Forum | Merseyside Dennis Dart Website

(01/08/2016 19:22)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]Presumably, these are 37442-4 but do you know the registrations?

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BLOTW give these as SN16 OSP/R/U

(01/08/2016 19:36)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]Not sure how this works. Just looked at Manchester to St. Helens (any station) Single (Off-peak) and the cheapest tomorrow or in 19 days time is £7.90! Notwithstanding, I was going to say that apart from access to remote Rail Stations being a major issue for those without a car, a bus ticket for an individual journey or Day's travel is bought on the day. No worrying about if the weather is going to ruin your day; whether you may be ill; whether something else crops up etc. etc. Obviously, regular travellers is a completely different market.

As for Runcorn: Since the X3(?) was withdrawn some years ago, I wouldn't know where to start to get there.

Basically if you purchase an advance ticket for Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly (and pick it up at any UK station), it is actually cheaper as both stations are Network Rail stations. The £3 single service is valid on the Liv - Man Airport service which is available several times a day, however some trains are slightly more such as £3.45 for peak travelling.

I regularly travel in the other direction to Liverpool on the 10:54 service and return to Piccadilly on the 20:16. (With my rail card it costs the same price as a local dayticket - £4)

The Airport to Liverpool service currently calls at Wavertree, St Helens Junction and Newton-le-willows. You can board at any of these stations with the Liverpool ticket (despite not travelling from there) and towards your destination. This also works with stations with ticket gates too such as South Parkway where I've boarded services to Manchester with a Lime Street Ticket as it was cheaper.

I was actually advised to do this by a 'Northern Rail' Conductor when I used to travel from Manchester to Widnes regularly, and was paying £13 return.


To travel from Runcorn to Manchester by bus you would need both an Arriva and a First/Stagecoach Day Ticket and would have to travel towards Warrington (110/X30), then onward towards Newton-le-Willow (360) before changing buses towards Leigh (34) and from Leigh services (V1, 34, X34) to Manchester

Or you could just get the arriva 110/X30 from runcorn to warrington then first's 100 warrington to shudehill.

Is there a needed market for a Runcorn-Manchester bus service, the old X3 went after council funding was cut & it wasn't viable to commercialise the route, i remember Arriva Wales time operating the route they allocated minibuses on the 2 hour X3 route.

That was the time im sure when national express had the operations of crosville wales

(30/07/2016 20:54)Metroline1511 Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe Stagecoach could take over the X1 Liverpool-Halton Lea from Arriva and interwork it with route 36?

Arriva would never let up on the X1. By far its busiest route.

(30/07/2016 21:02)Metroline1511 Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe Stagecoach can extend route X50 (Manchester - Trafford Centre express) to Halton Lea via Warrington and Widnes. This would provide some excellent new links to Trafford Centre and this new territory for Stagecoach that you suggest!

In my opinion, although a link from Rucorn to Manchester could seem desirable to many, there's no feasable way a bus route could do this without taking a horrendous amount of time on each journey. Especially during peak times, it can take over an hour in the car!

(31/07/2016 19:37)Metroline1511 Wrote: [ -> ]As Runcorn is on the Mersey I have always wondered why Merseyside was created to exclude Runcorn but include Southport. Admittedly Southport had a municipal bus company. Mind you, there was and still is Halton at Widnes. This distinction should be eliminated when the Liverpool City Region is created.

The reason I assume a place like southport to be included in Merseyside and not Runcorn is that along with Liverpool, Southport was a part of Lancashire until the counties and boundaries changed way back when. Runcorn always has been, and even though now included in LCR, always will be a part of Cheshire.

However, being part of the LCR, Merseytravel are now the ones in charge of the bus services in the area, so maybe it could see some new SC routes in the area, or maybe extensions of existing ones?


In my opinion, I can see SC being successful in Halton, Runcorn particularly, as the standard of service recently has dropped significantly. Many late runnings per day, poor buses and very expensive fares. I think a fresh face in the area could do wonders for the infrastructure of the town, and would definitely put the frights up the existing companies.

Late running can be caused by a variety of things , don't forget Runcorn and Widnes at the moment are just one massive road building project .

Stagecoach probably will not look at that area until those works are completed .

I don't think putting the frights up the existing companies is idle , when the Buses Bill gets introduced it will make everyone sit up and notice , but be assured it certaintly wont dog eat dog like in TfL.

(03/08/2016 06:51)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]Late running can be caused by a variety of things , don't forget Runcorn and Widnes at the moment are just one massive road building project .

Stagecoach probably will not look at that area until those works are completed .

I don't think putting the frights up the existing companies is idle , when the Buses Bill gets introduced it will make everyone sit up and notice , but be assured it certaintly wont dog eat dog like in TfL.

The only bus really affected by the roadworks is the X1. The late running has been a common occurance way before the roadworks began.

(03/08/2016 19:32)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks again. Does anyone know when they are due to enter service, and on which route(s), or will they just supplement the earlier Enviro200s on 38, 41/42? I know I asked before, but now we are well into the school hols, is there any clear pattern to what the ALX400s (esp. 18440-2) are working on weekdays and indeed, on Saturdays?

Yesterday afternoon I was saw 18440 heading to heswall but can't see what route number, 18442 on route 472.

(30/07/2016 13:42)iMarkeh Wrote: [ -> ]Where can I find the registration thing filled in? I know VOSA has a list of the registrations but I can never find like an amended route or times ect. The council got a few while I was on Work Ex there but are they available to the public?

I want SC to take on more routes and maybe take on the 7 and some more general routes in Birkenhead/Chester. Rock Ferry depot is massive and they have about 5 routes (41/42, 1/2, 471/472, 38) and maybe one or two schools but inbetween schools, they could do so much with their buses. It seems like they have too few routes. Maybe they need to rob some from Arriva in North Birkenhead.

Sorry, a bit late to this! You can get copies from the Traffic Commissioner's Office, but it will cost you £5 per registration for the privilidge. That's a standard admin charge that even bus operators have to pay if they want to see someone else's registration before the operator goes public!