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Well well well, I was talking to someone within Arriva fairly high up and involved, and apparently every depot in Merseyside/North West has been tasked over 12 months since last April to reduce their PVR by 5 vehicles.
This is in the face of lowering budgets from up above and rising wages/lowering local authority returns/more commercial services having to be operated fully with no financial support and trying to achieve that 15 year vehicle life.
Losing 5 vehicles also removes the relevant need for drivers and maintenance costs which obviously dont get replaced.
If you think we have 10 depots across Merseyside/Manchester/Cheshire that is 50 buses which can then be scrapped at 15 years old and not be replaced this year.
The service reductions have already been well instigated in each depot , and from what i can recollect by the time the service changes hit in July and September, every depot will actually have achieved the said target.
So this is the real reason why so many services have actually been reduced or withdrawn across the North West over the last year.

I can think of the following
St Helens
20/33 reduced, 312, 620 withdrawn
Southport
42 withdrawn
44 reduced
47/48 reduced
49 reduced
Green Lane
6 withdrawn
Runcorn
1/2 reduced
79C reduced
Chester
X2 withdrawn
84 reduced
Birkenhead
2 withdrawn
Bootle
53/53A/60/61/62 reduced
Speke
500/699 reduced
Bolton/Wythenshawe
715/484/loads ive heard of previously reduced that i cant recall

Obviously there is a few bits more probably for each depot.
So while painting the " we're buying loads of deckers" claims last year, it was to cover up the pending cuts to save operating costs

Bolton still operate the 484

(03/07/2016 02:43)mr t Wrote: [ -> ]I can think of the following

Chester
X2 withdrawn
84 reduced

84 is Winsford Depot

Chester is welsh depot so if only NW are cost cutting chester wont be involved

I was in Runcorn the other day and noticed that there is a 79 (no C) from Runcorn to Hough Green. Is this a new addition since the 79C was reduced or has that always been a thing? Even if it is a new introduction that must surely reduce the PVR by 2 or 3 on the 79C route?

Its a new thing, 15 mins to Hough Green and 30 mins to Liverpool

Heres another cut for your list Wythenshawes 18 then currently runs from Altrincham - The Trafford Centre is getting cut back to operate between Manchester Airport and the Trafford Centre

I know there has been quite a few across GM which I dont pay attention too including TFM contracts which have all been lost over the year. Dont know if it will include Chester then, Winsford seems to have lost a few vehicles/services too forgot about that one.
The 79C saved 4 buses.
And then by redistributing some vehicles between depots this year that is how all the X/Y reg vehicles are being phased out with zero investment since the last batch of deckers. Its why they havent really been very competitive lately in terms of new or improved services and winning contracts.

There is investment as Speke and Green Lane are getting Enviro 400s that will release Buses to go elsewhere to replace the X and Y Reg Buses that are still in service

(03/07/2016 12:28)T42 PVM Wrote: [ -> ]There is investment as Speke and Green Lane are getting Enviro 400s that will release Buses to go elsewhere to replace the X and Y Reg Buses that are still in service

Not until next year though, then the 12 months of reductions will have well passed.

Their due this summer