Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

[L401CJF]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
From what I can see, the only change to the 411 is the extension of the last journey to finish at Birkenhead Bus Stn rather than Woodside.

Apparently 4111/4114/4129 were supposed to go back to Speke this weekend, whether they have or not is another story. 2496 was supposed to be leaving too but can't remember where.

[N304CLV]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(24/08/2019 12:17)L401CJF Wrote:  From what I can see, the only change to the 411 is the extension of the last journey to finish at Birkenhead Bus Stn rather than Woodside.

Apparently 4111/4114/4129 were supposed to go back to Speke this weekend, whether they have or not is another story. 2496 was supposed to be leaving too but can't remember where.

2496 has moved to St Helens along with 2578.

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(24/08/2019 12:17)L401CJF Wrote:  From what I can see, the only change to the 411 is the extension of the last journey to finish at Birkenhead Bus Stn rather than Woodside.

Apparently 4111/4114/4129 were supposed to go back to Speke this weekend, whether they have or not is another story. 2496 was supposed to be leaving too but can't remember where.

2496 has reported as turning up at St Helens

[L401CJF]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
Excellent cheers forgot about 2578 too.

I think i mentioned a few pages back that the Pulsars were to be retrofitted with Euro 6 Eminox systems, the work started a couple of weeks ago and I am told they have now all been done except 2903/4/5/6/7/8/9.

Also econospeed which is fitted to most vehicles is to be removed on a national basis and replaced with a new driver monitoring system which works through the Ticketer machines, im not sure how it works entirely but I believe its something to do with TomTom and monitors driving standards in a similar way that Greenroad does. Im not sure when the new system launches or if it already has, but as far as I know the only bus to have econospeed removed to date is 3008.

[L401CJF]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
Evening and Sunday 492/495 seems very badly thought out, to me it looks like they've done it deliberately awkward so they can say its not used enough and withdraw it in a few months time.

Sundays run at an alternate hourly frequency, so the 492 is every 2 hours and 495 every 2 hours, plus skips a whole hour trip in the afternoon and runs the bus in so driver can have a break, then runs back out and starts again rather than just relieve the driver for a break for an hour.

Evening service is the same, the 1810 495 extends past laird St at 1846,then operates a 492 at 1910, 495 at 2010, then a short 492 to Laird St at 2110. Realistically the estates only have 1 extra bus in each direction of an evening. Why they couldn't leave a 492 bus out and keep the 495 one on the 495 and just extend the service for 3 hours running at a half hourly combined frequency doesn't make sense to me. Looks deliberately infrequent so it has a good excuse to be culled.

[mrd97]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(03/09/2019 09:30)L401CJF Wrote:  Evening and Sunday 492/495 seems very badly thought out, to me it looks like they've done it deliberately awkward so they can say its not used enough and withdraw it in a few months time.

Sundays run at an alternate hourly frequency, so the 492 is every 2 hours and 495 every 2 hours, plus skips a whole hour trip in the afternoon and runs the bus in so driver can have a break, then runs back out and starts again rather than just relieve the driver for a break for an hour.

Evening service is the same, the 1810 495 extends past laird St at 1846,then operates a 492 at 1910, 495 at 2010, then a short 492 to Laird St at 2110. Realistically the estates only have 1 extra bus in each direction of an evening. Why they couldn't leave a 492 bus out and keep the 495 one on the 495 and just extend the service for 3 hours running at a half hourly combined frequency doesn't make sense to me. Looks deliberately infrequent so it has a good excuse to be culled.

I’m confident a full evening and Sunday service would be well used (each service operated hourly for a combined half hourly frequency). When Avon ran it for Merseytravel, Sunday daytime journeys were usually very busy, sometimes a standing load. Evening services were relatively well patronised (well, no less so than any other generic evening service 410 487 ect). They were happy to introduce a full half hourly Sunday service on the 464, and from observation, it’s never busy. They can’t run that service hourly as it takes approximately 40 minutes from Liverpool to New Ferry and vice versa (which would leave a huge layover time). Yet despite that they gave it the same frequency as the Monday to Saturday service.

Let’s not forget 2 years ago Beechwood had 3 buses an hour evenings and Sundays in both directions (118/119, 492/495) and noctorum 2 (293, 492/495). Call it what you like, but to leave two large housing estates without a bus service is not good. Especially when they waste a bus doing the moreton circulars (which carry fresh air past about 5pm)

[wirralbus]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
The big problem now for Merseytravel is there is less small operators to go around to operate these small services , hence the big boys can say yes we will do this but its going to cost you , if we do it.

Another school of thought is your now going to get a service you didnt have for a short while . Avon's profit margins would be different to Arriva's and the purse strings of Merseytravel are now like a miser's.

Going back to those Moreton circulars , that service looks very political indeed , is there any councillors past or present in Moreton / leasowe that sat on any committees of the LCR or Merseytravel ?

[L401CJF]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot
Just seen the 492 at laird St 1925, 2 passengers.

[wirralbus]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(05/09/2019 18:26)L401CJF Wrote:  Just seen the 492 at laird St 1925, 2 passengers.

Lets just hope that the services picks up more than just two passengers or this service will eventually be dispatched to the outbox of arriva never to see the light of day again.

I also think there needs to be a rethink of the sunday service though , a gap of 4 hours is unforgiveable who made that joke of a timetable up , wouldnt it have just been easier have a break of an hour then the timetable sequence just runs 1 hour later .

[Walton 46]

RE: Arriva North West - Birkenhead Depot

(05/09/2019 21:46)wirralbus Wrote:  Lets just hope that the services picks up more than just two passengers or this service will eventually be dispatched to the outbox of arriva never to see the light of day again.

I also think there needs to be a rethink of the sunday service though , a gap of 4 hours is unforgiveable who made that joke of a timetable up , wouldnt it have just been easier have a break of an hour then the timetable sequence just runs 1 hour later .

Instead of the evening and Sunday service being two hourly in each direction, wouldn't it have just been easier to operate an either or service with the bus doing a one-way loop every hour?