Unlike Northampton and North Devon, does anyone else think that First have really got Stagecoach on the back foot in Manchester? After the 50 from SCM, First seem to be the innovators with the Finglands providing the springboard for cross town services whilst. SCM didn't use Bluebird. The 38 doesn't seem to be a facing success and should have been extended to Didsbury and dump magic buses.Also the magics are competing with new buses in S Manchester. Maybe the JPT takeover was getting in the way if planned changes? I could see Chorlton and Ashton being linked with the north in addition to Wilmslow Rd.
When you look at it there are many routes Stagecoach could merge together what could affect First,76 & 43 maybe? A Through service to Manchester Airport from Oldham might hit first hard.Another might sound like an odd one but how about extending 112 to Oldham Via 58 route,I Know some people who live on the route & the service reliability isnt too good,Perfect chance for Stagecoach to show them how its done.
One thing im wondering is how Arriva is getting affected by this? i know they withdrawn service 16 but i wonder how bad the likes of 130 or 263 have been affected by the Stagecoach vs First Battle
As for the 112 extension, I was actually thinking that myself today
This future bus war is going to be great for customers and painful for drivers
Stagecoach is the preferred operator at Manchester Metropolitan. Members at MMU's halls of residence near the old Elizabeth Gaskell campus will receive a free annual unirider bus pass for another year running. Stagecoach uniriders will also be available to purchase during the universities freshers fair.
(25/08/2014 21:20)jimbo Wrote: [ -> ]This future bus war is going to be great for customers and painful for drivers
I don't think bus war is the right word to use as it's not actually a war. No one undercutting it's just their both offering 'cheaper' fares. But let's not forget. First bought a failing company. Finglands had run at a loss for several years so It wasn't a case of First simply taking over Finglands services, they were bound to make changes to the services, and with it being in Stagecoach territory First had to make an impact with fares otherwise the whole takeover would have gone unnoticed.
As for the 38, I hear a lot of oeople claiming it's failing, but without figures no one really knows.
I was speaking to a driver and he said that peak time it is picking up, mainly from people whom previously had system ones
(25/08/2014 22:44)Mayneway Wrote: [ -> ]I don't think bus war is the right word to use as it's not actually a war. No one undercutting it's just their both offering 'cheaper' fares. But let's not forget. First bought a failing company. Finglands had run at a loss for several years so It wasn't a case of First simply taking over Finglands services, they were bound to make changes to the services, and with it being in Stagecoach territory First had to make an impact with fares otherwise the whole takeover would have gone unnoticed.
As for the 38, I hear a lot of oeople claiming it's failing, but without figures no one really knows.
Thanks for all comments from you all just thought it was interesting especially with JOT takeover complete. I agree don't see as a war but making sure the brand is maximised and that Stagecoach use their routes/depot to full advantage and also have quality vehicles where competition is growing. They are usually on the ball but appear to be behind the curve on this one. Given their range in South Manchester it would seem logical to take full advantage of it in the North. Also the passengers' needs should be paramount to enable cross city services which were commonplace prior to privatisation - although general quality had increased massively since then.
Comfort wise - from a Tamesider who uses both Stagecoach and First services (outside the city centre), I still perfer to travel with Stagecoach than First. I always get the impression with First that they are more interested in turning a profit than the actuall passengers using the services.
Don't get me wrong in the last couple of years they have made real improvements in regards to reliability and the fleet in general. The fare decrease also made a big difference but there still seems to be a gap between both operators.
The use of customer service agents by First leaves a general level of dissatisfaction from complainants where as at stagecoach complaints are very quickly dealt with with either the depot manager or the network manager which makes a huge difference.
Plus on the ground, there's always approachable Stagecoach inspectors at busy interchanges, (in Ashton theirs normally two inspectors on duty, I carnt remember the last time I saw the First inspector).
What's even more interesting is that certainly in Tameside in recent months is that quite a large number of drivers seem to have defected from First to stagecoach, despite the influx of new vehicles at First, I'm presuming it's mainly down to pay and conditions but it's surprising that drivers see a better future with Stagecoach than with First. I've certainly never heard reference to driver shortages at Stsgecoach, yet they seem common place at First.