Merseyside Night Buses

[Barney]

RE: Merseyside Night Buses

(25/08/2016 08:50)Enviro400 Wrote:  Stagecoach have their Smart card tickets, I would imagine Arriva isn't too far behind them. The Stagecoach passes also scan on Arriva ticket machines. As for the 86 - it will mainly be used by students, most of whom will have Arriva passes, which are not valid on Stagecoach. I can see the 86A having a very healthy service, especially at weekends, but Stagecoach may struggle unless they hit freshers with very hard with marketing.

Most freshers default to an Arriva pass because of the 699 - Stagecoach may only benefit from second and third years who realise they can save big time if they wait for the 86, and now that this is 24/7, Stagecoach have a massive opportunity to win a market share of students.

Let's face it - cash fares are not going to be around much longer. Pre-paid tickets is the way it is going. Arriva and Stagecoach must appreciate this and must therefore be expecting minimal cash fares. This also helps the security aspect (though I maintain that there is only a marginal increase in risk from normal evening services).

I think that we are all agreed that a conurbation as big as Merseyside with a high student influx needs some night bus service. The only question is how it is paid for. I agree that that cashless payment is the way forward whether it be through smart cards or debit cards. Since concessionary passes have become smart cards and the more recent introduction of Walrus cards, each operator now knows exactly who is using its services and when. As Mr T posted earlier, what appears to be a little used service (through cash receipts) is often very well used and Arriva and Stagecoach should, in this day and age, have precise information on who uses these new night services and when.