Many public transport services run to what we call a "clock face" timetable - the train or bus goes the same number of minutes after each (or sometime alternate) hour.   But some service don't follow that pattern - here's an example



Do members think that clock face timetables are a good idea?

 
That all seems perfectly clear to me.

 
Ignore the dash in the rain, where the D1 moves by a few minutes on some hours it can make the connection to the London trains at Bath Spa uncomfortably tight.

 
I voted Yes - With odd exceptions.
My preferred answer would have been Yes - Where possible, recognising that other services / activities may prevent it and this will be more common than 'odd exceptions'.

 
Occasionally I deliver friends to Tilehurst Station for trains to Paddington and have sometimes been caught out by minor differences in time, meaning hanging around for a few extra minutes or a dash across the footbridge.

(Two weeks ago one friend very patiently explained how I could swap data to a new phone, making me feel old and stupid.  I was quite pleased and relieved when before leaving my house  we both checked to see if the next train was on time. Her interpretation of the National Rail website was that the 1659 was due at 1556, whereas mine showed all trains were on time.)

 
For suburban routes and core Intercity routes.... definitely Yes.

For many rural and secondary routes it often wouldn't be practical. Maintaining connections, planning for efficiency to avoid an extra train/bus in the cycle, managing single track sections and other capacity constraints, dealing with varying stopping patterns (e.g. varied extensions of the core route, stations where it would be genuinely wasteful to stop all trains etc), slotting in occasional freight where capacity is limited, peak variations (where not simply a case of adding an extra journey), even ripple effect of routes affected by these things on other routes because of connections and capacity, etc...

 
My thoughts are that a clock face service would be a desirable starting point for a Metro style service before it could achieve a "turn up and go" frequency, (when it becomes something of an irrelevance).

 
I'm rather inclined to rename this topic as, 'Clocky MacClockFace' - but I won't.

 
I replied don't know because, while I agree it would be good, I am not sure that it would not constrain the timetable so much on a crowded railway that it could not actually provide the best service for passengers and freight. 

 
I can see that train times may need to vary by the odd minute here and there, and passengers often do need to know about such variations if they are not to miss that train or a connecting service.  Sometimes I'd still argue that they could be hidden in the public timetable if a minor variation would have no noticeable impact. 
On buses where precise timekeeping is at the mercy of so many external factors, tiny variations between hours such as those Sunday times for the D1 at variously 10, 11 and 12 minutes past the hour really are a nonsense given how unlikely it is that the bus will leave at that exact minute, even the 15 and 16 timings possibly being a moot point.  It makes the whole thing over-complicated for no real benefit.

 
Poll completed - thank you for your responses.


You have confirmed that clockface - or near to it - does matter for most people.   The D1/D1x timings from the far end of Trowbridge into Bath - shown in the initial picture - caused some concern when introduced, even with the local management who felt it was imposed them from First HQ by a team who were looking at the theory of getting the most out of all their vehicles / assets and miming both layovers and late running.

Conclusion - "Yes, where practical" is probably the best answer; I remain (as an occasional user) critical of the D1 timetable show - too confusing / does not attract me.    I AM away that a spray of services will mean that different connections may make and break in each hour, and if a want a journey without a wait in the middle they will give me a couple of good opportunities during the day.