Arriva's Impending North Liverpool Changes

[teenagewasteland]

RE: Arriva's Impending North Liverpoool Changes

(09/01/2015 20:21)mr t Wrote:  The 63 has been introduced to replace both the 62 Bootle-Crosby then the 53A Crosby-Netherton. This is because of the chronic reliability of the 62 which along with 61 is one of the most complained about services. The 53A has been cut too because it has also suffered many reliability issues.
The extension to Fazakerley is being provide too because people have used the 62 between Crosby/Bootle to get to Fazakerley Hospital for years, and this link has been broken as a result, so rather then have people get the 63 to Bootle then wait to get 62, it was extended the other way to maintain the link its nothing to do with having a go at HTL or Avon merely to maintain links across north Liverpool. If they really wanted to have a go at Avon on the 122 they would have run it more frequent, and the 122 has been running over the 53A happily for the last few years with the 53A more frequent. So this proves they arent interested in going against Avon as they have actually reduced their frequency from every 20 to half hourly. Simply they have killed 2 buirds with one stone, cut the 62 to improve that, cut the 53 to improve that, and replaced it with the 63. The same reason as the 61A was rid of those years ago as its reliability was absolutely chronic by the time it had come from Aigburth through Allerton Old Swan the black bull then up through Netherton crossed Queens Drive about 5 times round the blocks to Bootle. Admittedly the 59 choice wasnt the best number but that was the reasoning behind it.

Arriva have absolutely no idea about the wider links forged by the 62. Quite simply, it linked communities between the north and south of Liverpool that otherwise would have no access to each other.

History lesson - MPTE extended the old 92 between Crosby and Huyton back in November 1974, extending it to Halewood in 1980. At dereg, the 92 was split at Fazakerley taking on the old 99 route to Penny Lane. And, bar Arriva's renumbering exercise to 62 when they integrated MTL in 2000, this service has been running ever since regardless of the supposed "reliabilty issues".

If they're that bad, how come it's taken Arriva 15 years to do something about it???

The simple fact of these revisions is it's another nail in the coffin for Crosby's bus services - using fewer vehicles on reduced frequencies trying to cover every major corridor. It's the long-drawn out drama with the 91/51 all those years ago all over again. You mark my words - this is another underhand and sneaky decision on Arriva's part to pull these links off the road completely given time. And there is a genuine threat to the 122 now, regardless what you think.

Arriva have absolutely no social responsibility to the travelling public, and are accountable to no one but their shareholders at DB. The sooner the PTEs call the shots again over bus services the better.