

I'd prefer he stuck to trains.

Agree

Yes. Go to @AndMoreCentral otherwise known as Alex for your bus content needs.

It's always good to see Roger.

Christmas Day buses also run in Hampshire, on the Isle of Wight and in Keighley. Where I live taxis slap a surchage on seasonal fares.

I'm sure his shift is longer than that. The bus (and probably the driver) appears to have been operating on the 481 in the morning peak.

In that case, you’re gonna really love my next video … 😊

@@geofftech2 Can't wait 😁😁

@@geofftech2 464Connect ?

Slowly but surely …. 😂

​@@geofftech2please can you do Londons useless bus route the U10 it goes on a circular route from Uxbridge to Ruislip Heathfield rise and back again

@@geofftech2 your amazing at making bus and train videos

@@geofftech2 hi

…and it's glorious.

Think that was a cheeky Geoff edit from the next shot

London did have Dial-A-Ride for all (experimental) with Ford Transits in the 1970s - Harlow was one town, and Hampstead was another (along with 3 other fixed route minibus services. As they became successful the vehicles were increased in size and became more conventional, followed by the requirement for all buses to be standard wheelchair accessible ( though as Dial A Ride shows there are more than just physical disabilities, more than the standard wheelchair and also the average 400m to a bus stop is too much for some folk ).

Yeah most regions that have this call it "community transport" and not everywhere has it & you have to pay so I was surprised to hear that it's free in London!

We do! Lincolnshire Callconnect was a lifesaver for me when I couldn't travel on public transport easily, so possibly worth looking into, if you hadn't already/wasn't already aware of it.

seriously impressed bang on

Then you’re gonna love next week’s video … ! 😊

Assuming it functions as intented, younger elderly can still use the service if they have limited mobility or vision. 85 is just when you dont need to explain yourself to get to use it

especially if you need it you also get access to it@@seaside_rambler

@@seaside_rambler Suppose I'm thinking too rural, rather than where this service is.

I’m so lucky I’m disabled! 😂

I remember those wheelchair ramp on the centre door black on orange blinds.

In the old days of local owned buses and coaches in from the village , the driver would do shopping for those that couldnt get out , and drop it off to them when they got back

Mellor I think it is...

see Roger's blog page on some Dial A Ride (general public) services. We certainly had some for older persons in Leeds in the 2000s

Roger left his horse tethered to a nearby lamp post

I also only realized it back in Christmas when they say it was the only one operating (+ santander cycles) during that day in a news somewhere.