First Manchester

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
Some of the weekday and Sunday timetable changes scheduled at end of the month are now on the Traveline Journey Planner, although the 42 is still displaying the old timetable.

Confirmation that the 41 (ex-Finglands) will reduce its frequency between Manchester and Sale to every 20 mins, although a 10 minute frequency between Manchester and West Didsbury will remain during university term times.

The 408 extension to Droylsden via Dukinfield applies to all daily daytime journeys with evening journeys remaining between Shaw and Stalybridge. The Sunday journeys will be re-timed to run at similar times to the Monday-Saturday service with a slightly earlier finish. Not sure if the Sunday timetable is 100% correct, as they are listed as running via Alt and Smallshaw. It also looks like Oldham depot will continue to run the Mon-Sat daytime service and Tameside depot continuing the evening and Sunday service.

The 64 and 406 will interwork with each other at Oldham bus station on Sundays, which will see the 64 Sunday service return to Oldham depot or the 406 Sunday service transfer to Tameside depot. Like the 408, the 406 Sunday service is re-timed to run at a similar time to the Mon-Sat service and run to Mills Hill only.

The X84 will be given faster journey times between Garden Suburb and Manchester in both directions, meaning later departures from and earlier arrivals into Carrcote.

[joe_alker]

RE: First Manchester
Allocations all over the place today. 63104 Streetlite (Rusholme) and 67425 Enviro300 (OM) on 348/350, B9s on Hartshead and Hurst local routes 38/9, 333/393, 31929 and 40403 making welcome appearances on 39/393 and 346 respectively, an unidentified B7RLE (Bolton) on 346... any explanations?

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(05/04/2014 14:09)joe_alker Wrote:  Allocations all over the place today. 63104 Streetlite (Rusholme) and 67425 Enviro300 (OM) on 348/350, B9s on Hartshead and Hurst local routes 38/9, 333/393, 31929 and 40403 making welcome appearances on 39/393 and 346 respectively, an unidentified B7RLE (Bolton) on 346... any explanations?

One of the drivers was telling passengers yesterday afternoon that Dukinfield are short of drivers not sure how true it is so perhaps various other depots are supplying buses and drivers to cover.

Wouldn't Dukinfield drivers need VF to drive the Enviro300's??

[joe_alker]

RE: First Manchester
Wouldn't Dukinfield drivers need VF to drive the Enviro300's??

What's VF? And it was likely a Oldham driver driving it.

[WhiteVanMan]

RE: First Manchester

(05/04/2014 14:09)joe_alker Wrote:  Allocations all over the place today. 63104 Streetlite (Rusholme) and 67425 Enviro300 (OM) on 348/350, B9s on Hartshead and Hurst local routes 38/9, 333/393, 31929 and 40403 making welcome appearances on 39/393 and 346 respectively, an unidentified B7RLE (Bolton) on 346... any explanations?

63104 is reported to be on loan to Tameside depot, along with 63118.

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(05/04/2014 14:54)joe_alker Wrote:  Wouldn't Dukinfield drivers need VF to drive the Enviro300's??

What's VF? And it was likely a Oldham driver driving it.

VF is vehicle familiarisation.

[joe_alker]

RE: First Manchester

(05/04/2014 15:37)WhiteVanMan Wrote:  63104 is reported to be on loan to Tameside depot, along with 63118.

I have seen both of them - with "on hire to first pioneer"

(05/04/2014 15:45)Mayneway Wrote:  VF is vehicle familiarisation.

Thanks for the clarification

[37554BY]

RE: First Manchester

(05/04/2014 15:47)joe_alker Wrote:  I have seen both of them - with "on hire to first pioneer"


Thanks for the clarification

Pioneer have BN B7 69143 on loan

[james]

RE: First Manchester

(05/04/2014 14:54)joe_alker Wrote:  Wouldn't Dukinfield drivers need VF to drive the Enviro300's??

What's VF? And it was likely a Oldham driver driving it.

to clarify situation at duki we are currently approx 7-10 drivers short with most duties covered inside on o/t and rest covered by om today was up the swanny with 5 drivers from other depots inc by and bn with an om driver on 67425 as his vehicle of choice

we have 63104/63118 on loan with approx 7 drivers now to be tested/ vf (vehicle familirisation)
67425 on day loan with driver
and as 37554 says
69143

with 41785 brought back from the dead on 1/4/14 (not a joke)


these are to cover the extra 419 until june/july
and we have 2 solos vor at b`burn

also now chris is back at duki

AND
just to throw a spanner in
the 10 streetlites are now earmarked to replace the b9`s as om want them back so watch this space more fun at pioneer all thanks to oldhams fantastic mgmt team (note the sarcasm) lol
also the sunday/eve 64`s poss to go back to om with the driver issues when they start to i/work the 406 in the next service changes

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(05/04/2014 21:48)james Wrote:  to clarify situation at duki we are currently approx 7-10 drivers short with most duties covered inside on o/t and rest covered by om today was up the swanny with 5 drivers from other depots inc by and bn with an om driver on 67425 as his vehicle of choice

we have 63104/63118 on loan with approx 7 drivers now to be tested/ vf (vehicle familirisation)
67425 on day loan with driver
and as 37554 says
69143

with 41785 brought back from the dead on 1/4/14 (not a joke)


these are to cover the extra 419 until june/july
and we have 2 solos vor at b`burn

also now chris is back at duki

AND
just to throw a spanner in
the 10 streetlites are now earmarked to replace the b9`s as om want them back so watch this space more fun at pioneer all thanks to oldhams fantastic mgmt team (note the sarcasm) lol
also the sunday/eve 64`s poss to go back to om with the driver issues when they start to i/work the 406 in the next service changes

Very interesting, thanks for clarifying things James.

So with the exception of the two Olympians (possibly more in the near future), if the B9's are returned to Oldham Dukinfield could become virtually all single decker operated, not good for services like the 348/350 at peak.

There seems to be a lot of critissum of management at the moment. It's been suggested on another forum that painters have been poised to paint two B9's at Dukinfield into heritage liveries but that certain pen pushers have objected - presumably because their wanted back at OM so the plans are on hold.