(09/04/2018 08:11)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]With it being foggy I'm not sure on the exact vehicles but one of the ex-Go Goodwins Solos is on the 88A this morning and the other 88A bus is one of the smaller Solo M880s.
Another ex-Go Goodwins Solo on the 12:55 Macclesfield to Altrincham and a Streetlite on the 12:45 Altrincham to Macclesfield.
^ That looks to be a very empty bus!
(10/04/2018 08:17)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]^ That looks to be a very empty bus!
Its because people don't know whats happening with it as TfGM have failed to update the timetables along the route. It was indeed empty, I rode on it down to Didsbury from Northenden Village, another woman got onboard and was very confused, driver wasn't 100% of landmarks along the way, luckily, me been local, I knew where she wanted and explained it was a replacement in part of the Stagecoach 370 that TfGM had withdrawn.
I wonder if a bigger bus will be used from next week though when schools return as the two Didsbury high schools use to fill up the 370 quite a lot.
(10/04/2018 08:23)mikemcniven Wrote: [ -> ]Its because people don't know whats happening with it as TfGM have failed to update the timetables along the route. It was indeed empty, I rode on it down to Didsbury from Northenden Village, another woman got onboard and was very confused, driver wasn't 100% of landmarks along the way, luckily, me been local, I knew where she wanted and explained it was a replacement in part of the Stagecoach 370 that TfGM had withdrawn.
We've had the same problem in Cheshire East, stops not being updated, people being unaware the 27/289/300 services have gone and a revised 88/88A/89 and a limited 47 is part replacement.
The one time I needed to get to Alderley Edge from Knutsford I had a little difficulty explaining to the same driver as in the picture (who was new on the 88 route at the time) which stop I wanted. However, in contrast another time when I was travelling to Wilmslow there was a lady wanting to go to Alderley Edge and a different driver not only told her where to get off but the walking route from there to Alderley Edge and the distance involved.
Quote:I wonder if a bigger bus will be used from next week though when schools return as the two Didsbury high schools use to fill up the 370 quite a lot.
I've heard TfGM contract services based on total capacity of the vehicles (included standing) opposed to seated capacity like Cheshire East. I'm not 100% sure but I think while the Streetlites are 33 seaters that they can hold more passengers in total than the 35 seater Solo SRs.
I would have thought the ideal allocation for Wincham would be mainly c.35 seater vehicles with 2 or 3 slightly larger vehicles. While not all services need 35 seats I think it would be difficult to keep the smaller buses on services where loadings are lower, especially considering the complexity of the 88/88A/89/188 workings. Northwich-Knutsford certainly doesn't need 35 or more seats but by the way the workings finished up the vehicle used on the morning 188 will end up running Northwich services, while the other vehicle which will work Northwich services ends up going to Macclesfield in the evening peak.
Regarding the 270/370 this probably explains why one of the duties on 370 used to always have a double decker (normaly Enviro300) alocated to it Mon-Fri when all others were Enviro200s. I had a feeling it was due to it either being on a School board or it actually passed a School sometime during the day.
As for a bigger bus I'm not to sure as I think Wincham only has Streetlites and Solos allocated to it and D&G themselves dont have any deckers in the fleet anymore.
(10/04/2018 11:31)M60lad Wrote: [ -> ]As for a bigger bus I'm not to sure as I think Wincham only has Streetlites and Solos allocated to it and D&G themselves dont have any deckers in the fleet anymore.
Wincham doesn't have any vehicles officially allocated to it anymore, they are Crewe vehicles loaned to Wincham which seem to rotate. They could switch a Streetlite for a Commander if they wanted but whether that would mean a Crewe based route would be short of capacity would be a different question.
Also there seem to be some vehicles moving between Adderley Green and Crewe every couple of months.
YJ08 PJV was parked up out-of-use at Knutsford bus station at about 09:20. I hope they hadn't used that baby Solo on the morning workings to and from Macclesfield, it would have been a very tight squeeze and I think that bus is smaller than the contractual requirements for capacity on the 88. However, if it was the vehicle that formed the 09:08 arrival from Macclesfield and was due to form the 09:35 to Altrincham that it was what it was used on.
An amend to the 88/88A/188 registration from Monday has appeared on VOSA. I don't know if that relates to a mistake in the registration or something else.
Looking at how the Wincham workings work:
One 88A vehicle will need to take the Knutsford Academy pupils from the Longridge Estate to Knutsford in the morning and the other will come off the 88A to run the 188 contracted service in the afternoon.
One of the 88 vehicles will need to carry the St Ambrose pupils in the morning and the Knutsford Academy pupils using the normal 88.
Another will come off the 88 to run the 188 then in the afternoon will carry the St Ambrose pupils and the Radbrooke Hall workers.
Another will carry the Knutsford Academy pupils using the normal 88 service in the afternoon.
The fourth will carry the Radbrooke Hall workers in the morning
Presuming the 270 doesn't interwork with anything, the morning bus to the Didsbury schools will be a different bus from the afternoon bus from the Didsbury schools.
Not sure what the 288 loadings are like at peak times, it's been a quiet service whenever I've seen or used it.
Wincham seem to currently have 2 baby Solos (49 and 50), ex-Go Goodwins Solos, one or two Solo 970SRs and a few Streetlites. I don't think that allocation is going to work next week!
![[Image: 40627781924_0eb3206252_b.jpg]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/783/40627781924_0eb3206252_b.jpg)