Impera Bus & Coach

[Route102]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach - FLEET NEWS ONLY

(26/11/2012 00:41)First Class Wrote:  

(26/11/2012 00:35)3111 Wrote:  

(25/11/2012 22:48)First Class Wrote:  Keep an eye out

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/13...tender/new

I think that this was completely unneeded and unnecessary. Reasons have been stated and plenty of time has been left for another company to take-over the contract. As passengers, all we should be concerned about is having a fully-functioning service. If that's what we have, then what's your problem? And you've brought-up the 30 - again, unneeded and unnecessary in this situation.

I have the right to find out whether Impera (or any other company) is pulling a fast one with my council tax contributions.

You can't have companies bidding for routes on the cheap then dropping out before expiry because the route doesn't suit them for whatever reason, leading to more expense being incurred when a whole new tender process has to be re-ran at short notice!

Impera's reasons don't add up IMO. I am suspicious so I am investigating.

If Impera raised concerns about reliability, I am very sure Merseytravel would have investigated and, if required, amended the timetable to resolve this problem. This is a fairly easy fix. If Merseytravel investigated and found no problems, or refused to investigate, then that suggests something is up with the Impera version of events, or that Merseytravel does not care about timekeeping, and Merseytravel need a good kick up the backside.

That leaves the only other reason given as Vandalism. If Merseyside police are aware of 34 incidents involving Impera services in Liverpool, they would be very willing to target that problem. Even with the vandalism, this route SHOULD be profitable, (unless Impera deliberately under-priced to win the contracts). Other operators did not have this problem on the routes, which again, makes me question the accuracy of this. Would a company really give up a lucrative series of contracts just because of vandalism?

The reason I mentioned the 30 in the FOI request is because Impera appears to be getting a taste for starting routes and subsequently changing their minds...

Merseytravel were often informed of the timings of the route where the problems where, but as this would mean scheduling another bus into the service, nothing happened. We would fill lost mileage forms out and service delay forms (when more tan 10mins late) to feed back to Merseytravel, again nothing happened!

[First Class]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach - FLEET NEWS ONLY

(26/11/2012 00:55)Route102 Wrote:  Merseytravel were often informed of the timings of the route where the problems where, but as this would mean scheduling another bus into the service, nothing happened. We would fill lost mileage forms out and service delay forms (when more tan 10mins late) to feed back to Merseytravel, again nothing happened!

Hopefully the response to my FOI request may help to explain why Merseytravel neglect to do anything about timekeeping on these routes, if that is the case.

Something is still odd about Impera withdrawing though. They would still get paid regardless of their late running, (especially if they could prove it isn't their fault).

I am wondering whether companies are making diagrams tighter then previously, (i.e. reducing the need for a vehicle or two), which is why Merseytravel won't change the timings. For example, say Stagecoach ran 10 buses on these routes, and ran on time, do Impera say run 9 buses and run late because of tight turnarounds/layovers, (numbers purely random)??

[Route102]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach - FLEET NEWS ONLY

(26/11/2012 01:03)First Class Wrote:  

(26/11/2012 00:55)Route102 Wrote:  Merseytravel were often informed of the timings of the route where the problems where, but as this would mean scheduling another bus into the service, nothing happened. We would fill lost mileage forms out and service delay forms (when more tan 10mins late) to feed back to Merseytravel, again nothing happened!

Hopefully the response to my FOI request may help to explain why Merseytravel neglect to do anything about timekeeping on these routes, if that is the case.

Something is still odd about Impera withdrawing though. They would still get paid regardless of their late running, (especially if they could prove it isn't their fault).

I am wondering whether companies are making diagrams tighter then previously, (i.e. reducing the need for a vehicle or two), which is why Merseytravel won't change the timings. For example, say Stagecoach ran 10 buses on these routes, and ran on time, do Impera say run 9 buses and run late because of tight turnarounds/layovers, (numbers purely random)??

In my CMT days we ran 4 buses on the 130 and 3 on the 210/250, adding a 5th bus on the 130 would improve the timekeeping at certain points (but would create almost 20-25mins of deadtime after each run (hence squeeze the route into 4 buses and reduce the price of Merseytravel paying a 5th bus), Timings on a lot of tendered routes are a joke, there are places on some routes that give 10mins travel time that takes 4mins and others given 5mins which take 10 when driven on a Sunday early morning with hardly any passengers to stop for!! And a lot of the timing points are where the checkers time you!! Thats the problem sometimes with Merseytravel they are not taking these instances into account, commercial services like Stagecoach and Arriva tweak the timings of routes so that at particular times of day additional/less running time is given where they know the problems are. Merseytravel could do this, but it would probably mean an extra bus and driver are needed to be injected into the route for the odd journey, can this be practical, can a driver and bus be sourced for what could only be a couple of hours a day.

