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+--- Thread: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) (/showthread.php?tid=545)
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - NorthernCounties - 08/04/2017 08:06
(06/04/2017 10:40)M60lad Wrote: V362OWC has just been spotted by 2 friends of mine in Manchester in full branding livery for Manchester Sightseeing and MT1 vinyls across the front destination bind, looks like this is what the new project they were on about is.
Could be being run by easier rider travel of Darwen. They registered to start a tour to start 14th April, route number T1. It was on N&P a few weeks ago, not noticed catch22 register anything in Manchester recently
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - Raawwwrrr! - 10/04/2017 11:47
Details of the previously mentioned MT1 tour service including full route description are listed in the MEN's article about the service launch.
Article link
Interestingly on-board Wifi will only be available for the first two weeks of the service
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - Quackdave - 10/04/2017 15:36
(10/04/2017 11:47)Raawwwrrr! Wrote: Details of the previously mentioned MT1 tour service including full route description are listed in the MEN's article about the service launch.
Article link
Interestingly on-board Wifi will only be available for the first two weeks of the service
I suspect what was actually meant is that it will only become available two weeks after the launch. It's a poorly-phrased sentence in the article though, and I can see why you might interpret it to mean the opposite!
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - Mayneway - 10/04/2017 17:03
The whole story is badly written and researched tbh. ' Tourism chiefs say it will fill a significant gap in the market'. Sorry but didn't Manchester have several site seeing services a few years back run jointly by Blackpool transport and Ensign?? It was poorly used with the weather a major factor. Earle's run or ran a service and tbh whenever I see it it's practically empty.
Anyone know who's licence this is actually running on?
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - Raawwwrrr! - 10/04/2017 17:08
(10/04/2017 17:03)Mayneway Wrote: The whole story is badly written and researched tbh. ' Tourism chiefs say it will fill a significant gap in the market'. Sorry but didn't Manchester have several site seeing services a few years back run jointly by Blackpool transport and Ensign?? It was poorly used with the weather a major factor. Earle's run or ran a service and tbh whenever I see it it's practically empty.
Anyone know who's licence this is actually running on?
The article mentions the service being ran by 'Phillip Higgs'
Phillip Higgs is known for his connection with Classic Bus NW/Catch 22 for famously harassing Senior TC Beverley Bell with malicious youtube videos. It's likely to be a Catch 22 operation. The fact the buses were painted at St Helens would suggest so also as they are the only private operator known to use their facilities so far since they were made available to other operators.
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - NorthernCounties - 12/04/2017 09:27
(10/04/2017 17:03)Mayneway Wrote: The whole story is badly written and researched tbh. ' Tourism chiefs say it will fill a significant gap in the market'. Sorry but didn't Manchester have several site seeing services a few years back run jointly by Blackpool transport and Ensign?? It was poorly used with the weather a major factor. Earle's run or ran a service and tbh whenever I see it it's practically empty.
Anyone know who's licence this is actually running on?
There's a few people noticed the same as me. The only service been registered is on the license of easi rider of Darwen which on companies house has no directors? Can't see tc will be happy with this
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - NorthernCounties - 12/04/2017 09:33
Just looked again. Easi rider had its name changed to Manchester tours Ltd on 1st march and now has Philip higgs as director, registered address now same as catch22bus
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - Mayneway - 12/04/2017 09:56
(12/04/2017 09:33)NorthernCounties Wrote: Just looked again. Easi rider had its name changed to Manchester tours Ltd on 1st march and now has Philip higgs as director, registered address now same as catch22bus
So by the sounds of it he's acquired yet another ops licence.
If it's anything like the Red Rocket fiasco then I carnt see it lasting long. I live in Manchester and have done all my life and I really don't think there's any real demand for an open top tour service. It's been tried, tested and never worked. Ensign and BTS did it for many years and pulled out as demand was very low. Stagecoach successfully run open top services else where I think if they thought it was a go-er they would be cashing in on it.
Imagine going on an open top tour on a full merky day like today... I'd want my money back at the end of it lol.
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - NorthernCounties - 14/04/2017 14:39
(12/04/2017 09:56)Mayneway Wrote: So by the sounds of it he's acquired yet another ops licence.
If it's anything like the Red Rocket fiasco then I carnt see it lasting long. I live in Manchester and have done all my life and I really don't think there's any real demand for an open top tour service. It's been tried, tested and never worked. Ensign and BTS did it for many years and pulled out as demand was very low. Stagecoach successfully run open top services else where I think if they thought it was a go-er they would be cashing in on it.
Imagine going on an open top tour on a full merky day like today... I'd want my money back at the end of it lol.
Funnily enough even though the MEN say it fills a gap in the market, there's not actually a gap because earls limousines have been doing a tour and it starts again on Saturday
RE: Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West) - Mayneway - 14/04/2017 16:58
(14/04/2017 14:39)NorthernCounties Wrote: Funnily enough even though the MEN say it fills a gap in the market, there's not actually a gap because earls limousines have been doing a tour and it starts again on Saturday
One of the MEN reporters was live from the first trip today on Facebook, surprise surprise it was raining and there looked to be about 3 tourists on bored lol.
One thing she mentioned was that your not allowed to use umbrellas on the tour presumably this is because of overhead metrolink cables on parts of the tour?
Didn't two tridents get converted/painted? Is the second a spare?