St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)
In the local news today is a Petition led by Lib Dem Councillor Michael Haw trying to get the 137/138 and 194/195 Services reinstated, The Article does have some valid points as to why withdrawing these routes was a mistake but from a personal point i used the 137/138 regular as it connects where i live to where my mum lives. Does any other member have any views on this?

http://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/16835...-hospital/

[St Helens Rider]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)
I did think the review was a mess a few years ago. For example, having the 140 going here, there and everywhere and Rainford services covering Kiln Lane and Bleak Hill were never great ideas and obviously had been cobbled together to cover for the lack of the circular service. It is also telling that Merseytravel reqular re-introduce the 194/195 on Christmas Day, so they must be seen as useful in some respect. I fear a repeat of the 101 situation in Liverpool where everybody loses eventually.

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)
The 140 going to Rainhill at night would last as its pointless

Another problems is Eccelston is split into 2 really

[St Helens Rider]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)
Eccleston has been split in 2 since the Arriva changes of 2006 (when most routes were renumbered into the 30s), prior to this, the area was covered as a whole by the 15/16 circulars.

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)

(12/09/2018 15:10)St Helens Rider Wrote:  Eccleston has been split in 2 since the Arriva changes of 2006 (when most routes were renumbered into the 30s), prior to this, the area was covered as a whole by the 15/16 circulars.

You make me feel old, I used to get the 15/16 regular!

As a side note referring to the News article i shared one thing makes me think it will not happen and that is funding from Merseytravel

[MTL0201]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)

(12/09/2018 15:10)St Helens Rider Wrote:  Eccleston has been split in 2 since the Arriva changes of 2006 (when most routes were renumbered into the 30s), prior to this, the area was covered as a whole by the 15/16 circulars.

You also had the 22/22A serving different part of Eccleston, the Arriva 2006 St Helens changes are a mess, the network was well established people knew the routes & didn't need full scale changing, just a bit of tweaking, & most of the numbers didn't duplicate other Arriva Merseyside numbers either.

[RedPanda]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)

(12/09/2018 11:58)T42 PVM Wrote:  In the local news today is a Petition led by Lib Dem Councillor Michael Haw trying to get the 137/138 and 194/195 Services reinstated, The Article does have some valid points as to why withdrawing these routes was a mistake but from a personal point i used the 137/138 regular as it connects where i live to where my mum lives. Does any other member have any views on this?

http://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/16835...-hospital/

I can’t say too much as I don’t get up that way much and think I’ve only ever caught the 194 once back when I had a bus pass limiting me to Merseytravel’s zone A only. Probably going back five years.
Back then I was only just getting into public transport and can’t recall where the passenger usage was greatest. Nor am I able to say the to say the exact route number I caught.

However the simple fact of the matter is if a route isn’t making money after being heavily subsidised, the axe is always going to be considered. There's the 603 that I think was a daft idea to reroute. Maybe it should have been a hourly 320 to/from Ashton covering Liverpool Road in Garswood via Haydock Industrial Estate with the rest going through Haydock. Think of it as the first 320 of the day but running for as much of the day as possible. It may be used, not well as I’d guess at workers would be the majority using it but used nonetheless and it can still give Arriva a profit. This would possibly make a few pence spare per journey available for 137/138 and 194/195. Although likely only to be spent on one of them in one direction.

I must say that I’m not too familiar with underused routes but is there really a need for a service that’s so long of a run in to operate in Eccleston and Rainhill? I can see why with Whiston Hospital being so close

[St Helens Rider]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)

(12/09/2018 15:23)T42 PVM Wrote:  You make me feel old, I used to get the 15/16 regular!

If it makes feel, then I feel ancient as I remember most prominent changes that have occurred dereg lol.

[St Helens Rider]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)

(12/09/2018 15:46)MTL0201 Wrote:  You also had the 22/22A serving different part of Eccleston, the Arriva 2006 St Helens changes are a mess, the network was well established people knew the routes & didn't need full scale changing, just a bit of tweaking, & most of the numbers didn't duplicate other Arriva Merseyside numbers either.

Agreed. The old network may have had some limitations but it generally worked and served far more places than today. One would never have thought for example that Gaskell Street would be bus less. I can understand the top end of Burrows Lane though given it's rural nature but useful for quickly linking Eccleston with Prescot/Whiston.

[RedPanda]

RE: St Helens Bus Network Review (2018)

(12/09/2018 16:57)St Helens Rider Wrote:  Agreed. The old network may have had some limitations but it generally worked and served far more places than today. One would never have thought for example that Gaskell Street would be bus less. I can understand the top end of Burrows Lane though given it's rural nature but useful for quickly linking Eccleston with Prescot/Whiston.

What was the frequency on Gaskell Street back in 2006 roughly? I can hardly see it being frequent and Arriva on there.