Stagecoach MCSL - Chester & Wirral Depots

[wirralbus]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
The X2 is the proof that the Chester - Ellesmere port corridor will always be the cash cow for Stagecoach.

Ellesmere Port - Liverpool has a lot more competition on it from the railway admittedly the Ellesmere Port - Liverpool railway line has suffered recently from having to change over trains at Hooton which had been a minus mark for the trains .

[chester285]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(10/11/2017 13:57)wirralbus Wrote:  The 1 and 2 will always be busy at the Chester end of the route because there is no direct link otherwise with Ellesmere Port , after Ellesmere Port on all the liverpool service a single decker most of the times is under 50% certaintly not a double deck load , maybe with the exception of the Cheshire Oaks peak loads which the depot will know of from previous years.

Have chester the spare capacity for the passengers in Mill lane , Bache .

One change of route at one depot has repercussions at the other depot.

Does the X2 not count in that, that’s more direct than the one and 2

[chester285]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(10/11/2017 11:26)SSS871 Wrote:  Vanity project or not, it shows how far the garage has come since First ownership. Investment in vehicles and lower fares have led to increased passenger numbers and route innovation/new routes as a result - its not rocket science.

That said, I do miss the variety you used to get with the old Rock Ferry.

Unlike Chester where the only new vehicles were for the park and rides, for a time they had the 5 200mmcs which have since left the area, I do think making Rockferry all gold would lose the attraction of gold standard vehicles

[wirralbus]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(10/11/2017 17:37)chester285 Wrote:  Unlike Chester where the only new vehicles were for the park and rides, for a time they had the 5 200mmcs which have since left the area, I do think making Rockferry all gold would lose the attraction of gold standard as it would just be the norm.

I have to agree there is more that can be done at Chester first.

Gold standard should be for the routes with the highest earning potential for Stagecoach , dont dilute the brand by placing it on every route .

I agree with it being put on the 471/2 but that is now where the Gold brand should end its day for the time being , more money should be put into standard vehicles .

[chester285]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(10/11/2017 17:48)wirralbus Wrote:  I have to agree there is more that can be done at Chester first.

Gold standard should be for the routes with the highest earning potential for Stagecoach , dont dilute the brand by placing it on every route .

I agree with it being put on the 471/2 but that is now where the Gold brand should end its day for the time being , more money should be put into standard vehicles .

I am surprised that hey haven’t made the blacons gold standard, I suppose the investment in chester will be the brand new depot if and when that happens

[iMarkeh]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(10/11/2017 17:48)wirralbus Wrote:  I have to agree there is more that can be done at Chester first.

Gold standard should be for the routes with the highest earning potential for Stagecoach , dont dilute the brand by placing it on every route .

I agree with it being put on the 471/2 but that is now where the Gold brand should end its day for the time being , more money should be put into standard vehicles .

Not a lot can be done in Chester. There are places wanting more service but Stagecoach in Chester is completely stuck. They are locked in every way by Arriva. Expand on a fast route to Runcorn, X30. Want to head south of the city, Wrexham 1. West 3,4,10,11,12. North is the only way they can expand and the options are literally just the 22 which they tried and tested. Anywhere Stagecoach could go, Arriva already operate. They have said if Stagecoach go on the 10s to expand along Sealand Road, they will go in competition on the 16. They can't and wont win expanding in Chester unless they get tenders (DB1/2 & 4 are up next month which I reacon Stagecoach will get). Rob Jones is very close with John Cherry (Helms) so wouldn't go in competition towards Waverton or CRL.
All other areas make no money really.

Going off what you say about Stagecoach Gold, the 1, 2 are obviously big money for Stagecoach. As is the 41/42 (It wouldnt be so frequent otherwise). Only the 38 which has a 30 min frequency. All other routes are very regular and must have a lot of money in them. If the 1, 2, 41, 42 all go up, all the vehicles will venture onto the 38 regardless of its GOLD status so it might as well be promoted too. That would leave the 6 (Which I think should move to chester especially when the new depot opens), schools (gold is useless) and the contract routes.

