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Will Merseytravel be publishing or putting on-line the Christmas/New Year booklet this year?

(03/12/2020 12:19)moreton407 Wrote: [ -> ]Will Merseytravel be publishing or putting on-line the Christmas/New Year booklet this year?

I know Arriva and Stagecoach have both published their independent timetables on their respective websites. I’d imagine Merseytravel will publish theirs about 10 days before Christmas.

Stagecoach will continue to offer Merseytravel tendered services on Christmas Day operating primarily for hospitals, but anyone can board or alight anywhere along the route.

In the meantime here’s the ones I’ve found:
Arriva: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/floating-pag...s-services
Stagecoach: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and...r-services

Merseytravel Christmas and New Year Services booklet for 2020 now available:

https://merseytravel.adidocdn.dev/assets...21_min.pdf

Looking through this, as a side note to the service levels, couldn't help but feel a little sad when you look how few bus operators there are now, I remember when that list at the start of the booklet used used to fill 2 pages

Whats the reason for Mersey Ferries not operating from 19 December-3 January? Seems quite a long time for them not to run.

(14/12/2020 07:06)M60lad Wrote: [ -> ]Whats the reason for Mersey Ferries not operating from 19 December-3 January? Seems quite a long time for them not to run.

Seacombe Ferry landing standing is having some work done on it , when the service resumes in the New year the service will be Birkenhead Woodside - Liverpool Pier Head.

In the next few years Birkenhead Woodside will have to also have some work done on it.

(14/12/2020 01:42)N271CKB Wrote: [ -> ]Looking through this, as a side note to the service levels, couldn't help but feel a little sad when you look how few bus operators there are now, I remember when that list at the start of the booklet used used to fill 2 pages

Don't forget that at least 1 or 2 trips used to come from over the border tenders like TFGM had the 360 to Newton and Lancashire has the 315 tender from Ormskirk to Southport. That is 2 operators which aren't on there simply because the tenders were won by operators who already are in the booklet.
I'd also ask did Merseytravel used to summarise tenders into their own column? If not, that could be one reason for some of the list shrinking (A2B, Eazibus and Peoplesbus only running tenders)
I do agree with you though that there are a lot fewer operators now compared to what there were.


I think it's a shame they didn't include Ashcrofts with Merseytravel now covering Halton (while not running much in Halton, the city region oversight does included Halton).

If you look at it, it only lists operators who run their own commercial services which is why HTL, Cumfybus and Hattons are listed separately, there is a Merseytravel column at the very top and very little difference to the previous 2 years in terms of what is actually operating from them.

(14/12/2020 13:11)CX06 EBK Wrote: [ -> ]If you look at it, it only lists operators who run their own commercial services which is why HTL, Cumfybus and Hattons are listed separately, there is a Merseytravel column at the very top and very little difference to the previous 2 years in terms of what is actually operating from them.

Which is admittedly very confusing as it shows HTL aren't running buses for most of the week but the fact is they are running all their contract routes, just not the few commercial routes.

(14/12/2020 13:32)iMarkeh Wrote: [ -> ]Which is admittedly very confusing as it shows HTL aren't running buses for most of the week but the fact is they are running all their contract routes, just not the few commercial routes.

They’d come under Merseytravel, but I’m sure a regular passenger doesn’t know if it’s a Merseytravel service, they’d just look for the name they see on the side of the bus. Agreed, it is confusing and maybe they could’ve done more about this, as I anticipate many questions.

Ironically, the usually 3-a-day 201 hospital bus gets a more regular service on Christmas Day at an hourly frequency.

I’ve noticed no special provision for Halton though. It’s confusing as to whether they come under Merseytravel control or not as all stops are Merseytravel branded but there’s no real affiliation. The only Merseytravel-tendered service in Halton is the evening and Sunday 17 Widnes to St Helens and even then that’s more tied to St Helens provision than Widnes.