(10/01/2016 12:35)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]If they're planning to literally duplicate the number 5 I can't see that being successful, the former Warrington Coachway services had low loadings leaving Altrincham even during the period when Network Warrington stopped serving Altrincham in the off-peak period. If GHA are planning a different route to make end to end journeys quicker or to serve places which don't currently have regular Warrington services then it might be a different matter.
I think things are a bit different now on this corridor, as Network Warrington has since pulled their 6 out of Lymm and the 5 is down to hourly, which isn't very good for the sections of the route which aren't shared with the 35.
Warrington Coachways also had a bit of a "Fairbrothers" type image, with buses of far lower quality than the competition, and only its loyal customers would really get on in my experience.
I am in two minds as to whether it would be more worthwhile running along the old 38 route as a more direct route to Lymm than the 5/35 and then onwards to Altrincham via Heatley, which would surely be a great thing for people in Lymm who currently have a very slow bus into Warrington, and it would only require 2 vehicles to provide an hourly service, or whether it would be better to duplicate the 5 exactly and run through Stockton Heath, which might not appeal as much to the Lymm people, who might as well get the 5/35 into Warrington as it'd likely be more frequent, but they might pick up some more people due to going through Stockton Heath.
(10/01/2016 13:00)Valandil Wrote: [ -> ]Warrington Coachways also had a bit of a "Fairbrothers" type image, with buses of far lower quality than the competition, and only its loyal customers would really get on in my experience.
At one stage if you want to travel from Altrincham to Lymm/Warrington at off-peak times or from High Legh to Lymm/Warrington at any time the Warrington Coachways service was the only option, even then passengers weren't exactly plying on Warrington Coachways' services.
(10/01/2016 10:45)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]GHA withdrew a number of number of school/college contracts and infrequent services due to the number of non-accessible buses they were operating which didn't meet legal requirements for post-1st Jan 2016 services.
It just seems there's more to it than that:
They advertise for new drivers at macc
Then they change timetables to replace dead running with in service from macc
Then a few months later it all goes....
Regarding the non-dda buses- the rr3 is understandable given it only ran twice a week? But when I last saw the phs services 5 out of the 6 vehicles were ok for 2016. Although I'm not sure what other work has been
Dropped.
(10/01/2016 14:00)djb Wrote: [ -> ]Regarding the non-dda buses- the rr3 is understandable given it only ran twice a week? But when I last saw the phs services 5 out of the 6 vehicles were ok for 2016. Although I'm not sure what other work has been
Dropped.
They may have ended some of the services so they can transfer buses meeting accessibly requirements to other, more profitable, routes. I think there was one or two St Nicholas High School services which have gone as well.
As well as the RR3 in Cheshire they withdrew X20, X22 and X81, while the 83 and K56 will go before they take over 37 services from Arriva.
(10/01/2016 13:00)Valandil Wrote: [ -> ]I think things are a bit different now on this corridor, as Network Warrington has since pulled their 6 out of Lymm and the 5 is down to hourly, which isn't very good for the sections of the route which aren't shared with the 35.
Warrington Coachways also had a bit of a "Fairbrothers" type image, with buses of far lower quality than the competition, and only its loyal customers would really get on in my experience.
I am in two minds as to whether it would be more worthwhile running along the old 38 route as a more direct route to Lymm than the 5/35 and then onwards to Altrincham via Heatley, which would surely be a great thing for people in Lymm who currently have a very slow bus into Warrington, and it would only require 2 vehicles to provide an hourly service, or whether it would be better to duplicate the 5 exactly and run through Stockton Heath, which might not appeal as much to the Lymm people, who might as well get the 5/35 into Warrington as it'd likely be more frequent, but they might pick up some more people due to going through Stockton Heath.
There is definitely scope for GHA to expand in this area with a decent competition on a 30 minute or hourly frequency. Nowadays with the 5s being hourly it isn't uncommon to see a standing load, infact this is the case for most workings until it reaches Lymm and it becomes slightly quieter. The 5/35 are routes that could fill a decker on each working but can't for obvious reasons. Now if you look at it like this, a new operator comes in with some decent looking and well maintained vehicles and offers a day ticket at around about 40% less than NWs that it's not going to attract passengers along a already congested corridor?
