Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary

[skemnational]

Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary
This Saturday marks one Year since Skelmersdale Depot closed.I was one of the ones that thought it wouldnt work but all credit to Arriva they have made it work all buses seem to have been upgraided times seem better,Whats everyone think were Arriva right to shut Skelmersdale.

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary
I've given my full opinions on the matter in the past but the long and short of it is yes, I fully believe Arriva made the correct decision. All the necessary routes still run, some of those see a better allocation of vehicles for at least some of the time and there have been no major running issues at all.

If there are no issues for the travelling public and Arriva are saving money as opposed to throwing it at a garage that may not have been making them a substantial amount, it can only be a good decision as far as I'm concerned.

[M113 YKC]

RE: Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary

(16/07/2012 08:55)skemnational Wrote:  This Saturday marks one Year since Skelmersdale Depot closed.I was one of the ones that thought it wouldnt work but all credit to Arriva they have made it work all buses seem to have been upgraided times seem better,Whats everyone think were Arriva right to shut Skelmersdale.

Well, the 345 and the 350 are no problem at Bootle - they're local services, in theory. Running them out of Skelmersdale was always a bit silly, in my opinion! The 311 is a bit different, though. Once a bus breaks down past Ormskirk, it's not usually replaced until the bus is due back in Aintree. Also, when the last bus breaks down in Skelmersdale and it isn't replaced (something which I've encountered myself!), what do you do? The only way to get back into Liverpool would be via Southport or Wigan and St Helens - or to pay on the train from Ormskirk (so every time I'm in Skelmersdale, I need to have spare money...).

The closure has come with advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages are better buses on the services and, the obvious one, ANW are saving money! The disadvantages, such as what's been mentioned above, are quite important to passengers, though, which are the main factor in all of this!

In my opinion, a small outstation in the area should have been opened to save lost mileage on the 311/312/375/385/395 (so the first buses would start there, rather than at their depots - but worked so that they start at the outstation and finish at the depot, so buses would be taking it in turns and wouldn't miss out on important maintenance). Either that, or a spare bus should be sat in Skelmersdale during Monday to Saturday daytimes (to cover Bootle, Southport and St Helens - the bus being for the driver of the broken bus to continue their duty, of course!).

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary

(16/07/2012 11:35)27701 Wrote:  In my opinion, a small outstation in the area should have been opened to save lost mileage on the 311/312/375/385/395 (so the first buses would start there, rather than at their depots - but worked so that they start at the outstation and finish at the depot, so buses would be taking it in turns and wouldn't miss out on important maintenance).

Lost mileage is negligible compared to even the operation of an outstation when put into perspective. I can only speak for the St Helens services but the 395 has one run of dead mileage in a morning. Everything else runs in and off of the 352. If a bus breaks down, okay, it's probably going to be a dropped journey but that's still cheaper than having an outstation open 'just in case' and if that's on the last journey then a replacement bus should still be sent out just as on any other journey. In fact, I'd be shocked if one wasn't as Arriva do have an obligation to fare paying passengers in that instance. With regards the 312, that's a dead run of 20 minutes out and again back in. Truly negligible again.

It may not be ideal dropping journeys and the like, but to a corporate organisation like Arriva who has to make a profit at the end of the day, it's how things are going to be. This is privatisation remember, these companies are in the game entirely for their own gain, not necessarily to service the passengers as we saw under regulation!

(16/07/2012 11:35)27701 Wrote:  Either that, or a spare bus should be sat in Skelmersdale during Monday to Saturday daytimes (to cover Bootle, Southport and St Helens - the bus being for the driver of the broken bus to continue their duty, of course!).

There's no way a spare bus just being left to sit in a yard all day or at the side of the bus station would ever happen. What if that bus were needed to cover a breakdown at the garages main hub of operation? And aside from that, a bus sat around is not a bus making money. That's why some garages can struggle for spares as it is.

[Vbg111v]

RE: Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary
Yes I believe it was the correct decision. Arriva are primarily out to make money & it is clear from the results that there was big savings to be made shutting the site & re-allocating routes. To have kept the garage may have reduced available money for fleet renewal ect & that would have been a shame.
I'm sure some personnel who got moved to other sites were not too happy, but I hope one year on it is working ok for them now. As for lost mileage with certain routes, the cost savings must far outway the extra fuel & driver hours & therefore also make business sense.

Happy Anniversary to the lost site!

[motormayhem]

RE: Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary
i know the drivers who went to st helens love it there as its better working conditions and better buses.

[SLTRegular]

RE: Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary
Dont the 395 have dead workings at the end of the day to as i regularly see Renowns heading down Poolstock around 6/7 heading towards St Helens

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva Skelmersdale Closure One Year Anniversary
Not as far as I'm aware and I'd be surprised if there is considering they could run back in service via a 352.. I'll leave that for someone else to confirm though!

Edit: from the timetable, I make a single dead run at the end of the day.