Or they could just alter the timings completely, the 122 Crosby-Fazakerley for example has a 30min frequency until a point in the afternoon when there is a chang to 45 min to enable the bus to get back on schedule as a result of the many schools and congestion coming out of Crosby!

[wirralbus]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach
Merseytravel have always tightly timed there routes some of the routes over here on the Wirral are verging on the sublime to be able to be achieved , at one time the 240 when it operated from Mill park to Overchurch was timed for nearly 1 hour in length , but it was always having to motor to keep to time , Sunday sometimes being worse than the evenings but then there was the Plaza bingo halltraffic in Borough Road which could seriously knock the timetablr for six in each direction. Merseytravel only have themselves to blame at times .

[H101GEV (Administrator)]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach
I used the route reasonably often in the Cumfybus days and have to say, except for the first 10 days or so of the emergency contract, they were very reliable indeed, certainly between town and Dingle anyway. Supertravel were solid as well, so I don't agree it can just be put down to "life" that the 130s will run late.

[ls1911]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach - FLEET NEWS ONLY

(25/11/2012 22:22)First Class Wrote:  

(25/11/2012 21:10)ste Wrote:  Given this is a Fleet News only topic I am disappointed a Admin member has joined in with the topic going off course. Also it is wrong of both First Class to post what he posted and also msteens tone of reply is not exactly friendly.

If they are the reasons that the company wants to give that is the reasons they are giving, in the past Supertravel and CumfyBus have both struggled to keep to time on the 130 - it's just life. If they reckon the timetable needs looking at and that is one reason they are quitting surely it is good that they point that out to Merseytravel as then that may allow the next company to perform better anyways this topic is for fleet news only can we stick to that?

It isn't fleet news only any more.

Secondly, this forum is for discussing and speculate on things which happen - like a bus company walking away from a major contract with some dubious reasons that have never been mentioned by any other operator!

The forum isn't just for reporting sightings and fleet news last time I checked. It is supposed to promote discussion of a wide range of topics and allow people to share responsible opinions and views and to respectfully debate any issues which arise.

I find it odd that Impera would just walk away. Surely if they could evidence these problems, Merseytravel would have been happy to allow a timetable alteration to improve reliability? A poor timetable is a strange reason to walk away.

Did Merseytravel refuse a timetable improvement? If not, has Impera simply walked away because of broken windows - which could also be resolved with some bandit bus operations?

Add into Impera's recent expansion on the Wirral, and withdrawing their daytime 30 into Liverpool, perhaps a coincidence?

I'm sure we won't see some new/improved evening and Sunday service on the Wirral now, will we? That's not a problem, of course!

Ive got to agree here. Every company listed on this forum has received both praise&criticism on these pages,some justified some not. I Dont see why Impera seems to think its immune from anyone making any comment against the company or its operations.

[moreton407]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach
It's being sugested that Impera are pulling off the Liverpool contracts to operate comercial services, ie, the 1A.

Surely everyone can see the time difference, the 1A starts in December, along with the withdrawal of the eve/sun 39A, and the company are pulling off the Merseytravel contracts on January.

I hope this isn't the start of Impera panicking and the start of the end!

Please leave the company to get on with it and build on what success they have had!

[MTL0201]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach

(26/11/2012 19:34)moreton407 Wrote:  It's being sugested that Impera are pulling off the Liverpool contracts to operate comercial services, ie, the 1A.

Surely everyone can see the time difference, the 1A starts in December, along with the withdrawal of the eve/sun 39A, and the company are pulling off the Merseytravel contracts on January.

I hope this isn't the start of Impera panicking and the start of the end!

Please leave the company to get on with it and build on what success they have had!

I'm not surprised the evening 39A is being withdrawn, as most times i've caught the 39A or the old evening 39, i'm the only passenger on the bus. Daytime 39 get's busy with many passengers going beyond Moreton Cross.

Found it odd Imperia operating Liverpool routes from a Wirral depot, with dead mileage & going through the tunnels, although Avon operate a Liverpool route from a Wirral depot think they only use 2 vehicles.

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach
Posts questioning the removal of previous comments have been moved to the appropriate area of the forum which is where any other discussion of that nature should be placed, thanks.

[R879 HRF]

RE: Impera Bus & Coach

(28/11/2012 12:07)MTL0201 Wrote:  I'm not surprised the evening 39A is being withdrawn, as most times i've caught the 39A or the old evening 39, i'm the only passenger on the bus. Daytime 39 get's busy with many passengers going beyond Moreton Cross.

Found it odd Imperia operating Liverpool routes from a Wirral depot, with dead mileage & going through the tunnels, although Avon operate a Liverpool route from a Wirral depot think they only use 2 vehicles.

It used to get more passengers before it was shortened to a 39A of a night, it seems by shortening the route has killed it for those who used it regularly.