(10/11/2017 18:01)chester285 Wrote:  I am surprised that hey haven’t made the blacons gold standard, I suppose the investment in chester will be the brand new depot if and when that happens

Blacons.... Gold.... I don't think that will happen anytime soon. The Blacon buses get battered enough without them being new. The Eclipse are good workhorses and can be used on any route despite their primary allocation. Good buses, reasonable capacity, good for passengers due to their leg room (I find darts can be a little tight as can some Solos), also very comfy. I don't think any new bus would provide that. I think the Volvo 7900Hs would look really good in an allover Blacon type livery. It is a shame Stagecoach only buy ADL... Gold I don't think will be in Chester depot any more than current. The 5 was only done because Rob Jones lives along the route. Route 7 & 9 all used the same vehicles at the time (7 & 9 interworked with the 5 I think at some point). I don't think GOLD will have a place in Chester. It doesn't make much difference here. Arriva Saphire all go out of town. No local route gets upgraded really. It is all the longer distance. Chester - Connahs Quay (all revenue is Connahs Quay - Garden city into Chester. Sealand road does nothing for it). Chester - Wrexham (All revenue is Wrexham - Posthouse Roundabout into and out of Chester. Business Park I think is valuable but not a mega money area). Nothing local works to be upgraded really. The average passenger must be on the bus for at least 20 minutes to get any benefit of a premium brand.

[Olympian2100]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(11/11/2017 14:22)iMarkeh Wrote:  Not a lot can be done in Chester. There are places wanting more service but Stagecoach in Chester is completely stuck. They are locked in every way by Arriva. Expand on a fast route to Runcorn, X30. Want to head south of the city, Wrexham 1. West 3,4,10,11,12. North is the only way they can expand and the options are literally just the 22 which they tried and tested. Anywhere Stagecoach could go, Arriva already operate. They have said if Stagecoach go on the 10s to expand along Sealand Road, they will go in competition on the 16. They can't and wont win expanding in Chester unless they get tenders (DB1/2 & 4 are up next month which I reacon Stagecoach will get). Rob Jones is very close with John Cherry (Helms) so wouldn't go in competition towards Waverton or CRL.
All other areas make no money really.

Going off what you say about Stagecoach Gold, the 1, 2 are obviously big money for Stagecoach. As is the 41/42 (It wouldnt be so frequent otherwise). Only the 38 which has a 30 min frequency. All other routes are very regular and must have a lot of money in them. If the 1, 2, 41, 42 all go up, all the vehicles will venture onto the 38 regardless of its GOLD status so it might as well be promoted too. That would leave the 6 (Which I think should move to chester especially when the new depot opens), schools (gold is useless) and the contract routes.


Blacons.... Gold.... I don't think that will happen anytime soon. The Blacon buses get battered enough without them being new. The Eclipse are good workhorses and can be used on any route despite their primary allocation. Good buses, reasonable capacity, good for passengers due to their leg room (I find darts can be a little tight as can some Solos), also very comfy. I don't think any new bus would provide that. I think the Volvo 7900Hs would look really good in an allover Blacon type livery. It is a shame Stagecoach only buy ADL... Gold I don't think will be in Chester depot any more than current. The 5 was only done because Rob Jones lives along the route. Route 7 & 9 all used the same vehicles at the time (7 & 9 interworked with the 5 I think at some point). I don't think GOLD will have a place in Chester. It doesn't make much difference here. Arriva Saphire all go out of town. No local route gets upgraded really. It is all the longer distance. Chester - Connahs Quay (all revenue is Connahs Quay - Garden city into Chester. Sealand road does nothing for it). Chester - Wrexham (All revenue is Wrexham - Posthouse Roundabout into and out of Chester. Business Park I think is valuable but not a mega money area). Nothing local works to be upgraded really. The average passenger must be on the bus for at least 20 minutes to get any benefit of a premium brand.

The only reason Stagecoach buy ADL vehicles is due to Brian Souter having a large stake in them.

[childwallblues]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
I did not realise that 10835 was still at Chester. It was on the X8 today.

[gka472l]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(11/11/2017 21:33)childwallblues Wrote:  I did not realise that 10835 was still at Chester. It was on the X8 today.

All four still there, 10828/30/31/35, saw all of them on the X8 yesterday, along with a 19*** Enviro400 and an Enviro300, Stevel Knight Media reported a few days ago that the four Enviro400's recently up from Devon are to be branded for the X8, presume the MMC's will go to Gillmoss then?

[mtl97]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
They have said if Stagecoach go on the 10s to expand along Sealand Road, they will go in competition on the 16. They can't and wont win expanding in Chester unless they get tenders (DB1/2 & 4 are up next month which I reacon Stagecoach will get)

Arriva are not as strong as they were, around 2007 they ran buses on nearly every route out of chester, Liverpool 401/x11, west kirby 421/422, runcorn 21/x30, northwich 82, winsford 230,x20, Crewe 84 & the wales routes including x94 to barmouth, since then arriva have abandoned routes to the wirral, halved frequency on runcorn & Crewe routes, only back on northwich route & now on db routes due to the collapse of gha, stagecoach only problem is land for buses to park on but that is being sorted out, if stagecoach end up on any arriva routes it will because arriva dont want it anymore, stagecoach have got what they want in chester anyway, park & rides, e port routes & cheshire oaks to themselves