MP Travel

[knutstransport]

RE: MP Travel

(06/12/2020 11:54)Mrboo Wrote:  Service work will be down to MP/Arriva with their Risk Assessment. But with rail the Risk Assessment is that you can`t use more than 50% of the seats and no standing. that is what the TOC has told Arriva / ARR / First travel solutions who book the buses / coaches for the TOC. But limits of passenger's are not law

If that's the case I'm surprised 16 seater minibuses belonging to Atlantic Travel have got used on Northern's rail replacement services recently. While they've normally sent two that's required two drivers to provide 16 seats if what you say about 50% of seats and no standing applies to all TOCs.

Also it means the 15:02 Chester to Manchester, I referred to, would need at least 5 deckers on the Greenbank-Altrincham section if the 4 carriage train couldn't run! Possibly they could get away with 4 if one did Greenbank-Lostock Gralam only and then went back to Greenbank to do another run in the Knutsford direction.

[Mrboo]

RE: MP Travel

(06/12/2020 12:47)knutstransport Wrote:  If that's the case I'm surprised 16 seater minibuses belonging to Atlantic Travel have got used on Northern's rail replacement services recently. While they've normally sent two that's required two drivers to provide 16 seats if what you say about 50% of seats and no standing applies to all TOCs.

Also it means the 15:02 Chester to Manchester, I referred to, would need at least 5 deckers on the Greenbank-Altrincham section if the 4 carriage train couldn't run! Possibly they could get away with 4 if one did Greenbank-Lostock Gralam only and then went back to Greenbank to do another run in the Knutsford direction.

Sometimes you take what you can then run taxis. what route was the minibus on and what time. I have had issues with minibuses being used as they overload far to easy. I have also known firms not sending what booked thinking they would get away with it. I also been told by one firm to run what ever turns up but tell manager so they can deal with it afterwards as if you turn away the minibus you then have to find a coach.

[Liamkennedy2231]

RE: MP Travel
Fair points made gentlemen, like I said I don’t claim to know everything so I’m grateful for the info. Thank you

[knutstransport]

RE: MP Travel

(06/12/2020 17:05)Mrboo Wrote:  Sometimes you take what you can then run taxis. what route was the minibus on and what time. I have had issues with minibuses being used as they overload far to easy. I have also known firms not sending what booked thinking they would get away with it. I also been told by one firm to run what ever turns up but tell manager so they can deal with it afterwards as if you turn away the minibus you then have to find a coach.

16:40 on a Friday afternoon running the Northwich-Chester section of the Mid-Cheshire line: https://twitter.com/northernassist/statu...2689959939

Not sure exactly what the situation was at the time, as the earlier Tweets suggest the closed section was between Navigation Road and Stockport. So maybe they had a train shuttling between Northwich and Navigation Road, or maybe by the time any replacement buses were sourced the line had reopened so there was no point sending them to Navigation Road, as it would be quicker for the passengers to wait for the next train?

The other variable is TOCs don't know what passengers will do. One day the 17:02 Chester-Manchester was cancelled and it looked like the 18:02 would be disrupted, so a 18:00 Chester to Stockport rail replacement bus was arranged. In the end the 18:02 ran around 30 minutes late and was only allowed to go as far as Altrincham. The delayed 18:02 train still arrived at Northwich before the replacement bus and by the time it got to Knutsford there were very few passengers to pick up, as many of them had decided to get the D&G 88 bus/lifts/taxis instead. Had the passengers for both the 17:02 and 18:02 all still been waiting at Knutsford there would have been 100+ at Knutsford alone.

EDIT: Looking at some of their recent Tweets it seems Mayfair Minibuses of Ashton have on occasions ran duplicate services using 16 seater minibuses. Also noticed a Tweet where a customer complained about Atlantic Travel using a schoolbus with 3+2 seating on a RRB.

[trixmax2000]

RE: MP Travel

(05/12/2020 18:27)ant17612 Wrote:  It's the first major day for Xmas shopping. And with going into Tier 2 Did they not expect passenger numbers to increase?

And the this is posted on the MP Travel Facebook page
Whilst it’s coming up to Christmas and everybody going out shopping. We ask that you consider the travelling times for catching the bus.
We have reduced capacity on all our vehicles due to social distancing. We do not like leaving passengers behind, therefore please travel more off-peak if you can.
Safe travels

The first weekend after lockdowns they put a bus with just 30 seats in normal times on the service so this will be down to around 15 passenger's

[ant17612]

RE: MP Travel
I see the company are planning on doing a Running Day on the X1 charging £10 for a ticket (on a public service) this is surely not allowed / permitted by the local authority. I know it's for a good cause and all but I don't think this is a wise move given the situation we find ourselves in and it will no doubt attract bus enthusiasts from all over the country including Tier 3 areas. In a normal world I'd be all for it but it's not for me. As for the £10 surely it should be donations than charging an exact fare on a public service using non DDA Vehicles as duplicates.

[ant17612]

RE: MP Travel

(06/12/2020 18:10)trixmax2000 Wrote:  And the this is posted on the MP Travel Facebook page
Whilst it’s coming up to Christmas and everybody going out shopping. We ask that you consider the travelling times for catching the bus.
We have reduced capacity on all our vehicles due to social distancing. We do not like leaving passengers behind, therefore please travel more off-peak if you can.
Safe travels

The first weekend after lockdowns they put a bus with just 30 seats in normal times on the service so this will be down to around 15 passenger's

A friend told me the Eclipse that worked the last duty last night had to call for back up at L1 as it was full!

[knutstransport]

RE: MP Travel

(06/12/2020 18:11)ant17612 Wrote:  I see the company are planning on doing a Running Day on the X1 charging £10 for a ticket (on a public service) this is surely not allowed / permitted by the local authority. I know it's for a good cause and all but I don't think this is a wise move given the situation we find ourselves in and it will no doubt attract bus enthusiasts from all over the country including Tier 3 areas. In a normal world I'd be all for it but it's not for me. As for the £10 surely it should be donations than charging an exact fare on a public service using non DDA Vehicles as duplicates.

I also don't see how they can refer to the service as the X1 unless they can ensure all buses run to time and the heritage bus runs just behind the normal bus for the entire journey. If not how does an ordinary passenger know that the old looking bus showing X1 isn't a late running X1 service where their ordinary ticket isn't valid. When MP Travel loaned a W reg Dart to Howards and Howards put it on the 289 instead of their usual new Metrocity, some people commented on that accessible Dart being a vintage bus, despite it being much newer than the vintage buses which Routemaster had available for hire at the time.

[Raawwwrrr!]

RE: MP Travel

(06/12/2020 18:11)ant17612 Wrote:  I see the company are planning on doing a Running Day on the X1 charging £10 for a ticket (on a public service) this is surely not allowed / permitted by the local authority. I know it's for a good cause and all but I don't think this is a wise move given the situation we find ourselves in and it will no doubt attract bus enthusiasts from all over the country including Tier 3 areas. In a normal world I'd be all for it but it's not for me. As for the £10 surely it should be donations than charging an exact fare on a public service using non DDA Vehicles as duplicates.

It’s a £10 donation to children’s charity Zoe’s Place.

It is allowed as it’s not a stage carriage service. Technically the fare for travel is free (which you don’t require to register services for) and donation is implied as compulsory. All above board.

[Mrboo]

RE: MP Travel
Also, so long as tickets are not sold on the bus you can call it a excursion or tour. so don't need to be a DDA bus as it not classed as a local bus service but a tour