First Manchester

[Y458 KNF]

RE: First Manchester
Is there any info on what’s happening to the Metroshuttle Versas that are now redundant I wonder if 59006 will stay since the rest of the Solos have been retained

[Brickmill]

RE: First Manchester

(31/01/2019 22:52)djb Wrote:  Actually a lot of students use the 41 between west didsbury and sale. The problem is that virtually no students (or other fare paying passengers) use it between Manchester and northenden on the shared portion with stagecoach.

If passengers numbers on the northenden to sale section were reflected in the wider route it would be a money spinner. For example on my contraflow Peak journey tonight, my single decker was almost at a standing load of fare paying passengers at northenden (airport hotel). The next passenger got on at fallowfield, despite stops being loaded.

It used to be said that Student fares were so cheap that they could afford both Uniriders and the Finglands/First equivalent. My observations are mostly between the MRI and Piccadilly and I recall catching the bus back to Piccadilly just before Noon on a Sunday (2 Dec possibly) and 3 or 4 buses came together absolutely packed out and I definitely include the First Enviro400 in that. Indeed whilst overall loadings might be lower on First I wonder f they carry a higher proportion of full fare paying Adults.

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
From what I've seen 41 is a mixture of B9TL Geminis and B7 singles whereas 53 as has already been noted is all B7 singles.

From what I've seen when I've come out of work in the evening the 18:10 41 from Piccadilly to Middleton seems to be a B9TL working.

[djb]

RE: First Manchester

(01/02/2019 03:46)Brickmill Wrote:  It used to be said that Student fares were so cheap that they could afford both Uniriders and the Finglands/First equivalent. My observations are mostly between the MRI and Piccadilly and I recall catching the bus back to Piccadilly just before Noon on a Sunday (2 Dec possibly) and 3 or 4 buses came together absolutely packed out and I definitely include the First Enviro400 in that. Indeed whilst overall loadings might be lower on First I wonder f they carry a higher proportion of full fare paying Adults.

Back in the early 2000s it wasn’t even limited to students holding more than 1 weekly. I lived in withington for a while whilst working in Manchester and I usually had a finglands or UKN weekly (£2), but would time my commute to the bullocks 42 and pay on that if it was first to avoid the bus standoff in Owens park.

I think there’s a little bit less of that behaviour now due to stagecoach having such a large share of the market now, but I expect that first still gets some good paying loads st times of saturation on stagecoach.

I also can’t recall when stagecoach returned to night bus operation on wilmslow road in earnest, as that was another feature of multiple pass holding prior. (I think it was around the time UKN started moving into daytime ops - 1999/2000)

[Citibus]

RE: First Manchester

(01/02/2019 07:27)djb Wrote:  Back in the early 2000s it wasn’t even limited to students holding more than 1 weekly. I lived in withington for a while whilst working in Manchester and I usually had a finglands or UKN weekly (£2), but would time my commute to the bullocks 42 and pay on that if it was first to avoid the bus standoff in Owens park.

I think there’s a little bit less of that behaviour now due to stagecoach having such a large share of the market now, but I expect that first still gets some good paying loads st times of saturation on stagecoach.

I also can’t recall when stagecoach returned to night bus operation on wilmslow road in earnest, as that was another feature of multiple pass holding prior. (I think it was around the time UKN started moving into daytime ops - 1999/2000)

I'd forgotten that UK North was mostly night time ops initally. Would be good to see a detailed timeline on the wilmslow Road operations

[djb]

RE: First Manchester

(01/02/2019 17:02)Citibus Wrote:  I'd forgotten that UK North was mostly night time ops initally. Would be good to see a detailed timeline on the wilmslow Road operations

If I remember correctly UKN was entirely night bus (evening peak to early hours) from its resurrection from Mybus until 1999, apart from a brief foray on one route (the 99 I think) a year or 2 prior.

If no one else replies I can certainly provide a synopsised history

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: First Manchester
Been a few Withdrawals in the last few weeks:

30912 X767 VUA Oldham - Withdrawn
30925 X356 VWT Oldham - Withdrawn
30944 YJ51 RPY Oldham - Withdrawn
30945 YJ51 RPZ Oldham - Withdrawn
30946 YJ51 RRO Oldham - Withdrawn
30958 YJ51 RCZ Oldham - Withdrawn
53148 MX54 GZF Oldham - Withdrawn
53149 MX54 GZG Oldham - Withdrawn
53150 MX54 GZH Oldham - Withdrawn

Anyone able to confirm if the Darts remain in Service and where the former Rusholme Buses are now based?

[Brickmill]

RE: First Manchester

(04/02/2019 10:32)T42 PVM Wrote:  Been a few Withdrawals in the last few weeks:

30912 X767 VUA Oldham - Withdrawn
30925 X356 VWT Oldham - Withdrawn
30944 YJ51 RPY Oldham - Withdrawn
30945 YJ51 RPZ Oldham - Withdrawn
30946 YJ51 RRO Oldham - Withdrawn
30958 YJ51 RCZ Oldham - Withdrawn
53148 MX54 GZF Oldham - Withdrawn
53149 MX54 GZG Oldham - Withdrawn
53150 MX54 GZH Oldham - Withdrawn

Anyone able to confirm if the Darts remain in Service and where the former Rusholme Buses are now based?

As WVM says (6379), all Streetlights are at OM. The Enviro400s are split between OM & BN but not necessarily as reported above. Absolutely no info on buses moved to Queens yet though.

[acocker96]

RE: First Manchester

(04/02/2019 10:32)T42 PVM Wrote:  Been a few Withdrawals in the last few weeks:

30912 X767 VUA Oldham - Withdrawn
30925 X356 VWT Oldham - Withdrawn
30944 YJ51 RPY Oldham - Withdrawn
30945 YJ51 RPZ Oldham - Withdrawn
30946 YJ51 RRO Oldham - Withdrawn
30958 YJ51 RCZ Oldham - Withdrawn
53148 MX54 GZF Oldham - Withdrawn
53149 MX54 GZG Oldham - Withdrawn
53150 MX54 GZH Oldham - Withdrawn

Anyone able to confirm if the Darts remain in Service and where the former Rusholme Buses are now based?

The ex-Cornwall Dart with the WA56-plate was in Oldham bus station in the West street layover bay on Saturday afternoon. I assumed it was on a 149.

[Brickmill]

RE: First Manchester

(04/02/2019 15:13)acocker96 Wrote:  The ex-Cornwall Dart with the WA56-plate was in Oldham bus station in the West street layover bay on Saturday afternoon. I assumed it was on a 149.

42941/4/5 are all WA56 OAx.