First Manchester

[Y458 KNF]

RE: First Manchester
Will first keep 63146 since it’s the only one of its batch that’s not at Queens Road or will Go Ahead buy it off First when Oldham gets sold or closed?

[gilesbus1]

RE: First Manchester

(11/07/2019 14:51)darylyates17 Wrote:  Will first keep 63146 since it’s the only one of its batch that’s not at Queens Road or will Go Ahead buy it off First when Oldham gets sold or closed?

I would think its a bit too soon to ask about specific vehicles, normally they have a token book value and that's all that comes into consideration along with size and operational requirements in a given area. I was told once that the reason certain machines got transferred between one Stagecoach Subsidiary and Another was just simply because that was what was available as surplus at one garage and what met the requirements of another. I would strongly suggest unless GoAhead buy routes from Oldham or indeed the whole depot that its dealings with First Manchester are over in terms of vehicle transactions, and based on the fact First didn't give them all the vehicles they were promised I would guess they would be very careful when dealing with FirstGroup again with vehicle transactions. My guess is that it simply wasn't required at Queens Road, hence why it hasn't gone. If Oldham closes or the buyer leases vehicles then it will just simply go to another FirstGroup or Successor fleet as an extra vehicle that meets a requirement for that specification of vehicle.

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
You've also got a similar situation with 14 plate Enviro400s, I actually thought all of them were meant to have gone to QS as part of the sale but there's still some remaining both at Bolton and Oldham Depots and with Bolton being sold to Diamond Northwest these won't be going anywhere soon now.

[Y458 KNF]

RE: First Manchester
Not sure if its already been asked but what routes do Oldham run as obviously thats all First will have from August along with Vantage and the 2/22 & 68 evenings until the tenders are renewed.

[gilesbus1]

RE: First Manchester

(12/07/2019 05:36)M60lad Wrote:  You've also got a similar situation with 14 plate Enviro400s, I actually thought all of them were meant to have gone to QS as part of the sale but there's still some remaining both at Bolton and Oldham Depots and with Bolton being sold to Diamond Northwest these won't be going anywhere soon now.

Not sure, my suspicion is these will go to Rusholme, and then from there eventually onward to Leeds, I very much doubt the 14 plate ones will be lent to Diamond.

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
Regarding Oldham Depot routes they currently operate the following:

6 Rochdale-Kirkholt Circular
24 (Peak Only) Rochdale-Piccadilly
38 Ashton-Hazelhurst Circular
39 Ashton-Hazelhurst Circular
58 Rochdale-Oldham via Milnrow, Newhey and Shaw
59 Rushcroft-Piccadilly via Shaw, Oldham, Middleton, Cheetham Hill
81 Derker-Piccadilly Via Oldham & Moston
81A Holts Estate-Piccadilly via Lees, Oldham & Moston
83 Sholver-Piccadilly via Oldham & Werneth
180 Greenfield-Piccadilly via Lees, Oldham, Hollins
181 Shaw/Rochdale-Piccadilly via Royton & Chadderton
182 Shaw/Rochdale-Piccadilly via Royton, Royal Oldham Hospital & Chadderton
184 Uppermill/Huddersfield via Lees, Oldham, Hollins
331 Ashton Circular via Smallshaw & Husrt
333 Ashton Circular via Hurst & Smallshaw
348 Ashton-Carrbrook via Stalybridge
350 Oldham-Ashton via Delph, Uppermill, Hey Farm, Mossley & Tameside Hospital
393 Ashton Circular via Smallshaw & Hartsheat Estate
409 Rochdale-Ashton via Royton & Oldham
425 Holts Estate-Fitton Hill via Oldham
454 Rochale-Stansfield via Littleborough & Shore
457 Rochdale-Stansfield via Shore & Littleborough
X84 Carrcote-Piccadilly Express via Uppermill (Peaks Only)

[gilesbus1]

RE: First Manchester
Are any of the above tendered, and are any Evenings/Sundays only? The Rochdale and Ashton town services seem to make two nice little packets that could be split off separately to independent operators or Transdev/Stagecoach there.

