Big Lemon buses squeezed off the road

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http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.1875769.0.lemon_buses_squeezed_off_road.php

 

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Lemon buses squeezed off road
By Richard Gurner

Bus firm The Big Lemon has been forced off the road after costs spiralled out of control.

The eco-friendly company, which runs its vehicles on recycled cooking oil, has had to scrap its services after its city rival launched a price war by slashing fares.

The Big Lemon was founded as a community interest business to provide cheap and eco-friendly travel but low passenger numbers and competition from Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company has forced it off its route between Brighton and Falmer.

Boss Tom Druitt, a former care home manager, has refused to wind up the firm and is hoping to relaunch a service in a different part of the city next year.

Mr Druitt decided last week to pull buses off the number 42 route but planned to keep the service running until Christmas.

However, some of the company's drivers decided to quit after being given the news and the company was forced to stop all services on Friday.
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Mr Druitt said: "The service was deemed not to be viable in the long term.

"We had to agree on a date when we would deregister the route.

"The problem was that when it became apparent to some of the team they were going to be made redundant because of the service not continuing they decided to pull out immediately.

"With the ones that were left it was impossible to run the service." The Big Lemon bus company was launched in September promising to source its recycled cooking oil fuel from ethical suppliers.

Last month the company announced it was having difficulty with passenger numbers and needed 20 per cent more to break even.

The company cut its timetable to resurrect its fortunes but had limited success.

Mr Druitt said: "We are very grateful for the passengers that did use the service. It was a lot of fun running it and having very friendly passengers. A lot were dedicated Big Lemoners."

The decision to stop the service was made hours after The Argus revealed Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company was to slash its fares.

Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove buses, denied the move to cut weekend day savers from £3.20 to £2 was aimed at putting the Big Lemon out of business.

Mr Druitt admitted the competition from Brighton and Hove was tough because of the number of its buses but said other factors had played a role such as driver shortages through illness and costs associated with licences.

He vowed to fight on and said: "I am committed to trying to find something we can do that's useful.

"I have put a lot of time and effort in over the years to get something going and I am not in the mood to throw in the towel.

" We have tried, the service didn't work, so we'll have to see what will work."

The company still had buses available for private hire, he said, and he promised to give refunds to passengers who have bought passes and weekly tickets.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Despite what the Argus would like us to think, the demise of The Big Lemon is nothing to do with aggressive competion from the Brighton & Hove Bus Company.

The simple fact is that TBL failed to attract enough passengers, because they chose to compete with B&H on a route that already had 28 buses an hour running on it. And a ticketing system that encourages brand loyalty.

 

[Ernest]

Despite what the Argus would like us to think, the demise of The Big Lemon is nothing to do with aggressive competion from the Brighton & Hove Bus Company.

The simple fact is that TBL failed to attract enough passengers, because they chose to compete with B&H on a route that already had 28 buses an hour running on it. And a ticketing system that encourages brand loyalty.

And 4 trains an hour

 

[Brovion]

Despite what the Argus would like us to think, the demise of The Big Lemon is nothing to do with aggressive competion from the Brighton & Hove Bus Company.

The simple fact is that TBL failed to attract enough passengers, because they chose to compete with B&H on a route that already had 28 buses an hour running on it. And a ticketing system that encourages brand loyalty.

And despite what Brighton and Hove Bus Comoany want you to think their fare reduction was nothing to do with wanting to get more people onto the buses during the Christmas period.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

And despite what Brighton and Hove Bus Comoany want you to think their fare reduction was nothing to do with wanting to get more people onto the buses during the Christmas period.

You're not buying the argument that the B&H Christmas fares reduction was all about beating The Big Lemon off the road are you?

B&H are reducing prices across their network that carries 100,000 passengers a day. The Big Lemon was carrying less than 500 passengers a day and was visibly failing to attract enough passengers. Going out of business was inevitable, irrespective of any price reductions by B&H.

 

[Brovion]

You're not buying the argument that the B&H Christmas fares reduction was all about beating The Big Lemon off the road are you? ...

I'm instantly suspicious when any big capitalist company, especially one that enjoys a virtual monopoly, makes a supposed 'generous offer' to it's captive victims, er, customers.

And speaking as user of the number 26/46a busses up Ditchling Road the LAST thing I want is more passengers - especially at Christmas.

 

[NMH]

Ergo, when prices are low and the money did not flow eco had to go. No?

 

[London Calling]

You're not buying the argument that the B&H Christmas fares reduction was all about beating The Big Lemon off the road are you?

B&H are reducing prices across their network that carries 100,000 passengers a day. The Big Lemon was carrying less than 500 passengers a day and was visibly failing to attract enough passengers. Going out of business was inevitable, irrespective of any price reductions by B&H.

Normally, I suspect you would be a supporter of an initiative such as Big Lemon.

With your local knowledge could you recommend a better route/ option?

 

[Mendoza]

Those buses always smelt like the chippy when they drove past.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

B+H are most probably reducing their prices because their price increases over the last couple of years have taken people off their buses, either to cars or on foot. I've certainly used the buses a lot less this year than I did last year. The £2 might well tempt me back on.

