Getting the buses running on time doesn’t seem to be a problem for a Nailsea coach company.

Despite the worse of the winter weather North Somerset Coaches didn’t miss a single journey much to the surprise and delight of its passengers.

This was unlike First Bus, the largest bus operator in Bristol and Somerset, which was fined £40,000 late buses.

The traffic commissioner handed out the financial penalty after an inquiry found spot checks in Weston-super-Mare showed nearly 20 per cent of services did not run on time.

First Bus said the ruling did not consider ‘unpredictable’ conditions.

Well you couldn’t get much worse than the snow and ice in Nailsea yet North Somerset Coaches drivers could be seen gingerly negotiating the side roads until safety considerations made them stick to the main routes.

David said: “During the bad weather our drivers did a superb job operating safely and without missing any journeys.”

During the inquiry by the Department for Transport, First Bristol said the commissioner's target of having 95 per cent of services on time was ‘simply not achievable’ in city traffic.

In 2005 First Bristol was fined £100,000 and in 2007 it was fined £50,000.

North Somerset Coaches bus David Fricker said: “We continually monitor the punctuality and reliability of our bus services to avoid penalties from the traffic commissioner for poor performance.”

It is now consulting passengers as it intends to bring in a new timetable this Easter.

David said: “Since launching the X54 commuter route last April North Somerset Coaches has experience a steady growth in passenger numbers.

“This means we have to now add extra time to the morning journeys to pick up around the estates at Trendlewood Way, Hannah More Road and from Silver Street so we can still achieve the important 6.30am, 7.10am and 7.40am times from the Link Road.”

The service then runs non-stop from Wraxall Service Station to Hotwells. Its aim is to avoid the worse of the rush hour and complete the journey in 20-25 minutes.

North Somerset Coaches was established in1969 and operates five buses and coaches from its Southfield Road depot which include a local service, a week day service into Bristol and a Tuesdays run to Weston and Burnham.

The 40-67 seater vehicles are also available for private hire and it has vintage buses for special events and weddings.

The coach company is also reviewing its Nailsea local bus services. with government policy.

Requests for an additional service to serve the Southfield Road area of the town is also under consideration.

North Somerset Coaches is optimistic the Nailsea to Bristol fare can be pegged at £3 adult single and £4 anytime adult return but the constantly changing fuel prices means a final decision is being deferred.

Comments may be left in the box below, contacting North Somerset Coaches by clicking HERE or by phone at 01275 859123.

UPDATE:

Nailsea People has been accused of 'bias' in reporting this story.

Perhaps a little harsh but if this means being pro-Nailsea and pro-Nailsea business we willingly put our hands up.

As community publisher I asked David Fricker for a comment.

He sent me an email with the request not to publish in full.

Therefore I have omitted the word 'muppet'.

This is (almost) what he said.

We wish David and his business every success in the future.

VOSA (the government agency responsible for operator and vehicle safety) employ 'bus monitors' to watch bus services.

There is one monitor employed to cover the Western Traffic Area which is the Cotswolds/Oxford/Southampton and all points west excluding Wales.

Last Winter (2009-2010) he monitored bus services in Weston, Bristol, Nailsea, Clevedon and Portishead and the buses of all operators.

In June, we received his report asking us to respond to a report out of the 51 buses observed 10 buses were more than five minutes late on the Nailsea town centre routes Service 2 and 4, service 660 to Congresbury-Yatton-Clevedon-Portishead and the Cribbs Causeway routes.

The 660 had been taken over from the collapsed ACL Travel and was a North Somerset Council tendered service - indeed they set the timetable which hadn't changed for years.

Of the 10 late, the latest was 14 minutes (an X2 at Weston that had been held up in roadworks on Locking Road).

There were NO fails to run and NO earlies.

There were a few instances of incorrect destination blinds on hired in vehicles.

We had a fortnight to respond, giving detailed explanations of each incident (some dating back 6 months by then) with questions like why the 12.15 Nailsea to Backwell was six minutes late from the Link Road on January 24, 2010.

We produced a thorough report with more than 60 handwritten letters of support from users vouching for the reliability, regularity and dependability of the bus - to the point that have documentary evidence of only ever having failed to operate one journey through breakdown where we could not immediately provide a replacement (now in nearly three years that is some record).

For the 10 late runners, six were on routes that by August we no longer operated (four on 660 and two on 600/601).

The 660 instances were all due to roadworks (remember the total closure of Clevedon-Portishead and the temporary traffic lights at Clevedon and Claverham).

This cannot be used as an excuse unless you have informed the monitor in writing beforehand.

The 600/601 Cribbs routes ceased entirely because of the monitor's report - I could not allow the rest of my business to be jeopardised by the poor performance of two marginal once-a-week routes that were suffering with Bridge Valley Road's 'temporary' closure.

So, having spent many sleepless nights putting the report together nothing was heard until the call-up letter to  public inquiry at the end of October/early November.

This came as a surprise given the report prepared but then we discovered First were also being called over the same monitoring exercise and at face value our 'percentage' figures were similar to theirs, albeit their sample was much larger (79-82 per cent non-compliance when the required minimum is 95 per cent).

All bus companies have to manage 95 per cent 0-five minutes of time at any point on the journey.

And they can't be timetabled with extra time because then they would arrive early...

We didn't get any press coverage at the time as the timings clashed with the student demonstrations.

Our PI had four passengers as witnesses plus the chairman of the Severnside Community Rail Partnership, operations director of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (the bus & coach industry national trade association), the regional manager of Passenger Focus, a manager from First, plus lots of staff and family.

The monitor read his statement then I read my statement (largely based on the June submission) and the commissioner took great interest in the state of North Somerset Council's advice and confusion over roadwork notifications, and the state of parking in Nailsea High Street.

She was very sympathic and granted 'reasonable excuse' for seven of the 10 late buses.

This changed the percentage to the required standard and the commisioner called a halt to proceedings there and then, with a reminder note about destination blinds.

So, the snow story and the First PI are sort of two stories, but they are inextricably linked.

David Fricker