We used to have Boxing Day only contracts, examples of First and Metrobus operating a route on Boxing Day usually operated by Stagecoach on most of the year.
We used to have night routes separate from day routes, hence examples like N137 operated by London Central. The last being N136 now tied to be 436/N136.
We used to have no school routes tied to day routes, no we have 631/H3 160/660 and in future the 412/685.
We used to have school day operations; e.g 150D operated by Go-Ahead whilst 150 operated by Arriva, or 405D operated by Arriva but 405 operated by Metrobus. Many have had their SDOs withdrawn, or combined into main routes [e.g 150], or renumbered as proper school routes [405D to 645].
Buses are meant to be fluid, with the possibility of changing quickly when the need arises, for positive (responding to increased demand) or negative (making cuts).
As a result of our contracts system, we've artificially made it slower.
A scale as large as Croydon changes of yesteryear before the tram, would've been done as quickly as 79/83's reroutes in 2023. Instead, it's normal even for a minor reroute like 309's in Aberfeldy Estate to take 4 years.
Perhaps if term lengths were fixed as it is now* back when we started, it'd be much easier with less kerfuffle to do network changes.
(*7 years for zero emission contracts, 5 years on diesel/hybrids, other lengths for other reasons unknown)
Think Croydon for example, many routes come up together similar to as they did 20 years ago, by luck of not many routes being separated by contract extensions. Makes improvements and restructures involving multiple routes a lot easier to do, unlike waiting on another contract to expire (470 meant to be restructured, yet waiting on 455 withdrawal - 439/S2 start)
Starting off, every possible route is on a standalone contract.
A total of 549 daily routes, yet only 5 pairs:
378 joint with 209
399 joint with 389
H9 joint with H10 (circular)
H19 joint with H18 (circular)
R10 joint with R5 (circularish)
Whereas the only N-prefix routes not joint with a day route are: N5 N20 N97 N550 N551.
Out of the 70 so school routes:
Then the only school routes joint with day routes are 142/642, 160/660 and H3/631 with 412 seemingly joining with 685 next tender.
School routes paired with other school routes: 628/688, 653/683, 692/699, 649/650/651, 624/658, 639/670.
Spreadsheet (not shared): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gCFV7Jso06OAfMmTvvrqepMsCgLx4oMaUlZH4VFEUQg/edit?usp=sharing
Spawned from a discussion where it wasn't fixated on school routes but I ended up making the research in a previous post.
This time the discussion came about in my circle and thus I set out what was already somewhat set out - multiple routes in one contract. The focus will be small routes.
Not combining double decker routes in the spreadsheet because that will easily make a 50+ bus spending in one contract which limits who can win it. Reducing flexibility, which is a bad thing usually. Even if I have played with the idea for 25/425 in literally my previous Bifurcated Buses post with a gimmick.
If the consensus is two small routes in one contract is a happy medium, three being the limit pushed, what can truly be past the limits?
I've already done a similar concept on school routes, Where I glorify my fantasy of 690 buses being used as extras on 322, and other school routes with other daily routes like 152/652.
For school extras, 143D is on it's own contract.
Normal school routes; 642 joint with 142, likewise 660 with 160
Then 628 tied to 688; 653 tied to 683; 692 tied to 699; 650/651 tied to 649; 658 tied to 624; 670 tied to 639
