Diamond Bus has received a formal warning and a reduced licence increase after poor service reliability
Warley-based Diamond Bus has received a formal warning from Traffic Commissioner (TC) Nick Denton for failures to adhere to service timetables.
However, in granting the company’s application to increase its licence authority from 223 to 323 vehicles, the DTC has reduced that number to 275 until such time as a further Bus Operator Account Manager (BOAM) review reported sustained improvements in timekeeping.
After a Public Inquiry in October 2014, the company of Tividale, Warley, was fined £57,000 for its failure to operate services according to timetable, reduced on appeal to £34,200.
Over the ensuing months a large number of complaints about both the timekeeping and condition of Diamond Bus’s vehicles continued to be received. DVSA BOAMs conducted further monitoring exercises.
The first looked at 786 Diamond Bus journeys between 10 September 2015-10 February 2016, finding an overall unsatisfactory timetabled service provision of 25%. For frequent services there was an unsatisfactory service provision of 8%.
Another DVSA monitoring exercise carried out between 24 August 2015-22 December 2015 looked at 558 journeys. The overall unsatisfactory service provision was 21%.
The company cited ‘reasonable excuse’ because of delays arising from traffic problems around West Bromwich Bus Station and from town centre remodelling in Solihull and Kidderminster.
When these factors had been taken into account, the overall non-compliance rate was reduced to around 10%. Many of the services, which were more than one minute early, were down to one rogue driver who had since been the subject of disciplinary action.
The severe problems on route 30 had been caused by problems in the school peaks. The company now had better on-street monitoring of vehicles. Registrations had been amended and additional vehicles had been allocated. The company was tackling breakdowns by reducing the average age of the fleet from 15 to 8.5 years and increasing the maintenance inspection frequency [routeone/court report/21 December].
The TC said that DVSA accepted that, after ‘reasonable excuse’, 91-92% compliance was a realistic picture. That was below the recommended level of 95%, but not so far below it as to justify fining the company, especially when one considered that the fine would go into the maw of the Treasury rather than be invested into new vehicles and better customer service.
Having said that, it was clear that on too many occasions the company’s service had fallen far short of the required standards. He was appalled to read of incidents where a bus ran out of fuel in service, a bus rolled backwards after a driver had left his cab, drivers drove past bus stops when their vehicles were clearly not fully loaded, and a driver shut the doors on a schoolgirl, leaving her at the stop.
Bus breakdowns were too frequent and communications with customers were at times abysmal. He had therefore decided to allow the company half of its requested increase now but to make the other half dependent on sustained improvements in punctuality.
