(04/01/2019 19:34)Olympian2100 Wrote: [ -> ]Do you think Stagecoach are going to start running over Arriva territory and risk a bus war? Also, how many buses would be needed to maintain an hourly frequency at least? If it was thought that there would be a market for bus passengers travelling to Liverpool from Wigan via Skem, it would have been done by now. The train from Wigan to Liverpool only takes 30 minutes - much quicker!
Vehicle requirement itself is irrelevant.its probably more to do with management attitude and the state of the opposition. Stagecoach Manchester slashed heavily loaded services in low car ownership areas to provide 17 buses for the 38 following the sale of Finglands to First.
Liverpool to Skem via Kirkby hourly is 3 buses. I timetabled it all up. I kept the same timetable as current between Kirkby Civic Centre and Liverpool. It works out there is a good 20-30 min layover in Skem but this is obviously reduced in the peak. The times were done with it kind of running around Kiln Lane.
Skem is an area proven to be profitable. Else Arriva wouldn't run so many buses there. It would work out that they would be in the region of 30 mins quicker than the 310 as well.
It seems to be lack of bravery in Stagecoach. All the routes which they have started are very safe.
204 was an old route which proved how much it makes. It's also gets funding.
X8 was an obvious one. A fast link between the busy stops on the 1/2.
X5 is a kind of proven market from Speke - Liverpool. Onto Widnes is kind of testing the water as they want Halton.
22 is a route proven to make money with Avon. Plus their past experience on the X22.
There are phrases which could be used to they do need to be more brave. Arriva are VERY vulnerable at the moment. If you don't take full advantage of that fact, you will eventually run out of business. Yes it might start a war but in the long run, that will work in Stagecoach's favour given Arrivas lack of investment in newer buses and constant cost cutting. Their competing only goes so far doesn't it. Especially if you look at how they currently compete.
Vehicle requirements are extremely relevant. More vehicles = more cost. Common sense really.
It's an average of £120,000 a year to put an extra veichle into the pvr of a route so that route would be required to earn in excess of that to make it profitable.
In terms that if it took an extra pvr of 4 veichles then £480,000 a year is a considerable amount to make before any profit is made so veichle requirements is a big part of it.
Are there currently any bus services between Skelmersdale and Kirkby? I know in the distant past there was I think a 356.
No, there was a 306 years back run by Merseybus between Kirkby and Ormskirk, this partly replaced the Ribble 306 after de-reg. 356 was Bootle - Kirkby, later Liverpool -, Kirkby run by North Western.
(05/01/2019 07:02)childwallblues Wrote: [ -> ]Are there currently any bus services between Skelmersdale and Kirkby? I know in the distant past there was I think a 356.
Skelmersdale still holds the distinction of being the largest town in England without a rail link and a few months ago a Radio 4 programme highlighted this and the lack of transport in the town as a whole. When the X3 was first introduced, I did propose that it should be an express service to Kirkby and then stopping service via Skelmersdale to Wigan but this fell on stony ground. Presumably, the numbers didn't add up.
Bit like the old ribble 365 between Kirkby and Skelmersdale, just doubt there would be any money in it.
(05/01/2019 01:14)motormayhem1 Wrote: [ -> ]It's an average of £120,000 a year to put an extra veichle into the pvr of a route so that route would be required to earn in excess of that to make it profitable.
In terms that if it took an extra pvr of 4 veichles then £480,000 a year is a considerable amount to make before any profit is made so veichle requirements is a big part of it.
I am unsure where that figure comes from. It most definitely doesn't cost that much to put buses out on routes. It costs around 50-60k for a bus for a year. Anything much higher is profits.