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester

(15/07/2019 06:21)M60lad Wrote:  Regarding Oldham Depot routes they currently operate the following:

6 Rochdale-Kirkholt Circular
24 (Peak Only) Rochdale-Piccadilly
38 Ashton-Hazelhurst Circular
39 Ashton-Hazelhurst Circular
58 Rochdale-Oldham via Milnrow, Newhey and Shaw
59 Rushcroft-Piccadilly via Shaw, Oldham, Middleton, Cheetham Hill
81 Derker-Piccadilly Via Oldham & Moston
81A Holts Estate-Piccadilly via Lees, Oldham & Moston
83 Sholver-Piccadilly via Oldham & Werneth
180 Greenfield-Piccadilly via Lees, Oldham, Hollins
181 Shaw/Rochdale-Piccadilly via Royton & Chadderton
182 Shaw/Rochdale-Piccadilly via Royton, Royal Oldham Hospital & Chadderton
184 Uppermill/Huddersfield via Lees, Oldham, Hollins
331 Ashton Circular via Smallshaw & Husrt
333 Ashton Circular via Hurst & Smallshaw
348 Ashton-Carrbrook via Stalybridge
350 Oldham-Ashton via Delph, Uppermill, Hey Farm, Mossley & Tameside Hospital
393 Ashton Circular via Smallshaw & Hartsheat Estate
409 Rochdale-Ashton via Royton & Oldham
425 Holts Estate-Fitton Hill via Oldham
454 Rochale-Stansfield via Littleborough & Shore
457 Rochdale-Stansfield via Shore & Littleborough
X84 Carrcote-Piccadilly Express via Uppermill (Peaks Only)

There's also the 389 between Ashton and Hyde via Ridge Hill and Stalybridge. Plus the 346 until Saturday.

(16/07/2019 10:46)gilesbus1 Wrote:  Are any of the above tendered, and are any Evenings/Sundays only? The Rochdale and Ashton town services seem to make two nice little packets that could be split off separately to independent operators or Transdev/Stagecoach there.

58 is wholly tendered. Evening and Sundays journeys on the 181/182 are tendered and there's also the last journey on the 59.

Tendered journeys on services 6, 38, 39, 81, 81A, 348, 350, 389 and 425 are all operated by other operators (namely MCT and Stagecoach) during evenings and Sundays. I think the only tendered services First now run during evenings and Sundays are the 2, 68, 181 and 182.

First have lost a few tendered services or given up running some services in Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside in recent years, which are now operated by MCT and Stagecoach, such as the 41, 149, 332, 337 (re-numbered 339), 338, 387, 402, 406 (now partly merged into 149), 408, 410/411, 412, 415, 419, 451, 452 (withdrawn) and 462.

[acocker96]

RE: First Manchester

(16/07/2019 20:43)SF07 Wrote:  There's also the 389 between Ashton and Hyde via Ridge Hill and Stalybridge. Plus the 346 until Saturday.


58 is wholly tendered. Evening and Sundays journeys on the 181/182 are tendered and there's also the last journey on the 59.

Tendered journeys on services 6, 38, 39, 81, 81A, 348, 350, 389 and 425 are all operated by other operators (namely MCT and Stagecoach) during evenings and Sundays. I think the only tendered services First now run during evenings and Sundays are the 2, 68, 181 and 182.

First have lost a few tendered services or given up running some services in Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside in recent years, which are now operated by MCT and Stagecoach, such as the 41, 149, 332, 337 (re-numbered 339), 338, 387, 402, 406 (now partly merged into 149), 408, 410/411, 412, 415, 419, 451, 452 (withdrawn) and 462.

Wasn’t the 406 merged into the 149 about 15 years ago? I remember because we used to take the 406 from Limeside to the Morrison’s in Chadderton.

[gilesbus1]

RE: First Manchester
What is latest here, I presume it will be like the other sales nothing will happen until the Bolton sale has been concluded? I think its already been summed up as to who the buyers might or might not be. The site presumably will be an issue, as its part of a proposed shopping centre development. To walk away totally though would not recover FirstGroup any money and I presume they would need funds from it in order to repay debts to the banks. So some assets will have to be sold on to other parties, even if its just a bundle of routes in several packages.