Interesting Ivybridge Information

Frustration from First (surprise, surprise!)

First continues the battle for passengers at Ivybridge with a special fares offer, starting one week before Plymouth Citybus begins its onslaught into First's traditional territory.

 10 journey offer 

For a limited period only you can buy a 10 journey ticket for only £10!

Simply ask your driver for a 10 journey ticket available on Service X80, Service 180 (and new Service 88 which serves Ivybridge from 8th October!)

But hurry!

This special offer is only available for a limited time:

From 23 Sep to 20 Oct on the X80 and 180 and from 8 Oct to 20 Oct on our new Service 88, for journeys between Plymouth and Ivybridge.

 day ticket offer 

First Devon is launching a new value day ticket for unlimited travel anywhere between Plymouth and Ivybridge.

Only £4.00 adult or £3.50 child.  fbb comments  Poor value for a child and not much help if you've got several; children, that is!

This great value new ticket is available to buy on bus from Sunday 23rd September 2012.

Simply ask your driver for a FirstDay Ivybridge ticket.

Anxious to avail himself of the full information in the interests of accurate blogging, fbb immediately emails First asking for a copy of a leaflet as published on Plymothian Transit Blog on Thursday 20th September.

click on the image to enlarge

 fbb's email 

Please send a copy of the leaflet for the new service 88 to Ivybridge to:- (home address supplied).

 fbb comments 

This was on an e-mail form provided on First's "Devon and Cornwall" website as the company does not permit "direct" internet access; so much for the benefits of modern communications. At least fbb could, just about, cope with the tricky "security" question.

fbb thinks he is a "person"; others might not be so sure. Two replies from First, received on Friday 21st September.

 Sandy replies 
Thank you for your email, We do not have any leaflets in stock for the 88 service as yet. You can find all the details on the web site at www.firstgroup.com/cornwall. All our time tables are available for you.
 fbb comments  But I didn't ask for the timetable!
Kind regards
Sandy Glyn
Customer Services
First and Greyhound
283 Empress Road
Southampton
SO14 0JW

 Melanie replies
Good Morning Mr White,
Please find a link to the relevant timetable:

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/devon_cornwall/journey_planning/timetables/timetable.php/day=1&source_id=2&service=88/88A/88B&routeid=5484911&operator=6&source=sp

I hope this assists you with your enquiry.

 fbb comments  a nice simple internet link to use! And, again, I didn't ask for the timetable.

Kind Regards
Melanie Cole
Customer Services
First and Greyhound
283 Empress Road
Southampton
SO14 0JW

 fbb comments 

Note that these replies do not come from First in Devon and Cornwall but (apparently) from Southampton. Two replies from (ostensibly) two different people? Clearly various bits of First's scattered empire do not communicate with each other. This is fbb's emailed response to the above (with the leaflet image attached)

 fbb's email 
Really?
Please see attached! It is only a screen shot.
Please send a non-existent leaflet as soon as they are available.
An emailed PDF copy will do.

 Melanie replies again 

Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your comments regarding one of our services. 
Please call the local travel shop for more information 01872 271682

 fbb comments  Presumably this is in Plymouth? Or is it?
Kind regards
Melanie Cole

This is the only picture of the enquiry office in Plymouth's Bretonside bus station that fbb could find. It dates from Christmas 1965!

Very Festive!

 fbb comments  That code didn't feel right, so checked on-line with a dialling code decoder ...

... which suggests an office at the bus station in Truro.

Possibly!

Can an office in Truro help with Plymouth enquiries or even a Plymouth leaflet? Try phoning (Monday 24th September).

1020 : no reply

1200 : no reply
Gave up. Life's too short.

Just in case of biased blogging, fbb despatched a similar e-mail on a similar form (but without a brain curdling security question) on Monday 24th September to Plymouth Citybus.

 Plymouth auto reply 
Thank you for your recent communication to Plymouth Citybus. A member of our customer services team will be dealing with your enquiry as soon as possible.

And, just 20 minutes later:-

 Belinda replies  
Thank you for your email. The timetable has been sent in today's post.
Kind Regards
Belinda Punter
Customer Services
Plymouth Citybus Limited
direct line : 01752 264 206
email : customer.services@plymouthbus.co.uk

 fbb comments 
Which company understands the "service" part of "customer service"? We will keep all our bemused readers informed about any postal arrivals in the next few days (Plymouth Citybus), weeks / years / never (First Devon and Cornwall).

And, in case you were wondering (you were wondering, weren't you? Of course you were.), the leaflet that fbb has requested from First Bus is available on-line, as this blog is being written (Monday 24th September), at ...

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/new_service_updates/attach_1348158765_12941_First_88-X80_Leaflet-WEB.pdf

 ... which is a very long and unnecessarily cumbersome link and thus could be difficult to copy over accurately into a web browser. It is not the timetable link that First sent as above. If you would like a copy of something that First cannot supply (!!) please feel free to download it (here).

Still there'll be a copy in the post any day now.

 Next Bus Blog : Thursday 27th September