Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot

[Quackdave]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot

(06/01/2017 22:14)Bevan Price Wrote:  Helsby to Chester direct includes about 5 miles with a very low population - not ideal if you want to run a financially viable service.

That's a tad over-simplistic, and ignores the fact that anyone who is on the bus before that five mile stretch wants to get into Chester via the most direct route possible. Divert via a more populous area, thereby doubling the journey time, and you stand to lose a good proportion of those passengers to car or rail - which isn't great for financial viability either!

There's a balance to be struck, and picking up passengers as often as possible isn't necessarily the optimum solution.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot
Mickle Trafford would get the bus if it wasn't £5 for a return to town!!! SC you can get a day ticket for £4 max!

[Valandil]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot

(07/01/2017 00:42)iMarkeh Wrote:  Mickle Trafford would get the bus if it wasn't £5 for a return to town!!! SC you can get a day ticket for £4 max!

I agree that Stagecoach offers superb value for money, for the passenger at least.
It's an interesting idea to extend a direct service from Chester to Ellesmere Port (or Cheshire Oaks?), but if this direct service were to run at a combined 'every 30 minutes' frequency between Halton Lea and Helsby, then the times at Chester would be such that the extension would run at pretty much exactly the same time as the present X2 on that stretch.
Less of an issue, but it also might get confusing, as to get from Runcorn to Chester, you'd want to take the Ellesmere Port bus, and to get from Runcorn to Ellesmere Port, you would be best take the Chester bus!

[MX12 KVM]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot
3140 was on the 79C Friday whilst another was on the X30 on Thursday.

[MX12 KVM]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot
2717 on the 110 today.

[MX12 KVM]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot
2717, 2953 and 3137 are all on the X1 this morning.

[wirralbus]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot

(06/01/2017 23:18)Quackdave Wrote:  That's a tad over-simplistic, and ignores the fact that anyone who is on the bus before that five mile stretch wants to get into Chester via the most direct route possible. Divert via a more populous area, thereby doubling the journey time, and you stand to lose a good proportion of those passengers to car or rail - which isn't great for financial viability either!

There's a balance to be struck, and picking up passengers as often as possible isn't necessarily the optimum solution.

The problem then arises of the part of the route you miss out between Helsby and Ellesmere Port if you do run via Chester , its a Catch 22 situation .

[Valandil]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot
I'll be very interested to see how the 21 turns around by Helsby Tesco when the changes kick off tomorrow.

[motormayhem1]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot

(22/01/2017 09:16)Valandil Wrote:  I'll be very interested to see how the 21 turns around by Helsby Tesco when the changes kicks of tomorrow.

Im led to believe it will turn left at the traffic lights onto the estate where theres suppose to be some sort of small turning circle where they can turn around.

[Valandil]

RE: Arriva North West - Runcorn Depot

(22/01/2017 09:25)motormayhem1 Wrote:  Im led to believe it will turn left at the traffic lights onto the estate where theres suppose to be some sort of small turning circle where they can turn around.

Thanks for that. There is a mini roundabout if you turn right at the traffic lights, if that's the one.
The thing is though, there's nowhere to wait time there, so if they are going to wait time at that stop heading back up the hill by the Tesco, I think that is a safety concern, as you can't overtake buses safely going up the hill as you would have to cross into the other lane of oncoming traffic when you can't see what's going to come over the top of the hill.
4 minutes (according to the schedule) would be a long time to wait behind the bus before it moves off and it's safe to proceed.