Just seen this Article and it seems Pilkington's and M&M Coaches and maybe others are set to boycott the new Bus station in Accrington due to a £1.50 per trip charge to use the Bus Station, Should this happen then all the Money building the new Bus Station would of been wasted, What do other people think about this? (Also thanks to The North West Bus Blog for sharing this on Facebook)
http://m.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/...c#comments
One way which might be more effective for the operators to make their point might be unilaterally to increase their fares by an amount such that they would still make roughly the same profit as before, and loudly tell the passengers that this increase is due to the additional levy.
Yet whatever they do, they should really make sure that all passengers are aware of the reason for the inconvenience and say that things will go back to how they were if the charge is dropped, as that will surely add their voices to the protest.
If they don't do this, passengers are likely to blame the companies themselves for the changes.
Don't TFGM and Merseytravel charge operators to use thier bus stations?
(17/02/2016 10:08)Mayneway Wrote: [ -> ]Don't TFGM and Merseytravel charge operators to use thier bus stations?
tfgm do thats why the 236/7 avoid stalybridge b/s
(17/02/2016 13:18)james Wrote: [ -> ]tfgm do thats why the 236/7 avoid stalybridge b/s
I thought so as remember both Beeline/Northwestern and Dennis's both running to just outside bus stations to avoid the charges infact I'm sure GMPTE used to also charge go layover parking so Dennis's would park on Katherine Street just outside Ashton Bus station.
It's been few years since I was in accrington but if this new bus station has even basic facilities like toilets and lighting how do operators like Pilkingtons and M&M coaches expect these to be paid for??
(17/02/2016 10:08)Mayneway Wrote: [ -> ]Don't TFGM and Merseytravel charge operators to use thier bus stations?
They do.
Merseypride never used to call at Liverpool ONE after PSBS closed because of this.
TFGM and Merseytravel also charge for renting layover stands, for example in Middleton there are layover bays dedicated to first and what was "JPT". In Liverpool Bootle, Huyton, and L1 (PSBS) are the same also.
Don't operators who own their own bus stations charge other operators? I'm sure one Stagecoach company down south charges over £8 per departure.
(17/02/2016 20:17)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]Standard LA versus private Operator response; Punish the passenger. "Loudly" telling the passenger won't make it more palatable, even if they believed it.
Under the status quo, somebody has to be punished, and the point I'm making is to press for change in order to minimise the punishment.
If the operators sit there and take the punishment, then that will just continue and the same punishment will just perpetuate indefinitely.
If they do something about it and build a campaign, then the punishment might be removed or lessened.
(17/02/2016 20:26)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]I thought that practice had been outlawed by the OFT/CMA
No, the only practice outlawed was where operators who owned bus stations, or managed bus stations on behalf of a council, stopped other firms form using them. They can charge for departures, and I'm sure one Stagecoach firm down south charges or charged £8 per departure.