Forum | Merseyside Dennis Dart Website

(22/12/2016 13:39)Alexw12 Wrote: [ -> ]Two Dennis tridents at bury, 1 on the 471 (couldn't get the fleet number) and 32926 on the 524

Could it have been 32913? Spotted about 10 minutes ago in Bury, still on 471.

Two sets of changes for First bus in January 2017. The first, on January 8, coincides with the opening of Princess Street in both directions, which will see services 36, 37, V1, V2 and X39 re-routed heading out of Manchester. Also confirmed is the temporary curtailment of service 18 to Chorlton Street instead of MRI and splitting of CrossConnect 42 journeys.

The second will be at the end of January. Services V1/V2/V3 and X39 may see some journeys re-routed via Bolton Road at peak times (through Irlams o'th' Heights but not stopping) rather than Broad Street, due to congestion on the A6. There is also re-timings of several services, along with some journeys withdrawn on the 468 and the X35 trial continuing until April 2017 with consultations on the route taking place in the new year.

https://www.firstgroup.com/greater-manch...nchester-3
https://www.firstgroup.com/greater-manch...nchester-4

(22/12/2016 21:31)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]True, but thinking about it more deeply, I think the System One prices are ultimately determined by GMBOA, rather than TFGM, as far as Bus only tickets are concerned I think you are right about Stagecoach as well. Doubtless, they will put there's up on 23 April, to maximise any additional revenue gained from the closure of 2x First depots.

There's (finally) something in the MEN about First claiming that using smartphone apps reduces boarding times by 75%. What utter nonsense! They claim 50 (conventional) users take 10.5 minutes to board. This is surely exaggerated even for Mon/Tues morning rush hours (when people are buying Weekly & 28 day tickets). As for the rest of the day/week, I would say that it is much nearer the 2.5 minutes claimed for mticket users. There is many a time in the evening peak, when a 203 comes into Stockport Bus Station late, it will load up in barely 3 minutes and leave with a lot more than 50 pax - and that's always been the case, before mTickets came along. Don't forget in the majority of cases, even if a bus arrives on time, it is only allowed five minutes stand - so are First claiming that they normally carry less than 25 passengers out of Bus Stations. If a Stagecoach service had such poor peak loadings they would scrap the service - unless it was numbered 38 or 192, of course!
Away from Bus Stations, we all know that the biggest delays are due to Traffic lights turning red, and the sheer number of other vehicles on the road combined with ever worsening driving and parking standards. Boarding at bus stops, the biggest delay is being allowed back into traffic, so stop blaming it on the people paying the Shareholders dividends.
As for the minor difference in boarding times, had it not occured to those making these decisions that this might be due to the fact that passengers without smartphones (never mind apps) tend to be older and slower!!!

I actually like the First app. It's a good bit of kit and I think it's disappointing Stagecoach haven't come up with anything similar.
A friend of mine works and lives in the city centre but during the summer would occasionally work in Newton Heath. The tickets on through the app worked perfectly as she simply used the app when she was required to work out of town. It's a bit like a modern day clipper card as the single trip tickets are dateless so your not forced to use them within a week or a month. There attractive for regular bus users as there cheaper than on bus tickets but they also appeal to occasional bus users, it's a clever bit of kit and I actually think it does speed up boarding. If say 75% of passengers queing in the bus station simply flashed thier phone at the driver rather than messing about with smart cards or coins for single tickets. The downside is some drivers see you clutching your phone and just wave you on without checking.

You mention the 203 which is obviously Stagecoach, and to be honest one of the biggest problems with stagecoach and boarding times is still thier ticket machines. I constantly watch passengers with both connesionary and smart cards struggling to get them read by the machine, then the driver has to take it off them and do it for them, another issue is under 16's buying singke tickets, it seems to take ages to find the correct stage/fare.
The ticket machines really let them down and I think if they had something like Go North east where the scanner was seperate from the machine and was fitted to the outside if the cab door lower down and more accesable instead of through a tiny hole in the screen it would make things easier and speed up boarding slightly.

39258 and an unknown new sister (blocked in) are currently at Thomas Hardie Volvo in Trafford Park. Both still awaiting branding.

(22/12/2016 21:31)Dentonian Wrote: [ -> ]There's (finally) something in the MEN about First claiming that using smartphone apps reduces boarding times by 75%. What utter nonsense!

I agree: the number of times I've seen people get onto the bus, then leisurely open their app, rummage around for the ticket or whatever they're doing, while saying they did have it up but the phone had gone onto a screensaver or closed the app or something ...
And then you have the ones whose phone battery has "just gone" and they definitely bought the ticket etc ... Maybe they did, but we'll never know.

Regarding the January changes I have heard that Rusholme will be temporarly taking on 53s while their Cross City 42 from Manchester-Middleton will be operated from Queens Road Depot, how this will work vehicle wise and whether any vehicles will be transfered between the 2 depots I'm not to sure.

Queens Roads 66834 is on loan to bury, operating the 524. I guess bury are having fleet troubles atm

(23/12/2016 07:13)M60lad Wrote: [ -> ]Regarding the January changes I have heard that Rusholme will be temporarly taking on 53s while their Cross City 42 from Manchester-Middleton will be operated from Queens Road Depot, how this will work vehicle wise and whether any vehicles will be transfered between the 2 depots I'm not to sure.

When the through 42s are eventually reinstated, I wonder whether it will be a mixed Rusholme / Queen's Road allocation with route 53 staying at Rusholme?

Come to think of it, as the 42 from Manchester to Middleton will head north of Manchester unlike the traditional service to East Didsbury & Stockport, I feel it ought to be given a different number.

Since Its a bank holiday, it's nice to see Enviro400s on the 471, but then again it will soon to happen more often

Manchester depot buses with Oldham drivers once again on the 81, 83, 184 and 409 for Boxing Day. From what I saw, B9s on the 83 and 409, B5H on the 81 and B5H and B7RLE on the 184.