Services which don't exist but there could be demand for

[Mayneway]

RE: Services which don't exist but there could be demand for

(16/09/2015 19:18)joe_alker Wrote:  The one that always got me was when Mayne were took over by Stagecoach, we (Droylsden) lost quite a lot of services to outlying areas past Ashton.

I believe at various points we have had links to Oldham, Mossley, Stalybridge, Brookbottom and Carrbrook.

Now we have a every 15-minute service 231 (with every other bus going to Ashton) with no Stagecoach link to any of those areas apart from the 236/7 to Stalybridge from Ashton. Mossley does have the train station so it retains a link to Manchester, but areas such as Brookbottom, Carrbrook and Dukinfield have no direct link to Manchester. Dukinfield has the 221 which runs once in a blue moon (or 1 journey at peak times) and for the 236/7, I think it wasn't the greatest idea curtailing them at Ashton, as having a limited stop service between Ashton and Manchester is quite a good idea.

It's interesting that you mention Maynes as I was thinking about them today while reading this very thread.
The sale of Maynes and the changes Stagecoach made soon after prove how different operators see areas as viable or not. I'm up the road from you Joe in Ashton. Now at one one stage I'm
Sure there was a Maynes bus running through towards Manchester past daisy nook every 12 mins (including 230 and of course 231 from Littlemoss). Compare it to now and the link although still there is poor with one bus every half an hour from Ashton.
Mossley was also left high and dry by Stagecoach, dispite the good loads Maynes carried up there at peak. What's interesting about Mossley was that several years later there was still quite a lot of demand for a direct Mossley-Manchester link hence Speedwell launching the S50 - a service that should have taken off but sadly failed!
Question is after all these years would direct links between Mossley/Carrbrook and Manchrster still work.

I used to use the 236 from Piccadilly to Glossop some afternoons just as the Enviro200's started to arrive. It was surprising how many people travelled on past Ashton to Stalybridge,Mottram and Glossop (despite the train being a lot quicker), it always surprised me when they curtailed it but wasn't surprised given the chaos heading into Droylsden in the name of progress, but given that the progress has now been achieved (apparently) would extending some 236/237's to Piccadilly again really work?

Working in glossop it's surprising, espically more recently with the loss of the current rolling train stock to the midlands how many people up there talk about having a direct bus service from Glossop to Manchester. One possibly maybe to extend certain 201s into Glossop.

A realistic idea maybe to sligtly alter the 168/169 route to follow the former diversion over Crowhill (while Oldham road was closed last year!). It was surprising how many people it picked up on Crowhill, although a lot seemed to be OAP's, but would mean the subsidised 339 service could go!