Warrington's Own Buses

[Valandil]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(30/10/2015 20:02)Dentonian Wrote:  The illustration is to show how "interworking" services (ie. coming in on one route, and going out on another) would allow buses to have more than 5 minutes stand in the Interchange. The illustration suggests avarage of about 8 minutes. Whether it is as practical as it sounds is another matter. An average of 8 minutes suggests inefficiency, with the possibility of change times to save resources (eg. a bus) without either reducing the service or reducing the round trip time. Still, with NW fares they could probably afford spare buses coming out of their ears!
Other operators have moved away from intertiming for various reasons, such as marketing/branding favoured routes and keeping punctuality problems within a service. There is also the question of capacity at the relevant Bus station, depending on maximum stand time etc. On TFGM Bus Stations, for instance, no bus is supposed to be on the stand for more than 5 minutes.

The thing with Warrington is that most services are not frequent enough to work by themselves and they also take an annoying number of minutes meaning that interworking is pretty much essential.*
In fact only the 17 doesn't interwork at all as far as I know (apart from with the 17A/17C/18) due to having branded vehicles, though the 6 and 32A also don't interwork during the day, though both of them interwork with nearly everything under the sun in the peak periods.

So currently we have every Stockton Heath service apart form the 6 interworking with every other during the day (except around lunch time when e.g. a 5 goes onto a 6 some time around 12:30 iirc) and other long patterns of seemingly disparate services interworking like 19/22/2/25/23/1.

* Having said that, I wish that e.g. the 14/15 became every 10 minutes combined; there would be no need for them to interwork then.

[Mayneway]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(30/10/2015 19:51)Katie Wrote:  Good Evening Mayneway I hope you have had a good day and that I am not about to spoil it!

Many thanks for referring me to my own post. I categorically deny your allegations. You appear to have put your own interpretation on the post - a little like adding two and two together and coming up with five.

The only point which I would add is that since my August post GHA 16/16A service is definitely carrying more passengers particularly on the journey from Dallam to the Warrington Interchange which has been helped not in some small way by NW and Fairbrothers changing their timetables.

As previously stated, in both mine and my husband's opinion, a great many passengers simply get on the first bus which appears. We have based this opinion having monitored particularly the services 45/46, 16, 16A etc and all services via Stockton Heath village. We have carried this out over many weeks, various times of the day but not including Sundays.

For instance we have spent virtually a full day on several occasions travelling the Northwich route both via Network Warrington and on a number of occasions by car and have observed both Network Warrington and GHA buses on various parts of those routes.

So far as the Dallam service is concerned as you know there are around twelve journeys per hour between the three competing bus companies. By observing each bus as it arrives and departs from Warrington General Hospital where many passengers, during the daytime hours, travel to and from it is easy to see which buses they use.

Our conclusion has been that the vast majority of passengers from the hospital simply travel on the first first which arrives irrespective of the company concerned or the colour of the bus. This is not just referring to elderly people but to the travelling public as a whole.

Today in the hour between 11.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon very few passengers allowed the first bus to go without boarding it and waited for the next one. As you may well be aware Fairbrothers have, from this week, changed their timetable and now leave Dallam two minutes before NW and you do not have to be a Philadelphia lawyer to work out the reason why.

Fairbrothers fares may well be cheaper than NW but obviously they are making sure that they pick up as many passengers as possible by running in front of NW.

Of course from the 9th November NW will once more be amending theirs. Thus making it somewhat of a cat and mouse game. However, what it does do is to open up a gap for GHA coaches to collect more passengers on this route whilst the other two companies are chasing each other around. Perhaps you will kindly let me have your views as to the likely outcome of the "bus wars" on this route.

Again referring to Stockton Heath where NW, GHA and Halton Transport also serve the village - again most passengers simply get on the first bus which comes along to the Warrington Interchange. Anyone standing in the village who has an hour or two to spare during the day will I believe come to the same conclusion.

Finally, just to add that we will NOT be trawling the forum looking to find fault with any of your posts.

Enjoy your weekend.

Katie
I haven't trawled the forum finding faults with your posts I simply asked why you seem to have gone from being a stern Network Warrington passenger, calling everyone who criticised thier recent fare hikes 'network Warrington bashers' to completly disagreeing with RSTurbo about which company carries the majority of passengers.

The term 'bus war' is quite a strong term to use. I wouldn't personally label it as a war YET as it dosen't nearly resemble the fiasco we saw in Manchester back in 2005 with Stagecoach/UK North. Three operators compiting for a handful of pensioners is hardly a bus war lol.

I don't expect you to trawl the forum for faults as no doubt you and your husband will be out counting passenger numbers on various Warrington routes all weekend

Thank you for your kind wishes and have a great weekend yourself

[Valandil]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(30/10/2015 19:51)Katie Wrote:  Perhaps you will kindly let me have your views as to the likely outcome of the "bus wars" on this route.

It would be nice to get some Merseytravel-style 'Quality bus partnership' thing going whereby operators agree to operate 'every X minutes' combined rather than one in front of the other, allow each other's tickets etc.
Though I do appreciate that this isn't possible under the current setup in Warrington and isn't likely to be for a few years at least.

It would be nice to have this kind of thing towards Penketh too, e.g. force the 32A and 110 to operate every 10 minutes combined MS daytime and to get a Sunday service every 15 minutes since there are 4 buses per hour when you include the 7 (though admittedly that could only work in at most one direction).

[Metroline1511]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(21/10/2015 18:00)Valandil Wrote:  From the VOSA thread, the mini bus war isn't over yet, with GHA registering a 46 Northwich - Warrington - Gemini from 14th December.

Thank you for preparing me. I had been wondering whether to catch GHA route 45 in November. Now I know it will be more enjoyable to wait and ride routes 45 & 46 on the same day!

[Valandil]

RE: WBT Network Warrington
RSTurbo or anyone else who's around, would really appreciate any insight into what the 16 and 16A go onto during the day as of tomorrow!

[RSTurbo50]

RE: WBT Network Warrington
I'll try and find out Valandi

[Valandil]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(09/11/2015 17:24)RSTurbo50 Wrote:  I'll try and find out Valandi

Cheers!

[RSTurbo50]

RE: WBT Network Warrington
Last day out for the Solos today before they are taken off the Road. Also bus 38 is back out after passing its MOT and Bus 35 and 36 are also to be back out on the road shortly after being withdrawn well over twelve months ago..

[Jack]

RE: WBT Network Warrington
Have the Solos been sold yet? Saw one or two out on the 11 today.

[Bevan Price]

RE: WBT Network Warrington
Solo 206 was in Warrington Bus Station on Saturday morning (14 Nov.)