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Today, 18th February 2015, marks the fifteen anniversary of the sale of MTL to Arriva!

Times really does fly!

Definitwly a change for the worse given the amount of cuts to routes we have witnessed since.

Who's to say those same or similar cuts wouldn't still have happened under MTL if they had remained these last 15 years.

I don't think they would have done half of what Arriva have. They most definitely would not have changed the whole network in St Helens (after they didn't alter much of the old network for years, so it must have worked for them). In my opinion, the only wrong move MTL made was going in Rail Franchises as I believe that's what caused their financial demise.

(18/02/2015 16:03)St Helens Rider Wrote: [ -> ]I don't think they would have done half of what Arriva have. They most definitely would not have changed the whole network in St Helens (after they didn't alter much of the old network for years, so it must have worked for them). In my opinion, the only wrong move MTL made was going in Rail Franchises as I believe that's what caused their financial demise.

The age of the train was the big mistake MTL made, they were making money doing London routes and starting to invest in some decent Buses,but those rail franchises swallowed up any profit from anything else.

I also agree that MTL would not of made this stupid changes Arriva have made, yes there would of been cuts but most certainly not the cuts Arriva made, and MTL would of fought back against competition far better than Arriva have done.

Looking at Merseyside (and and more so Liverpool) from a bigger angle had MTL of stayed things would of been so much different as remember it was 2 former MTL Managers that bought Gillmoss from Arriva following a TC ruling and with events of GTL this then gave Stagecoach a chance to get into Liverpool on a big scale!

when you look at what is and what could of been i do have to admit things would of been better with MTL in charge.

Well, here in St. Helens, services would probably have been even better if we still had St. Helens Corporation buses - and no deregulation in 1986. .

MTl trying to muscle in on Greater Manchester was sucking money down the drain , to an extent the same happened with both Gm Buses companies on Merseyside.

(19/02/2015 19:19)bolton bus basher Wrote: [ -> ]I also agree that MTL would not of made this stupid changes Arriva have made, yes there would of been cuts but most certainly not the cuts Arriva made, and MTL would of fought back against competition far better than Arriva have done.

Looking at Merseyside (and and more so Liverpool) from a bigger angle had MTL of stayed things would of been so much different as remember it was 2 former MTL Managers that bought Gillmoss from Arriva following a TC ruling and with events of GTL this then gave Stagecoach a chance to get into Liverpool on a big scale!

when you look at what is and what could of been i do have to admit things would of been better with MTL in charge.

Im sure that Stagecoach would have found a way to slide into Merseyside eventually if hadnt been via Gillmoss it would have been someone else , Stagecoach are adept at looking for openings .

I think whatever happened mtl would probably have been taken over at some stage. As for their demise, well they simply tried to grow too quickly with the afore mentioned train franchises really being the beginning of the end.