Stagecoach MCSL - Chester & Wirral Depots

[MPTE1955]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(06/10/2015 21:01)T42 PVM Wrote:  At £4 a Single people are going to look at that and think screw that and just use their local Pub instead or just buy some booze and drink at home, i know i would rather do that then spend £4 just to buy a single on a Bus

Not really, they are probably not, not for £4. £4 would actually be fair considering the time of night, the driver is likely to be paid more money and the companies are running a business after all. £4 in Liverpool city centre is just about 1 drink, so you would paying the cost of one drink for a bus home in the middle of the night. The only time getting the bus home for that cost is not good value is if there is a group of maybe 3 or more when then you might as well take a taxi.

[mr t]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Given most of the bars and clubs shut at 3/4am and there are more open til 6, then I cant see many people using any of these en masse if the last ones are at 3am! The only time people would think about it is if they are literally only staying out for "an hour or 2" in town which is very rare these days.
I had a discussion a few years back with an Arriva representative and they said the only night buses that were busy in recent years were the ones between 4 and 5am, and that is why they all got culled - they had to pay a bus/driver all night, and the early nightime ones would run around empty, then only after 4am would the vehicle be full, but by then they had to pay for 4 hours worth of journeys which had not been profitable, which then makes the whole service unprofitable and hence why Arriva then withdrew them - so yes it might look like they are making a killing when you went home but the other journeys had all been empty prior to you using it. This is why towards the ends on all night buses they first tried reducing frequencies and taking buses out to save costs, but it still failed. Drivers get paid circa £30 an hour, plus diesel, plus paying for security at QS, so hence the £4 fare, but still a hell of a lot lower than taxis, but yes not as low as a group of people getting a taxi home between them - so it is not Arrivas fault for pricing themselves out of the market. Times and markets change.
Ace only had a little bus running back and forth to Birkenhead, with no security, so obviously costs were a hell of a lot lower, so they only needed around 8-10 passengers an hour to pay their costs, then when Merseytravel tried a replacement supported service it wasnt deemed payable as we all know - so imagine if these 8 people actually used the 1, or these other ones at Xmas, or indeed any of the previous night services, they would never ever end up being profitable.

[Jack]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
That logic makes sense regarding the later journeys being more successful, but rather than pull all journeys because the earlier ones were running empty why not just run journeys after 4am? The driver won't have been out all night, instead it would be more of an earlier start.

[mr t]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
That then creates another obstacle - you need to open the depot earlier probably at 2am, pay for depot runners, an allocator on the desk, a depot manager to come in hours early when they would normally start at 5am, then pay for the fuel and driver plus night bonus and security - and then that creates another headache - how many drivers/security staff would actually be wiling to come in for just 1 or 2 hours over time at 3am on a Saturday night??? not many, and it would also mean drivers were unable to work any time on a Saturday or Sunday daytimes due to the drivers hours rules. The drivers would then obviously opt to work any available overtime of a daytime on a weekend, not during the night, as they would end up with more money.

[E400]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(06/10/2015 23:09)mr t Wrote:  That then creates another obstacle - you need to open the depot earlier probably at 2am, pay for depot runners, an allocator on the desk, a depot manager to come in hours early when they would normally start at 5am, then pay for the fuel and driver plus night bonus and security - and then that creates another headache - how many drivers/security staff would actually be wiling to come in for just 1 or 2 hours over time at 3am on a Saturday night??? not many, and it would also mean drivers were unable to work any time on a Saturday or Sunday daytimes due to the drivers hours rules. The drivers would then obviously opt to work any available overtime of a daytime on a weekend, not during the night, as they would end up with more money.

Rock Ferry shuts around 0130 anyway though doesn't it? You don't need an allocator for a handful of buses, you stick it on the previous day's allocation and run-through, swapping the buses out early morning when they pass the depot or swap out the drivers and keep the vehicle out if that's acceptable? As far as drivers hours go, extend the last shift slightly and bring the first shift forward slightly. There is always a way around it which has minimal impact for all concerned. It happens all the time in other jobs.

[R879 HRF]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Rock ferry is manned 24/7. There is currently always somebody on the desk, night shift is 10pm-6am.

It used to be closed up at 1am and a private security firm used for the night time hours, but recently changed it to the above.

[wirralbus]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Is the last bus in the depot a service 1 from Chester , normally see it at Bromborough Cross at 0049 usually operating with fresh air onboard. The one at 00.19 from Bromborough runs to Birkenhead and can be equally as busy with fresh air , its just a means to an end to get vehicles back from Chester

[R879 HRF]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Last bus in is 0059 and finishes at rock ferry from Chester. IIt can be busy on some evenings.

Last bus in is 1, by the time last driver is in and cashed up, everywhere is locked up etc, it can be getting on to 1.15First duty sign on is 0345 so it's only a 2 and a half hour gap anyway.

[PO59 MXJ]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Dont forget that Chester doesnt have a desk man after 8/9pm, so any problems, Rock Ferry gets the phonecall

[wirralbus]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Sounds like Stagecoach think Rock Ferry is more important than Chester if they have a presence 24/7.