Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

[YN05 WKE]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(02/09/2017 21:03)CKC 312L Wrote:  It will need a bus to Arrowe Park even more now that the walk-in centre is up for closure and it is being recommended that people from the Eastham/Bromborough area using the walk in centre as Arrowe Park Good thinking just as the bus service gets axed the health authrity want to close the walk-in centre

This is a very good point but as you know Merseytravel know best

[mr t]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(03/09/2017 09:44)E208 WBG Wrote:  This is a very good point but as you know Merseytravel know best

Which is because of the ongoing government cuts, not their fault

[YN05 WKE]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
2803 on 495 or 492 today must be on borrowed time I suspect?

[bus401]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
Makes you wonder why that is being used and not 2543 and 2545,you hardly ever see them.

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
I can see a lot of complaints on Arriva's Facebook page about the 413/414 driving past school kids as they are full already, the affect of someones bright idea of withdrawing the 403, Arriva have now had to admit there is a problem and *looking what can be done* i bet that means a couple of the DLPs/VLWs will have to be used

[RedPanda]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(07/09/2017 17:11)T42 PVM Wrote:  I can see a lot of complaints on Arriva's Facebook page about the 413/414 driving past school kids as they are full already, the affect of someones bright idea of withdrawing the 403, Arriva have now had to admit there is a problem and *looking what can be done* i bet that means a couple of the DLPs/VLWs will have to be used

And will probably see off 2803. Time will tell.

[WAITING FOR THE 437]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
What baffles is me is the decision to axe the 403 the very week the schools go back! You couldn't make it up. That compounded by the decision to send back some double deckers to Speke means that the 414 & 413 are
Mainly single deck operation! Where as before you'd see a fair few deckers on the routes to ease busy periods

[Barney]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(07/09/2017 18:30)WAITING FOR THE 437 Wrote:  What baffles is me is the decision to axe the 403 the very week the schools go back! You couldn't make it up. That compounded by the decision to send back some double deckers to Speke means that the 414 & 413 are
mainly single deck operation! Where as before you'd see a fair few deckers on the routes to ease busy periods

When Arriva took over from MTL, apart from the Crossriver Olympians, Birkenhead was mainly single deck allocation as was most of Arriva Merseyside depots. It took a long time for the management to accept that single deck operation - though a cheaper option - was totally unsuitable for a major conurbation.

On this side of the Mersey the two routes that traverse Queens Drive (60, 81) were single deck operation and it was only when the head teachers of the several secondary schools that these routes served complained to the TC that there students were unable to get to to school was there a policy change by Arriva. Even now the situation is not completely resolved as the '15 plate Enviro400's that were initially purchased for the 52/52A are invariably to be found on the 60 during term time.

[B10B6514]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(07/09/2017 18:49)Barney Wrote:  When Arriva took over from MTL, apart from the Crossriver Olympians, Birkenhead was mainly single deck allocation as was most of Arriva Merseyside depots. It took a long time for the management to accept that single deck operation - though a cheaper option - was totally unsuitable for a major conurbation.

On this side of the Mersey the two routes that traverse Queens Drive (60, 81) were single deck operation and it was only when the head teachers of the several secondary schools that these routes served complained to the TC that there students were unable to get to to school was there a policy change by Arriva. Even now the situation is not completely resolved as the '15 plate Enviro400's that were initially purchased for the 52/52A are invariably to be found on the 60 during term time.

On the contrary my friend Birkenhead was PREDOMINANTLY double deck with Leyland Olmpians, Volvo Ailsas and copioius amounts of Leyland Atlanteans back in 2000. Single decks were in the minority with DAF Ikaruses and Volvo B6 Pointers.
It was the only depot not to receive any B10B Endurances new.
The mostly single deck era was from 2001 onwards when Arriva withdrew the majority of double decks from the fleet and brought in a swathe of Dennis Darts.

[Barney]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(08/09/2017 07:04)B10B6514 Wrote:  On the contrary my friend Birkenhead was PREDOMINANTLY double deck with Leyland Olmpians, Volvo Ailsas and copioius amounts of Leyland Atlanteans back in 2000. Single decks were in the minority with DAF Ikaruses and Volvo B6 Pointers.
It was the only depot not to receive any B10B Endurances new.
The mostly single deck era was from 2001 onwards when Arriva withdrew the majority of double decks from the fleet and brought in a swathe of Dennis Darts.

Perhaps I should have said that the policy Arriva adopted when it took over MTL was, in the main, to replace ageing time-served double-deckers with single deck Darts, B6's and B10's. It has taken over 15 years for this short-sighted policy to be reversed on Merseyside.

Personally, I will be very interested to see how well the new BYD's cope on the 26/7 (which also serve several schools) when they are introduced next month. I suspect that Enviro400's will be used to augment these routes.