Dunabin – AWAY WITH TIMETABLES 1984

Description

ohn Dunabin argues that printed bus timetables are increasingly redundant. While a few regulars instinctively know when buses run, many passengers remain confused despite new patterns; timetables are often arcane, incorrect, unread, and disregarded by drivers and management. Timekeeping has lost urgency—cars, fewer train connections, and changing social practices make exact schedules less critical, and complaints about irregular running are uncommon. Dunabin advocates a more flexible, demand-driven system: telephone or Dial-a-Bus bookings, variable vehicle deployment based on passenger numbers and weather, and discretionary decisions by drivers or operators (e.g., running to the last passenger or canceling runs if impractical). He recounts anecdotes of informal, humanized service decisions that defy rigid scheduling. While acknowledging the need to protect rural services, unions, and guaranteed earnings, he urges freeing bus operations from strict timetabling. The piece closes with brief, nostalgic reviews of books documenting historic bus companies and photographs.