“i travelled on the bendy bus today 13/06/09 and it was full! SO CAN PEOPLE DROP IT!!”

“I have just read the evening post (8th June 09) and someone says that he saw it many times last week and it was not even half full i travelled on it twice and both times it was full i also travelled on it from Singleton Hospital to the Quadrant and there was standing room only there must have been about 90 people on the bus and there was still a pleasant atmosfear i hope that the bus company keepsthese great vehicles on the road”

“I had a trip on this FTR today and it was wonderfull it really does feel like a tram and the legroom is brilliant.”

“Stephen G - I hear what you say about a cheap public transport system saving resources, road space etc and ideologically you may very well be right.

Practically though I can't think of one successful Public Transport system that is self-financing.

The main difference, and where the savings come, between Public and Private transport is thatwhen a car driver, having driven to work in the rush hour and parks up for the day his costs (apart from parking) stop until they drive back home in the evening rush hour. For the 8 or so hours (s)he's at work his wages are paid for by his employer When they get home they'll park (normally for free) and the costs stop again. His costs and also his use of resources are therefore limited to actual vehicle usage.

Once, say a bus driver, has driven his bus full through the rush hour what happens then. Can't send him home without pay and have him back 8hours later so he's left driving around in a virtually empty bus for 8 hours. Multiply that by all the back-up and support staff and the need to buy and maintain vehicles for peak period and you start to see the problem, and downfall, of having to equip to meet 'Peak Demaand'.

This is the main difference between Private and Public transport. The car's cost and consumption of resources virtually stop when it's not needed and any Public systems costs run virtually 24/7.

I would guess, and it is only a guess because no real research has been undertaken as far as I'm aware, that public transport isn't actually as 'Green' as it's made out to be and the majority of the 'facts' that come out actually emminate from research funded by the Public transport sector - Spin by another name.

Politicians will fall over themselves to agree as being seen to 'Green' is the populist thing to do at the moment and to get votes you need to be popular.”

“Mike Thomas - seconded - you've noticed too eh...

People in Swansea should take their heads out of their fundaments and look around the world at similar and comparable cities (in comparable countries) - estonia, slovenia etc. They embrace the modern - and the future. They don;t want to stay in 1973 - or 1953 - like so many here. One thing though - Swansea's roads are shockingly bad. Surely there's enough cash for such important repairs? If not, the council is spending its money on the wrong things.”

“Bonymaen Bob - an interesting, thoughtful comment you make but I don't see the difference you are trying to make between public and private transport. All roads / transport systems are quieter in non peak periods, this is a matter of definition. Most cars spend the vast majority of their time parked up, while their drivers are at work, shopping etc. If public transport was used more, which would require it to be cheaper, more reliable and convenient, then our society as a whole would need less roadspace, fewer vehicles and less of the world's scarce resources. The bendybus is one, modest step in that direction.”

“TOUGH the people of Swansea were stupid enough to vote the council back in, stop whinging you got what you deserved.”

“Public transport systems never have and never will work or be viable without massive grant funding - and the reason is simple, being witnessed every day and commented on here.

Infrastructure (Dedicated Bus Lanes; Rail/Tram Tracks; Vehicles; Depots; Staff etc) must be adequate to meet Peak Demand or you end up with an overcrowded service, that no one wants to use at Peak times.

In turn this means that outside Peak times the infrastructure is going to be underused - as witnessed by empty buses for example - but still has to be paid for.

The same holds good to a certain extent with the cost of the road network for private transport - the main difference being the cost is spread around ALL roadusers. For example; the same piece of road may have, say, 1000 vehicles an hour passing over it, transporting not only people but goods and services. The cost of providing that piece road is effectively divided by 1000 per hour. The rest of the infrastructure (vehicles; maintenance; fuel etc) is left to the individual user to supply at NO COST to anyone other than themselves. Never seen a car with 40 empty seats have you?

Costs for private transport are therefore kept to a minum because there is no superfluous usage.

Even Doctor Beeching in the 60's recognised this fact when he took the axe to the many branch lines that then existed. The principle that existed then exists today.

Public Transport is an expensive means of moving people from A to B and until the current crop of tree-hugging, self-effacing, so-called 'Green' politicians and leaders recognise this fact it will be us - the Public who the system is supposed to serve - who will be paying an ever increasing bill to allow the Public Transport companies to make their money.”

“Welcome to Swansea where progress is a dirty word, whinging is a popular passtime and most everyone wants to live in the past.

I think the bendy bus is a great idea and feel proud of much of the progress we have seen in recent years. The marina and the SA1 development are excellent and the city centre is looking infinitely better. All we need now is for someone to pull down the dradful red brick Saint David's monstrosity left behind by previous incapable and unimaginative administrations.”

“We didn't want, still don't. There hasn't been a fatality yet. Going by what I saw through the Hafod, (on a trial run), there soon will be!”