(10/01/2016 16:16)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]Warrington Coachways also consistently refused to copy TFGM in to their regsitrations (as required by law), never mind agree slots in Altrincham Interchange. Registrations for 37/37A/38 would usually appear months or even years after times were changed.
Coincidentally, today was my first experience of GHA - and also, the first time I've travelled on a 2015 bus (Solo 1204), which gives an indication of the general lack of investment in GM by local Operators - This was on the 130, and I wasn't overly impressed. Although it has well upholstered seats (with seat belts!), the seat back was vertical, so it strained my upper back - the very reason for my journey to the MRI - and leg room was non-existant. As with his Arriva counterparts on this route, the driver could have done with a visit to charm school as well. I think due to the bus stacking caused by Piccadilly being closed, he had loaded passengers some four buses back from the correct stop (EV on Chorlton Street) so didn't seem best pleased when I arrived at the stop itself just as he was leaving. And before anyone asks, I arrived at EV just in time because my bus into Manchester was 8 mins late.
GHA don't have that many new buses, the last time I caught one of their buses I got a 54 reg Solo with half removed D&G Bus notices. The 130 on Sunday and Bank Holidays generally gets the best buses the depot has available due to there being hardly any buses operating in Cheshire.
Very unusual for me to stick up for Arriva locally but.. there are 64 plate Buses that operate into Wigan on the 352/375/385/395 and occasionally 360
(10/01/2016 21:57)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]Perhaps I should have put it in context. I have seen one or two other 15 reg buses of GHA knocking about, and High Peak also have a few 15 reg Solos that occasional work the 392/3 services. Neither are GM based, nor particularly large. Within GM, Stagecoach have 20 buses built in 2015 (all at Wigan!), out of a fleet in excess of 800. First Manchester's newest buses are April 2014 deliveries and the newest Arriva buses in the county are nearly 3 years old. Yes, First have 20 hybrids due imminently for the Guided Busway and no doubt will be strictly limited to those services, and Stagecoach should get 31 (or is it 25?) MMCs to update Hyde Road's increasingly down at heel Enviro400 (diesel) fleet. Hardly consistent investment, though. In the "bad old days" before De-reg, the county saw 150+ new buses every year, spread fairly evenly across all routes.
Ignoring the TransCymru T3 buses GHA have a total of 9 buses with 15 registrations - 4 x Solo SRs, 2 x Metrocities and 3 x Enviro 200s. At the same time they acquired a those new buses they acquired 8 second hand R reg Wright Renowns. They also acquired 4 x 64 reg Enviro 200s but at a similar time to when they acquired 8 second hand Solos (7 x 54 reg and 1 x 52 reg.)
On a Mon-Sat if the GHA buses in Greater Manchester will typically be 4 x 64 reg Enviros, 1 x 59 reg Solo and 1 x 54 reg Solo so overall Greater Manchester will see some of GHA's youngest buses.
Councillor is hopeful of a return for axed Middlewich bus services:
http://www.middlewichguardian.co.uk/news..._services/
The thing I don't understand is if he thinks they should run as as a subsided service then shouldn't he be pushing Cheshire East council more about getting a new contract awarded? Alternatively, if he thinks the services could run commercially then why not talk to all the operators, it might be D&G, Routemaster or a smaller operator are more willing to run the services than GHA.
The recent Cheshire East council contracts all went to GHA Coaches for £1.26m over 7 years compared to the £1.32m they were valued at. GHA apparently submitted the best value for money bids. In total 4 operators placed bids, the names of which haven't been disclosed but I'd be very surprised if D&G weren't interested in all the available contracts. While I can't see Arriva being interested in all Cheshire East contracts which come up for renewal the 37 contract is a part replacement for commercial services Arriva have decided are no longer viable to run without a subsidy, while the 200 fits nicely in to their operating area so they may have placed bids. Possibly the 19 service would interest High Peak (who used to run it) or possibly the 37 would interest Routemaster.