“do a google search , on ,( go ahead staff cuts ,) then you will see what kind of company Pengelly is selling the city silver to”

“Apologies, I dont usually disrespect others comment, but has anybody got any idea what Thermos (and Hermetic) is going on about.”

“Citybus - amateur name, amateur service, amateur drivers (50% not all, fingers down people) AND some utterly bizarre service routes has led to a city the size of Nottingham or Wolverhampton getting shafted.
Every year at Christmas, the shopping nights are a disaster with queues of people waiting for too long on Royal Parade to get home. I walk back to my folks in Manadon, I just can't be asred to wait. No buses until they all turn up together and leave together. Citybus never ran to timetables and never ran regularly.

I can't wait for a proper transport company to transform this city into an accessible destination once again.

Proper express shuttles to outlying estates without clogging up services with fat idle morons going 2 stops to North Hill - that would be a good start.”

“There are several incidences with the illegally proposed sale of Plymouth Citybus which rhyme of corruption, nepotism, mis-management, and general lack of legal procedure. Spending nearly a half-a-million on valuation so far, with a further million planned; can only cream-off the small profit which would be returned to Plymouth public funds if sold, rather than the half-million profit Citybus earns per year being invested in Plymouth Citybus standing. If the sale goes badly in casket, will ALL the profit from the sale have already been spent lining private pockets from public money; this is especially distasteful given the recent high-profile news concerning poor management of public funds.

Given Plymouth Corporation Transport was conceived in Plymouth brethren; in sworn will of witnessed Victorian Founders; a right defended in privileged by all who sent their families to war in the first half of the previous century- and any who stayed in church in support yet abstinence; in order such that every future Plymouth person, young, old, or infirm, regardless of class or creed, would have free safe access to transportation around The City of Plymouth and beyond. A Council controlled Plymouth Citybus means any decisions - like route abandonment, shortening of school services and other provisions, e.g. price, are kept within the democractic process. What did the Council promise originally? Plymouth Corporation Transport: please lay the lines of its course to accomodate those left behind in words.

Importantly: A major undeveloped asset of Plymouth Citybus stands as Bretonside Bus Station. Given its prime location between the Harbour developments and the Mall; would any sale subsequently result in a later sale of the land for retail development, failing to return publicly owned funds to Plymouth Citybus; and instead lend itself to profiteering via the aforementioned 'closed' clubs: birthed in pyramidic hierarchies of power, control and manipulation?

A few years ago, there was a plan to progress the Council into open planned offices to prevent abuse behind closed-office walled doors; and at the time Councillors were asked to indicate any private allegences held, such as Freemasonary; many refused to acknowledge the question.

In open democracy in England, Scotland, and Wales; personally, I'd visit their buildings and pray for their souls, then look to see these matters investigated in breadth by the up-most authority in Her Majesty's Government. A new dawn rings tomorrow in all faith in Plymouth's breath.

In better quest England believes.”

“Gordon, Plymouth¿perhaps I did not make myself clear, I am asking to debate wether should we have bus lanes at all.”

“The council must vote tomorrow to proceed. And Mavin's suggestion that the bus lanes should not be open to private bus companies or taxis is plain daft. On that basis why should any highways and footpaths be open to the public generally?”

“sell it .A.S.A.P !
if its not making a profit also sack some drivers !”

“So the decision to sell or not to sell will be taken tomorrow Monday, by our elected representatives and the wisdom of their decision (whichever way) will only be judged by the sands of time.


Trying to move the debate on a little:

Should the council now look to remove the finance on concessionary routes?

As this may now be termed a truly privatised service, should the service it provides be judged on what is economically viable by the company and not on the service needed and subsidised by the citizens, through concessionary fares i.e. the tax payer is still paying.


The term public transport could be re-branded¿.Regular private bus transport and as such should the city still provide bus lanes for private companies i.e. Bus operators and taxi companies?

These lanes could be redesigned with proper cycle lanes and the remainder of the carriage remerged with the public highway for all to use including motorcycles.


Debate please.”

“DONNA, PLYMOUTH
The original reason why Plymouth ran its own public transport service, was because private operators who tried failed miserably.
The failure of a decent transport system was a constant source of grievance at Council meetings. Finally, in 1892, the Corporation purchased the system from the old Plymouth Tramways Company for the sum of £12,500.
Plymouth Corporation Tramways Dept. later became Plymouth City Transport Dept., who ran a bus service for the whole of the City, by cross subsidising the revenue from well patronised routes to help provide a service on loss making routes. It was never a chargeable item on the City rates.
When de-regulation came in 1986 the sevice became CityBus, and the Council decided to retain a hold on it in order that the cross subsidy plan would continue to provide a decent service to all parts of Plymouth.
Councillors now have to decide whether selling CityBus to a private operator will still provide a decent service to the whole of Plymouth. Bearing in mind that the main concern for any private operator will naturally be to make a profit . Routes that do not show a profit would have to face fare increases, be abandoned or severely reduced.
So you see the fate of CityBus concerns everybody in Plymouth and it is essential that the right decision is made.”

“As usual in any arguments there are "fors" and "againsts". A traditionlist like me would not welcome the sale of CityBus but I am also a realist. If you go back to 1920 when the the old Tramways Department first ran buses, there were heated arguments then about why the Corporation should operate them. The Conservatives could not see the point at all. And maybe they are right. But what annoys me more about this situation is the lying and deceit that has been used by the politicians to achieve it. There have been no real arguments put forward by either side. I have never met Mrs Pengelly but I loathe her as much as I loathed Mrs Thatcher in the end. The sale to Go-Ahead, who seem to have a good reputation, might be of benefit to Plymouth in the end. But Doctor Beeching is still remembered and vilified for what he did to the railways: maybe the name of Pengelly will be viewed in the same way in Plymouth in the future. But the public who think the sale will result in bus drivers stopping for them or not pulling away just as they get to the bus stop are in for a huge disappointment. And people living in the Milehouse area had better get ready for huge increase in traffic when the depot is turned into a supermarket just as those currently living in a peaceful rural area had better prepare to have a bus depot on their doorstep.”