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(25/09/2015 10:36)Mayneway Wrote: [ -> ]I've been tipped off by a very good friend of mine that the remaining 3 Evolutions that are still lingering here in Manchester are now permanently allocated to AZ, however the only one used so far in service is 33871 on 347's yesterday afternoon/evening.
Apparently the pair of Tridents based at AZ have gone into reserve but have moved to MN so will probably see use there.

17200 now officially on Middleton fleet, 17202 in reserve.

Only 33865/70/4/6 made it to the South West - so that leaves 5 MCVs still lingering somewhere.

To be honest, I can't see why they would be put back into service unless there's a vehicle shortage/sudden PVR increase. I know Middleton has some non-DDA compliant ALX300s, but replacements were in the pipeline (and said replacements would be cheaper than the MCVs)

(25/09/2015 22:15)mbonwick Wrote: [ -> ]17200 now officially on Middleton fleet, 17202 in reserve.

Only 33865/70/4/6 made it to the South West - so that leaves 5 MCVs still lingering somewhere.

To be honest, I can't see why they would be put back into service unless there's a vehicle shortage/sudden PVR increase. I know Middleton has some non-DDA compliant ALX300s, but replacements were in the pipeline (and said replacements would be cheaper than the MCVs)

33871 was again out on 347's this afternoon.
I was told only 3 had gone to AZ so not sure where the other two are but I believe 22236 has been sold for disposal over the last few weeks and this was a very regular performer on he 347 so possibly a direct replacement for that.

(26/09/2015 09:10)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]347 should not really be run with single-deckers. I caught one mid-morning at Crown Point going to Ashton recently, and we had to wait for half the population of Haughton Green to get off, before we boarded - and the one in front had gone less than 10 minutes before! Yes, the peak service is increased but given the volatility of the M60, it doesn't take much to gridock Denton, thus creating big gaps. Perhaps, worse still is when I have been in the area in the evening peak, the single deckers seem to be on three consecutive boards.

Its laughable really that they insist on using single deckers on not only the 347 but the 236 also. The 236 passes one of the largest college sites in the northwest and gets very varying students from Ashton to college and from college onwards towards glossop, and vice versa and often runs through Stalybridge with little room to swing a cat.

(25/09/2015 22:14)John I Wrote: [ -> ]I can confirm that it was in service in Stockport on Tuesday afternoon.

I seen it myself on the 11 on either Wed or Thurs, Cant have long left now tho

(26/09/2015 15:47)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]Coincidentally, I was in Ashton today, and amongst the smokers coming into the bus station purely to break the law, and the usual cyclists riding the wrong way down D-F, I observed 19228/59 running together on the 347, followed by three consecutive Enviro200s. Both the 236/7s I saw were Enviro400s though.

Amazingly on a Saturday and Sunday, when patronage is a lot lower than mon-fri, virtually all 236/237's are operated by Enviro400's. It's during the week for some reason they allocate an Enviro400 to the 346 (virtually every other board is with Solos now) and the 236 has one Enviro200 and one Enviro400. To give you an example. The 12.46 236 is worked by an Enviro200. It leaves Ashton absolutely full as it arrives as Tameside college just as dinner time is ending (12.50ish), it picks up more students outside college so travels onto glossop with a good load. Then the same bus on the next working from Ashton (14.46) picks up students finishing for the day then when it reaches the Gun Inn is flooded with Longendale students so yet again it's standing room only.

Does V808 DFV have the fleet ID 22808? Since I thought 22808 was one of the vehicles destroyed in Carlisle depot when they had the floods.

Some notable changes to Stagecoach services from 25 October:

*11/43: Services re-routed in Wythenshawe town centre.
*33: Daytime journeys re-routed between Regent Road and Great Bridgewater Street via First's route instead of Liverpool Street. Evening journeys will continue along current route but re-numbered 30.
*34: New service introduced, partly replacing service X34, running between Leigh and Manchester via Astley, Boothstown and Worsley, running every 20 mins Mon-Sat daytime and every half hour evenings and Sundays. Some journeys run to/from Bryn via Ashton-in-Makerfield and Golborne (presumably via 600 route).
*201: Additional Sunday and bank holiday morning journey at 0616 from Hattersley.
*219: Peak-time and early evening journeys extended to Stalybridge.
*250/251: Route and times changed with all journeys running via 251 route but numbered as 250.
*291: Extended to/from Manchester city centre, partly replacing service 251 with service running early mornings and peak-times only.
*346: Times changed with Monday-Saturday daytime journeys extended from Ashton to Tameside General Hospital.
*600: Additional weekday morning journey at 0701 from Ashton-in-Makerfield to Leigh
*X5: Most Monday-Saturday daytime journeys will be extended to operate to/from intu Trafford Centre.
*X34: Most journeys withdrawn and partly replaced by service 34.
*X50: Times changed with additional journeys introduced.
*X92: New peak-time express service between Hazel Grove and Manchester via Stockport.

Times changed on services 11/11A, 32, 43, 85/86, 112, 118, 312, 368/369, 380/381

http://www.tfgm.com/buses/Pages/service_changes.aspx

I can see that 34 causing some confusion in Leigh with the Arriva Service of the same number.

(26/09/2015 19:51)SF07 Wrote: [ -> ]Some notable changes to Stagecoach services from 25 October:

*346: Times changed with Monday-Saturday daytime journeys extended from Ashton to Tameside General Hospital.

Talk about overkill. How many services do we need running to Tameside hospital?

There is currently 15-20 min layover between Stagecoach's 346's coming into Ashton bus station and leaving so I'm wondering if this is a way of filling the layover time, although I carnt see demand being that high 346's will presumably follow the 231 route into the hospital grounds and travel via Darnton road so will do well picking up students from Ashton six form. I wonder if First will follow and do the same.

Well it'll certainly be better than the current one Stagecoach bus every half an hour to the hospital.