£1.5 million minibus service could face axe if users fail to rise

The ArrivaClick minibus service was introduced in Watford in 2020, and even this year, is failing to get anywhere close to the number of rides projected. Credit: Watford Borough Council

Between January and April, only around 5,000 of the 76,000 rides Watford Borough Council had forecast happened. This is after the operator, which was awarded a £1.5 million contract by the council until 2024, was placed under an improvement notice last November. Rides are booked directly from a smartphone by selecting a pick-up and drop-off location, with multiple passengers travelling at a time to up to 600 virtual bus stops across the borough.

"That fundamentally has to be the drive. We are pushing for a growth in numbers, we think demand response transport is worth pushing hard for.” ArrivaClick product owner Dan Thomason said the pandemic and a new hybrid way of working has had a “detrimental” impact, and although ArrivaClick in Watford has a “loyal” customer base, he said more work is needed to reach a wider demographic.

No one knows how it works ! Lack of advertising maybe ?

Just run proper frequent bus routes around the areas rather than a few really long straight ones that are delayed or cancelled so often it futile even planning to use them. We don’t need gimmicks or multiple companies we need a proper organised service for Watford and links

WatfordMayor WatfordCouncil ArrivaClick I live on the edge of the area served and had never heard of it which is part of your problem. If you could go in with Three Rivers you'd have a 10x more viable and useful service. Watford BC isn't an island after all.

United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Inside £1.15M 8-bedroom listed manor for sale with apartment and tennis court'The Manor House encompasses the size and grandeur of that of a fine country seat, yet is uniquely positioned on its own private grounds in the bustling harbour town of Donaghadee.'
Source: BelfastLive - 🏆 16. / 77 Read more »

Tata threatens to close Port Talbot steelworks without £1.5bn of aid\n\t\t\tExpert insights, analysis and smart data help you cut through the noise to spot trends,\n\t\t\trisks and opportunities.\n\t\t\n\t\tJoin over 300,000 Finance professionals who already subscribe to the FT.
Source: ftenergy - 🏆 47. / 63 Read more »

Tata threatens to close Port Talbot steelworks without £1.5bn of aid\n\t\t\tExpert insights, analysis and smart data help you cut through the noise to spot trends,\n\t\t\trisks and opportunities.\n\t\t\n\t\tJoin over 300,000 Finance professionals who already subscribe to the FT. The Govt Should Nationalize the Steel Company let them close it, and let someone lese buy it for next to nothing The start of the fall of the Britain
Source: FT - 🏆 113. / 51 Read more »

Inside the 'impressive' £1 million house for sale just outside GlasgowA new detached villa has gone up for sale just outside Glasgow for the price of £1,175,000, and it comes with impressive features such as two en-suites and a 'generous' garden
Source: Glasgow_Live - 🏆 4. / 97 Read more »

North Northants Council will use spare £1.5m to improve roadsIt will use the reserves to repair potholes and other highway maintenance
Source: NorthamptonUK - 🏆 99. / 51 Read more »

B&M shoppers praise £1 'blast from the past' Cadbury barOne B&M shopper said: 'I remember these as a kid from the 90's' 🙌
Source: EchoWhatsOn - 🏆 74. / 59 Read more »