Arriva North West - Bootle Depot

[mathias]

RE: Arriva North West - Bootle Depot

(12/01/2014 13:21)Barney Wrote:  If, as seems the case, there is a demand for increased capacity why not provide a service through an area that is not currently served by Arriva since the withdrawal of the 59 last year?

One option could be the reintroduction of a 57/58 Netherton Circular which was withdrawn about three years ago.

My second point is to do with the late Saturday start of the 52/52A. At the moment the first 52 from Netherton is 7.46 which seems totally inadequate to me. This could easily be rectified by starting the 52/52A an hour earlier on a Saturday.

I look forward to reading any responses.

Arriva made a BIG mistake by re-numbering the old 61A route to the 59, then changing the timetable and the route along Knowsley Road, Bootle.
One driver told me it had become unsustainable due to it losing £1000 a month.

This is why messing around with a proven formula is always risky, because there's a strong possibility you'll end up confusing passengers with unknown numbers and routes. The 59 failed due to Arriva's lack of foresight. For such a professional company to do is -quite frankly- shocking.

This explains why a 57/58 route may not work. Passengers shun the unknown. Even the current Arriva 58 route makes a very small profit, which is why tired, elderly Darts usually appear on it. Why invest in a loser??

As for the relatively late start of the 52/52A on a Saturday, it's cash fares that dictate viability, and if Bootle-bound office workers aren't working on Saturday mornings, then all those lovely Dayriders and Weekly Tickets ain't gonna be sold (OAP passes don't make a service profitable).
Even so, it's nice that the frequency is increasing as it proves the 52/52A route is a (cash-rich) jewel in the depot's crown, and Peoplesbus have had a slice of the action for the last few years. In fact, I'm surprised Stagecoach haven't decided to cherrypick it!
Then again, -knowing Merseytravel- they'd probably turn it into yet another QBP route!