Yh totally agree mayneway, seems people are paying for their ego!
Least they keep a reasonably (ISH) decent fleet, & at long last YN04 LWO (270) has finally got a rear led display after just having front/side for ages. Never knew why bowers bothered putting all round leds on some & then only seemingly half doing the job I.E. just front or front & side displays never made sense!!!!
If the 394s getting withdrawn doesn't bode well for the future eh does it? The councils are really cutting back big time.
Im confused regarding the 394. When speedwell operated it it was fully subsidised. Speedwell went bump and im pretty sure High Peak took it over commercially, then months later wanted to drop just the Saturday journeys because it didn't pay, DCC put the Saturday journeys to tender which Smiths of Marple won then changed their minds so DCC awarded it to High Peak. I also thought this was the reason only the weekday journeys were extended to Stockport BS last year as the Saturday runs were subsidised.
If it's right it's certainly a blow for locals In Glossop. High peak recently wanted to drop two early morning 394 journeys and only after a local campaign by a school caretaker who claimed her and many others would have to give up work and college etc, DCC claimed it was down to High Peak and nothing to do with them and after a lot of local presure they gave in and reinstated an early journey.
(08/02/2016 12:39)33109 Wrote: [ -> ]Yh totally agree mayneway, seems people are paying for their ego!
Least they keep a reasonably (ISH) decent fleet, & at long last YN04 LWO (270) has finally got a rear led display after just having front/side for ages. Never knew why bowers bothered putting all round leds on some & then only seemingly half doing the job I.E. just front or front & side displays never made sense!!!!
If the 394s getting withdrawn doesn't bode well for the future eh does it? The councils are really cutting back big time.
They do have a pretty decent fleet and to be honest just like Bowers the buses are always well turned out, but I do think thier fares are quite steep so it's only right really that if your paying a lot for travel you want a decent bus to travel on lol.
(08/02/2016 14:26)Mayneway Wrote: [ -> ]Im confused regarding the 394. When speedwell operated it it was fully subsidised. Speedwell went bump and im pretty sure High Peak took it over commercially, then months later wanted to drop just the Saturday journeys because it didn't pay, DCC put the Saturday journeys to tender which Smiths of Marple won then changed their minds so DCC awarded it to High Peak. I also thought this was the reason only the weekday journeys were extended to Stockport BS last year as the Saturday runs were subsidised.
If it's right it's certainly a blow for locals In Glossop. High peak recently wanted to drop two early morning 394 journeys and only after a local campaign by a school caretaker who claimed her and many others would have to give up work and college etc, DCC claimed it was down to High Peak and nothing to do with them and after a lot of local presure they gave in and reinstated an early journey.
I think there was a little more to it. I think the order of events was
Speedwell go bump
High peak take on the emergency tender
Smiths get the permanent tender
High peak register commercially
Smiths contract cancelled
Later on high peak deregister saturdays, which then get subsidised.
Followed on by various tinkering, extensions and retrenchments, which offered no stability.
To make this route viable, it really needs to be combined with a school journey (perhaps the smiths school service at the glossop end).
(08/02/2016 17:19)djb Wrote: [ -> ]I think there was a little more to it. I think the order of events was
Speedwell go bump
High peak take on the emergency tender
Smiths get the permanent tender
High peak register commercially
Smiths contract cancelled
Later on high peak deregister saturdays, which then get subsidised.
Followed on by various tinkering, extensions and retrenchments, which offered no stability.
To make this route viable, it really needs to be combined with a school journey (perhaps the smiths school service at the glossop end).
Smiths deffiantly only won the Saturday tender but it's not important anyway. I just remember High peak taking it on commercially soon after Speedwells demise.
(08/02/2016 20:39)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]Not sure how that would work. Firstly, you can't use peak journeys to cross-subsidise 6 or 8 times as many off-peak journeys. Secondly, how can school journeys be profitable if no passengers are paying full fare?
On the presumption that the route is almost commercially viable (or else high peak wouldnt have run it for so long), the merging of the two routes would give the 394 extra passengers (even if they are only paying half fare) on those journeys.
Smiths route from chisworth to glossopdale is commercially run, so obviously recieves enough revenue.
If you remember, speedwell used to run the 394 up to glossopdale at school times anyway. Smiths only started once speedwell went bust. Until the recent changes there was no 0838 from glossop, as the inbound journey had historically had time to go up to padfield before becoming the 0938?
(08/02/2016 22:33)djb Wrote: [ -> ]On the presumption that the route is almost commercially viable (or else high peak wouldnt have run it for so long), the merging of the two routes would give the 394 extra passengers (even if they are only paying half fare) on those journeys.
Smiths route from chisworth to glossopdale is commercially run, so obviously recieves enough revenue.
If you remember, speedwell used to run the 394 up to glossopdale at school times anyway. Smiths only started once speedwell went bust. Until the recent changes there was no 0838 from glossop, as the inbound journey had historically had time to go up to padfield before becoming the 0938?
Again not quite right regarding the school services.
Months before speedwell closed DCC announced that they were removing the subsidies for the 3 school services Speedwell operated to Glossopdale , along with the 397. While a big campaign was started to save the 397 the owner felt that it wouldn't be possible to run the schools commercially and de-registered them to finish at the end of the Easter term. Obviously they closed in January so Stagecoach continued to operate the school journeys using 3 magic Olympians until the funding stopped then obviously Smiths took over on a commercial basis.
It's debatable whether the 2 smiths services pay, I see the 02 service every afternoon and there's normally only about 10 kids on board. I believe Smiths leave the vehicles in Glossop during the day and they often work on local school trips and baths duties so it could pay that way.
High Peak will be operating the 341 from April, taking over from Stotts:
PC0001086/78 - ERIC W BOWERS COACHES LTD T/A HIGH PEAK BUSES, 102 CANNOCK STREET, LEICESTER, LE4 9HR
Registration Accepted
Starting Point: Glossop (Market hall)
Finish Point: Hyde (Bus Station)
Via: Gamesley, Mottram
Service Number: 341
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 04-APR-2016
Other Details: Monday to Saturday (excluding bank/public holidays)