Stagecoach Manchester

[iMarkeh]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan
I think one of the biggest issues now is buses don't all suit shift times. Back 10 years ago, most shops would open and close at a similar time and would be located in town centres. Now, all shops open/close at different times and are more spread out into out of town retail parks. The same can be said for offices, they are becoming more spread out and out more out of town with more varying shift times. There is also a lot more people going into 'industrial' jobs like warehouses which work to many different shifts. For buses to suit all the many shift times that are now around, you need 24/7 buses which simply isnt viable. People have to use cars as the buses simply don't get them to work for the shift times. I know this isn't Manchester but Deeside Industrial Estate has most shifts running 6-2, 2-10, 10-6. All of the subsidised buses to local areas except the short distance shuttles are non existent at these times.

Combine the lack of buses at work times to the somewhat high prices. Stagecoach prices seem reasonable but we all know not all companies are the same and have very high prices charging £3 for a journey 3 minutes up the road.

I think the way to get more people on buses is to try and get buses to link with main industrial shift times and office times. Until that is done, people will stop using buses to get to/from work. Once someone has a weekly ticket though for travelling to/from work, when it comes to a shopping trip, if a bus is available, they are more likely to use it as they have the ticket already so it is essentially free.
A scheme like Nottingham would be good where employers are charged if they provide so many parking spaces for employers and then reinvest that money into the local buses.