The other day I had to travel to Spa Medica near Exeter Airport to have the prelim assessment for a cataract lens replacement.
Grandson drove me to Axminster to catch the 12.14 train to St Davids. Then the aim was to catch the Stagecoach 4A bus to the Airport at 13.15. However that did not arrive, neither did the next one, due 35 minutes later. The Stagecoach app would not reveal the presence of the 4A and kept directing me to the 4 instead!
The result a £24.80 taxi fare to Spa Medica.
After the assessment it was a short walk to the airport for the 4A back. However, this was running 35 late meaning I would miss the train to Axminster. Decided to walk to Clyst Honiton and catch the 4 to Cranbrook where I could catch the train. I got off in Cranbrook only to see the bus go off to the station, not shown on the screen or the timetable.
Naturally, the GWR Axminster service was cancelled but caught the SWR on a little later, arriving in Axminster in time for the last bus to Bridport, where grandson picked me up.
Following a strongly worded email to Stagecoach, I received a reply saying if I had the taxi receipt I could claim a refund. Not expecting them to do this I only had my Apple Pay record. This they accepted and £24.80 found its way back into my account, a good result and a thanks to Stagecoach.
At Axminster I even gad time for a swift glass of beer in the Ale Way, the old station master’s house!

 
Since becoming eligible for the 'crusties' National Bus Pass our use of the predominantly Stagecoach-operated 'local' services has replaced many rail trips via Digby & Sowton.

The service provided by Stagecoach had always been somewhat hit or miss for a number of reasons:

In 2021 the opening of the new bus station, which was specified by the idiotic Exeter City Council to be smaller than needed to accommodate all the services wishing to use it, resulted in the previously co-located maintenance & overnight stabling facilities being moved to Matford just over 4 miles away, and partially on a route into the city centre notorious for traffic jams.

Services being cancelled due to the breakdown of ageing diesel buses.

Services being cancelled due to staff shortages and/or en route delays caused by the volume of traffic.

It is still not perfect by any means but the overall situation has been improved by the ongoing recruitment of additional drivers - many of whom are either female or fairly recently arrived 'BNO Hong Kongers' - and the deployment of a fleet of, so far, 20 Volvo electric buses. A well advertised increase in driver's pay has also helped.

   

 
As many of you know, I am a bus driver.

99% of us don’t want to be late. We want our dinner, or to go home on time too.

95% of delays I suffer are caused by third parties. Third party collisions, roadworks, bad parking, bad driving by third parties, on rural routes I often think my bus is invisible as I’m passing through narrow stretches and cars just keep driving at me instead of waiting for me to complete passage of narrow sections. Pensioners having a gossip to me or fellow passengers, must finish their conversation before disembarking then start a new one with me before getting off. The joys of rural work, everyone knows everyone, and passengers are on first name terms with most of the drivers and vice versa.

 
My main concern, and the reason I posted it after some time, was not so much the lateness of the buses. Rather, it was the lack of information at Exeter St Davids and the lack of the buses showing on the live tracking app, which simply came up with the next 4 bus time, not the 4A.
The live time screen at the Airport at least gave me the option of walking to catch the 4 at Clyst Honiton. At St Davids there was no information. Surely, at this major passenger hub there should be some live display. Looking around I could not find one.
Even in Bridport we have live tracking screens at the bus station and at the four main high street stops

 
One of my more significant criticisms of the 'new' Exeter Bus Station is that all the PIS screens, both summary and detailed individual stand units, only display the predefined static timetable information and do not update dynamically; if a service is delayed beyond it's booked departure time it just disappears from the displays, and even minor disruption will result in services pulling in to a stand other than that to which it is allocated and pax would not be aware of this.

The solution to these issues is for individual drivers to pop onto the concourse and ask (shout) quite loudly if any passengers require a specific destination.

Perhaps Stagecoach and/or Devon County Council need to have a word with the RTT boffins.   

 

One of the most frustrating causes of delay I see are the numerous people who don't get their pass/card/change out until they are actually on the bus in front of the driver.

 
I experience similar frustration at supermarket checkouts.