(20/01/2016 16:41)Lynx Wrote: [ -> ]Whilst GHA could quite easily acquire a quality and affordable batch of low floor vehicles
I wasn't try to imply that purchasing from NW was the only option but more that having more options helps with price negotiations.
(20/01/2016 09:26)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]From what the Middlewich Guardian said GHA were struggling to find affordable replacements for step entry single decker buses and consequently cancelled a number of services as a result. With the number of registration cancellations on VOSA and step entry coaches appearing on bus services recently that seems to tally up.
The article in the Middlewich Guardian was incorrect and the company have never said we were struggling to find replacements for step entrance single deckers. What was actually said was that the services X20 & X81 were only viable to operate commercially because they utilised a vehicle between school contracts and sadly the low patronage did not justify the purchase of a newer DDA compliant vehicle. Service X22 was withdrawn following the withdrawal of financial support fro Cheshire West & Chester Council and then Winsford Town Council.
You are correct that a Plaxton Interurban Coach was used for a two days on service 27 and this was due to a shortage of vehicles at Winsford Depot however this has now been resolved following the return of several older Solo's which had been away for upgrade to DDA spec.
(21/01/2016 15:51)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]I wasn't try to imply that purchasing from NW was the only option but more that having more options helps with price negotiations.
Indeed, I agree. Having a batch of solos on the market to the quality of NWs is always going to help such matters. My point was that I would question if GHA would have had any intention to have bought the vehicles in the first place as there is always good quality young vehicles coming on and off the market so there would have been no real rush to purchase these particular vehicles. It wouldn't make great business sense to buy £360,000 worth of solo from one of your most fierce rivals, if anything it would strengthen them.
(21/01/2016 17:23)GHA Coaches Wrote: [ -> ]You are correct that a Plaxton Interurban Coach was used for a two days on service 27 and this was due to a shortage of vehicles at Winsford Depot however this has now been resolved following the return of several older Solo's which had been away for upgrade to DDA spec.
Ah OK, there was a number of unusual workings for the Winsford depot recently many of which have been posted on here.
The strange thing about using a coach on the 27 route was that presumably it costs a lot more to use a 50+ seater coach over an approx 30 seater Solo/Dart and while some passengers may like the greater comfort of a coach I imagine most would prefer the weekday timetable to go back to it's pre-October 2012 level* over getting a coach instead of a bus.
* October 2012 was when High Peak decided to reduce the frequency from hourly (between around 7am and 7pm) using 2 buses to every 90 minutes using 1 bus and increase the return fare for Knutsford to Macclesfield from £3.50 to £4.80 overnight (under pressure from Cheshire East council to run the service commercially when it was previously contracted), on top of that the revised service wasn't very punctual. Then High Peak wondered why loadings had dropped so much. While there are now more services than they were in the October 2012 timetable, there are still less than in the pre-October 2012 timetable.
Does anyone know of any problems with the TrawsCymru vehicles as now in Dolgellau we had CA05GHA operating the T3 to Wrexham and YJ04BVC heading to Barmouth
(25/01/2016 13:24)Nwales Bus Wrote: [ -> ]Does anyone know of any problems with the TrawsCymru vehicles as now in Dolgellau we had CA05GHA operating the T3 to Wrexham and YJ04BVC heading to Barmouth
Could be scheduled servicing. We've had an 04 reg Dart in place of one of the 64 reg Enviros on the 88 recently, it seems to happen every 3 months or so that the route branded buses disappear for a couple of days each. I'm not sure what's operating on the 88 today but I've heard there were severe delays and cancellations this morning.
YJ04 BVC gets around a bit, been very regular on Shropshire work for a while now including covering on the 436 Shrewsbury - Bridgnorth to see use out of the Shrewsbury depot (or should outstation be a better description?).
Arrangements for Weekday Service 84 operated by GHA Coaches are now online on Traveline North West
Towards Chester
06:00 Tarporley - Chester
06:00/07:00 Crewe - Chester
Then Hourly from 08:03 - 18:03 Crewe - Chester
19:03 Crewe - Tarvin
Towards Crewe
05:00/06:00 Tarvin - Crewe
06:35 Chester - Crewe
07:25/08:25 Chester - Crewe
The Hourly between 09:30 until 17:30 Chester - Crewe
18:30/19:30 Chester - Tarporley
Buses will Serve Stand 4 at Chester Bus Exchange and will operate along Foregate Street on Journeys towards Crewe
Buses will depart Crewe Bus Station on Stand 6
The 84 timings are mainly 5 minutes ahead of the C84 as expected.
Do we know what the 'major revisions' to the 82 timetable are? (Major revisions is the term Cheshire West council have used to describe them on their website.)
New Service 82 Timetable from the 15th Feb
Towards Northwich
05:55 Tarvin - Northwich
06:00/06:30 Chester - Northwich
82C: 07:30 Chester - John Deane's College (Sch)
Then every 30 Mins between 08:15 and 15:45
16:20/16:50/17:20/17:50 Chester - Northwich
18:20/18:50 Chester - Kelsall
Towards Chester
05:33/06:03 Tarvin - Chester
06:30/07:15/07:45 Northwich - Chester
08:48 Tarvin - Chester - Sat & School Holidays
Every 30 Mins from Northwich - Chester Between08:45 until 16:15
82C: 16:20 John Deane's College - Chester (Sch) otherwise 16:45 Northwich - Chester
17:20/17:50 Northwich - Chester
18:20/18:50 Northwich - Tarvin
No Changes to Sunday Buses