Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Commuters ‘deserting Metro’
Monday 4th August 2008, 11:40AM BST.
Almost half a million Metro passengers deserted the service over the last two years, new figures reveal today.
Travel Midland Metro lost 400,000 passengers a year since 2006, down from 5.2 million.
Regional transport body Centro wants to see 5.8 million people using the trams by 2010 so it can lobby the Government for funding to extend the service. But the latest figures show a two per cent drop on last year’s numbers and only 4.8 million passengers a year, prompting calls for a monthly check on the line’s performance.
By comparison more than 310 million people used buses in the region last year.
In a report to Centro’s business improvement committee Chris Hinde, clerk to the authority, said two Easter holidays in the same financial year had contributed to drops in numbers.
Mr Hinde said: “A key problem with Metro patronage is there is no opportunity to recover lost journeys.
“If there are problems on a bus route, passengers will switch to another bus. Metro passengers have no alternative but to switch to a bus or possibly a car or cancel their journey altogether.”
Councillor Mavis Hughes, who chairs Centro’s business improvement committee, said: “The figures are a little distorted. I have travelled on that tram in rush hour and it is packed so full the conductor cannot get to everyone.” National Express West Midlands, which owns the Metro and 80 per cent of the region’s buses, today disputed Centro’s findings. Spokeswoman Carly O’Donnell said: “Our research indicates there has been an increase in passengers.”
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All that needs to be said is that it is too expensive.
Have Centro heard of proper park and rides? The ones that have been set up in Bilston and by the Hawthorns have free parking but then you have to pay high fees to travel on the Metro. Look at Shrewsbury where it is free to park and only £1 to travel into town (and kids go free). It is always packed.
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Will the metro come to Brierley Hill? I hope so after knocking down our baths to make way for this white elephant!the town will never recover with these conflicting views, the funding to extend the metro from Wednesbury will never come.
Brierley Hill is just on hold, no metro, no leisure centre, no future.
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I think that Centro need to look at why people are not using the Metro as much. I can say from experience of 6 months daily use in 2006 that the service was terrable and for 1 month i had to travel home on the bus due to problems on the Metro Network.
Numbers will continue to drop i think because it isnt as frequent and the staff can in most cases come across as ignorant.
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Dirty,smelly,and always behind- yes I am referring to the metro trams not the people of the West Midlands although not much difference
I had the unfortunate experience of visiting the area a few weeks ago…never again…talk about a desperate place- couldnt wait to return south
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I have used the Metro a number of times and was quite impressed. However, I live in Oldbury and my nearest Metro stop is in West Bromwich. To get there I would need to catch the bus. I might as well catch the bus to Birmingham, which is only a bus ride away anyway. The service needs to be greatly expanded. Note to Torquay Man, who asked you to come anyway? If you don’t like it keep away, like I keep away from Torquay.
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No 4. Stay South PLEASEEEEEE ! You only seem capable of making negative and pointless comment. Do you really get a kick out of slaging people off as you did in the fire article ? Stay South… you deserve it!
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no4 the only time youve seen torquay is on a postcard
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Inflation of passengers will soon be boarding as the football season will be starting again soon!!!!
TORQUAY MAN on my last visit to your native town you are not much better than us. It use to be know as the English Riviera, but lateley it seems to be a dump like the rest of the country!!!!
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I’ve always found the metro to be quick and reliable. It’s expensive, and I understand it doesn’t tolerate fare-dodgers, smoking or eating & drinking – which is why I suspect that much of the loss of passengers may be down to the loss of freeloaders and chavs?
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Bob 6- you are absolutely right my friend- i do indeed deserve to stay south while you sit and suffer in the fleapit of the country and the same sentiments go to sharon 8- your jealousy makes me smile- best decision I ever made was leaving the armpit of britain!
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my daughter travelled from wednesbury to wolverhampton with two kids cost £7.80 disgusting how come natinal express owns the metro when it was to a large extent paid for with council tax money it should be free to travel on it whos making all the money
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I use the damned thing 6 days a week to travel from wolverhampton to the jewellery quarter and back again, and have done so for about 3 years now.
” Councillor Mavis Hughes, who chairs Centro’s business improvement committee, said: “The figures are a little distorted. I have travelled on that tram in rush hour and it is packed so full the conductor cannot get to everyone.”
That is a lame excuse, the tram has always been over crowded during the rush hour so the figures have always been distorted. I would suggest that its the off peak times that have seen a fall in usage due to the fact that commuters often have no other option than the tram.
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THE CAR-DEPENDENT WEST MIDLANDS IS GOING TO LOOK FUNNY WHEN PETROL COSTS £4 A LITRE.NOWHERE IS THE ATTITUDE MORE PATHETIC IN EUROPE TOWARDS PUBLIC TRANSPORT DAY AND NIGHT.PURE LACK OF INVESTMENT IS ITS MOTORWAY TO HELL.COME AND COMPARE PARIS.WHICH EVEN 30YEARS BEHIND ITS PROGRAMME IS BEING MORE REALISTIC.
TGHE WEST MIDLANDS LACKS WILL AND IDEAS.
SORRY BUT THE OVERALL RESULT IS PATHETIC.AND BACK TO CARS.THIS IS UNREALISTIC AND MAD.LIKE MOST THINGS IN THE AREA.
SHAME ON YOU !
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THE METRO IS PATHETIC COMPARED WITH NEW TRAM LINES HERE IN PARIS WITH LONG TRAMS LIKE ON THE T3 AND T4.A CRYING SHAME AND A REGIONAL DISGRACE.
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Councillor Mavis Hughes, who chairs Centro’s business improvement committee, said: “The figures are a little distorted. I have travelled on that tram in rush hour and it is packed so full the conductor cannot get to everyone.”
…and this is the leadership speaking! The figures are what they are. people don’t use the Metro if there is a viable alternative.
The Metro is unreliable, dirty and has that irritating voice telling you where you are. The train is quicker and cleaner for getting to Birmingham and why would anybody want to go to the places inbetween?
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For passenger numbers to increase the railway (it is not a tramway) needs to be entirely off road.
Instead a penny wise solution was introduced. The cost of running the railway entirely off road was little different and even if this service had to share a crowded road artery at least it should have gone below the ring road roundabout rather than climb up to its level.
Bad design means the railway is plagued by accidents. To cure the problem sink it below the road junctions. Better still…. divert it along Cleveland Road and into Cleveland Street, passing beneath the ring road.
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The Metro charges premium fares for a route through run down areas. 10 minute frequencies add to the impression that the service is overpriced, that is before the service interrruptions are taken into account. The August Bank holiday will see the service terminating at Priestfield adding to passengers misery.
The final insult has to be the lack of padding in the seats!!!!.
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Ever had the ‘smelly nutter on the bus’ sit by you? I’ve found this when using the Metro. I’d rather pay extra and go by train.
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