B+H do have a monopoly which is never a good thing for competition, but launching in the winter on a well serviced route was not a good idea. A service that ran all along the seafront from Hove to the Marina would work well I think, especially if they allowed hop on hop off fares (for the tourists)

 

[Lord Bracknell]

B&H Buses have achieved a huge growth in passenger numbers over the past 10 years by working closely with the City Council to deliver New Labour's transport strategy. They've succeeded in doing this because there is no competition in the city and they have been able to invest in new buses, new technology and integrated ticketing.

If you look at cities where competition is the name of the game, you'll find that passenger numbers have gone down.

If you're looking for an ulterior motive behind the bus company's Christmas fares offer, consider the possibility that it is mainly an attempt to win favour with the new Tory Council in Brighton and ensure that Labour's programme of improving bus facilities in the city continues under the new regime.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Normally, I suspect you would be a supporter of an initiative such as Big Lemon.

With your local knowledge could you recommend a better route/ option?

Big Lemon will always fail on routes where passengers see the B&H all-day, network wide Saver Ticket as good value for money. Even more so if passengers are buying weekly tickets. Why jump on a yellow bus, even at cut-price fares, if you have already paid for a B&H ticket?

The routes where a low-fare competitor might carve a niche for themselves are probably in the city centre where the B&H all day ticket is not seen as offering particularly good value for money. But short-distance city centre routes are always vulnerable to the other major competitor - walking.

 

[London Calling]

Big Lemon will always fail on routes where passengers see the B&H all-day, network wide Saver Ticket as good value for money. Even more so if passengers are buying weekly tickets. Why jump on a yellow bus, even at cut-price fares, if you have already paid for a B&H ticket?

The routes where a low-fare competitor might carve a niche for themselves are probably in the city centre where the B&H all day ticket is not seen as offering particularly good value for money. But short-distance city centre routes are always vulnerable to the other major competitor - walking.

Agree, In London, particularly my patch East London, there has been a growth in small, midi buses, plying the estates, going around the houses and linking shoppers to shops, an unknown phenomon under the etablished bus routes - which were often established a 100 years ago or more.

 

[The Large One]

If anyone wants to carve a niche in the Brighton transport market, they could do worse than offering a route which goes from Hove or Portslade to Kemp Town which avoids the City Centre.

It's not a major pain the in the backside for me if I wanted to go from, say, Fiveways to the County Hospital to take two buses. However, I would be more inclined to take just the one if it was as near-as-dammit door-to-door.

I'd imagine a fair few people might want to take advantage of a bus which went from, say, Kemp Town/Elm Grove/Hanover via Fiveways to Withdean and on to Corals, for instance.

 

[Buzzer]

Yes please Al. That would be a winner. I always find it hard to justify the bus from Lewes Road to London Road.

Or even Lewes Road directly to the station would be nice.

 

[Mendoza]

Are The Big Yellow Bus Company taking VENGENCE

http://www.theargus.co.uk/display.var.1879118.0.dramatic_fire_on_number_5_bus.php

 

[Robot Chicken]

This was posted on the Brighton wall today on Facebook. Interesting.

A BRAND NEW BUS COMPANY FOR BRIGHTON AND HOVE

We need you, your views,your routes and your say on a new company for your area.......

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8408309150

Brighton needs more than a lemon

Our Aims..............

1 Clean and cheap Buses

2 New Routes and routes wanted by the public

3 Cheap Fares and buses on time

4 All staff paid and treated fairly

5 timetables locals want

6 Polite and helpful staff

7 Connection to other services including other bus companies

Join in we need you

This is on their group

There are only a small number of routes run by other bus companies in Brighton. The last big flop was The Big Lemon and was doomed from the start as the MD as he called himself, would not listen to other drivers. The problem with Brighton is only one company seems to run in Brighton and thats the problem. Go Ahead who run Brighton and Hove don't want competition in Brighton....Who can blame them when all or most of the passengers and customers in brighton give them such a good profit...The Big Lemon was a good way of setting up competition except for the name,the colour or of the buses etc etc etc....Well we are looking for people from the transport world who would like to set up a company that could take on Go Ahead in Brighton as the second bus company.....You could already be a compnay such as First, Arriva, National Express or Stagecoach (who have already been offered routes for brighton which are with thier commercial section). We don't want to see drivers treated the way Lemon treated their drivers...far from it...drivers need to be part of the team as Tom Druit was told and need a proper share and say in what goes on..This also includes all members of staff that would work for a new company in Brighton. If you look after your employees then your employees will look after your company. We need to get a team together to start and run this company...We also want to see the cheapest and fairest fares for local people in around brighton and Hove area..Spread the word......

Thank you for your time

Steve Ponting

Possible new names for new bus company

Brighton buses
Go Brighton
Sussex buses
Southern buses
Go South
Brighton Local
Bus Brighton

About time B&H Bus Company had some competition...

 

[BensGrandad]

Is my memory playing tricks with me but do I remember when I was younger and visiting Brighton that there was a company Portslade Buses? that had blue and yellow/cream buses.

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

That takes the pith