D&G Bus

[ant17612]

RE: D&G Bus

(11/03/2021 13:34)iMarkeh Wrote:  Those 130 times aren't the best are they really. They should have at least 1 earlier bus I think for workers.

I also don't see the point in a bus coming empty to start at Wythenshawe Hospital at 08:45 sounds bizarre given most people are going into it at that time and not coming out. I also don't understand why they're not doing it on a Saturday as that could attract more passengers for shopping etc.

The good news it increases the frequency of the link between the Hospital and the Airport as it ties in roughly half way between Diamond 18s.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(11/03/2021 16:56)ant17612 Wrote:  I also don't understand why they're not doing it on a Saturday as that could attract more passengers for shopping etc.

Neither D&G nor the local councils in Cheshire seem to see the potential of bus services at weekends or on Bank Holidays. At Knutsford our Bank Holiday trains are often rammed but we don't have a single bus service on a Bank Holiday, not even the May Day weekend when normally there's a funfair in Knutsford which attracts teenagers from various other towns in Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

[Aaron's Transport Pictures]

RE: D&G Bus
Arriva are taking over the 41B Wrexham service from April 4th.
https://www.vehicle-operator-licensing.s...ls/573940/

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus
Seems currently the weekday Wincham routes could be operated by 9 vehicles but they use a 10th vehicle which does some late morning/early afternoon 288 journeys, before doing the afternoon 188. The April changes look like they will require 7 vehicles for the 88, 89, 188, 130, T2/T3. I wonder if that means they'll be enough drivers freed up for Wincham to take back the 82?

[Rick Hunter]

RE: D&G Bus
The 10th vehicle you refer to does Sir John Deans college in the morning. Goes onto 288 meal relief then afternoon 188, The afternoon college is done by the bus off the free bus. There are curerently no plans to move the 82 back to Wincham. From April there will be 2 less vehicles at Wincham. 4x88/89 3x130 and the free bus.

(12/03/2021 11:12)knutstransport Wrote:  Seems currently the weekday Wincham routes could be operated by 9 vehicles but they use a 10th vehicle which does some late morning/early afternoon 288 journeys, before doing the afternoon 188. The April changes look like they will require 7 vehicles for the 88, 89, 188, 130, T2/T3. I wonder if that means they'll be enough drivers freed up for Wincham to take back the 82?

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(12/03/2021 22:16)Rick Hunter Wrote:  The 10th vehicle you refer to does Sir John Deans college in the morning. Goes onto 288 meal relief then afternoon 188, The afternoon college is done by the bus off the free bus. There are curerently no plans to move the 82 back to Wincham. From April there will be 2 less vehicles at Wincham. 4x88/89 3x130 and the free bus.

I didn't realise they had a John Deanes contract. Which one do they run? Most of the SJD contracts require either full length coaches or deckers to be used but it sounds like whichever one D&G have a small Enviro gets used on the morning service. According to the John Deanes website Stagecoach are operating a duplicate 82 service to enable social distancing on the regular 82 but they don't say who operates the regular contracts.

I remember it being mentioned they had a Winsford to Tarvin contract but perhaps they either don't have that anymore or Crewe are operating it alongside the 82.

[iMarkeh]

RE: D&G Bus

(13/03/2021 10:42)knutstransport Wrote:  I didn't realise they had a John Deanes contract. Which one do they run? Most of the SJD contracts require either full length coaches or deckers to be used but it sounds like whichever one D&G have a small Enviro gets used on the morning service. According to the John Deanes website Stagecoach are operating a duplicate 82 service to enable social distancing on the regular 82 but they don't say who operates the regular contracts.

I remember it being mentioned they had a Winsford to Tarvin contract but perhaps they either don't have that anymore or Crewe are operating it alongside the 82.

Stagecoach run an S82 from Chester Bus Station through to the college. D&G run the normal 82 journey but then additionally run a bus from Tarvin to the college.
Essentially this gives 3 buses. 2 college, 1 normal service.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(13/03/2021 15:15)iMarkeh Wrote:  Stagecoach run an S82 from Chester Bus Station through to the college. D&G run the normal 82 journey but then additionally run a bus from Tarvin to the college.
Essentially this gives 3 buses. 2 college, 1 normal service.

So are you saying even though D&G leave gaps in the 82 service which could mean the 82 & 82C could be operated with a PVR of 3, they actually use a total of 6 vehicles on the 82 & 82C on weekdays?

The 3 vehicles (usually Versas) that usually start on the 82, a 4th (usually a small Enviro) for the morning 82C, a 5th (usually a big Enviro) for the afternoon 82C and a 6th (usually a Solo) which comes off the 316/318 and takes the place of one of the Versas?

[iMarkeh]

RE: D&G Bus

(13/03/2021 15:45)knutstransport Wrote:  So are you saying even though D&G leave gaps in the 82 service which could mean the 82 & 82C could be operated with a PVR of 3, they actually use a total of 6 vehicles on the 82 & 82C on weekdays?

The 3 vehicles (usually Versas) that usually start on the 82, a 4th (usually a small Enviro) for the morning 82C, a 5th (usually a big Enviro) for the afternoon 82C and a 6th (usually a Solo) which comes off the 316/318 and takes the place of one of the Versas?

Stagecoach has 1 vehicle on the 82 and that runs back to the depot between each trip.
Using the current timetable and tracking data, it seems like the 82C will simply be linked on to existing duties and a slight change to the duties. (So the 07:10 from Chester works the 08:20 from Northwich. The 82C bus then runs onto the 08:50 to Rudheath. In the evening, I would assume that the Sandiway short bus then becomes the 82C to Chester before running dead back to Crewe).

I'm sure Rick can shed some more light on the situation.
I do wonder though why the 82 isn't moving back to Wincham. Running it from Crewe will hardly do the viability of the service any good. Massively increasing costs. That said, I do think they could look at earlier and later Rudheath trips to try and get 1 up on Arriva with better operating hours. The diversion isn't much for a Rudheath (Gadbrook Road) starter, Bit longer for a Rudheath (Belmont Road) terminator though but could work with CWACC to see if they could steal funding from the Arriva evening tender for that 19:00 trip.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus
By my reckoning from 11th April the following empty movements will be needed for the 82/88/89/130 services

82:
Crewe to Northwich x 2
Crewe to Chester x 1

88/89
Wincham to Wilmslow x 1
Wincham to Macclesfield x 1
Wincham to Altrincham x 1
Wincham to Northwich x 1

130
Wincham to Macclesfield x 1
Wincham to Handforth x 1
Wincham to Wythenshawe x 1

Then at the end of the day the empty movements back to the depot

82:
Northwich to Crewe x 2
Sandiway to Crewe x 1

88/89
Macclesfield to Wincham x 1
Wilmslow to Wincham x 1
Knutsford to Wincham x 2

130:
Macclesfield to Wincham x 1
Handforth to Wincham x 1
Wythenshawe to Wincham x 1

I would have thought the cheapest and easiest option if Wincham can't do all 4 routes would be Wincham does 82, with 3 vehicles going from Crewe to Macclesfield/Wilmslow for 88 & 130 in the morning and the reverse in the evening, which would also allow vehicle swaps between Wincham and Crewe without needing to arrange separate movements.

Apparently there are issues with Enviros on both the 82 and 130, so an all Optare fleet at Wincham for 82, 88, 89 and 130 would seem to make sense. I'm not sure there would be any issues with Versas on the 130 but we know they'll be fine on the 88 given that D&G have used them on the 88 on occasions and Versas were the regular buses on the 88 under GHA for the first 5 years they had the route.