Warrington's Own Buses

[iMarkeh]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(30/08/2021 23:43)Valandil Wrote:  There are a few things which don't seem to make sense with the new timetables, linked here:
https://www.warringtonsownbuses.co.uk/se...ember-2021

Particularly the 11/12 seem to be missing Monday-Friday - or does a 1 really arrive at Westy at 07 past the hour and sit there until 19 past the hour to do a 2 back to town? On the timetable, it says 11/12 go via Farrell Street, but the "Saturday only" service shown doesn't seem to at least. These routes have been changed so much that it's hard to know what's going on on different days of the week.
With the 20/21 as well, the timetables say that vehicles stick on the routes, going round and round all day, so you don't have to switch vehicle at the Interchange if you want to go to anywhere on the route. Surely that is massively inefficient, as vehicles and drivers would often either get no time between trips at all meaning inevitable problems or be sat around for ages, particularly on Saturdays, and especially on Sundays.

20/21 might claim to travel 'through' the interchange but that isn't the reality on Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays, you do a 20 then a 21 then back to a 20. On Sundays, the buses mass interwork with basically everything. Saturday and Sunday timetables both current and the future ones say the same thing and it's the same timetables. I can't see them changing the operations as it would defeat the object of the branded buses.

[Valandil]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(31/08/2021 01:59)iMarkeh Wrote:  20/21 might claim to travel 'through' the interchange but that isn't the reality on Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays, you do a 20 then a 21 then back to a 20. On Sundays, the buses mass interwork with basically everything. Saturday and Sunday timetables both current and the future ones say the same thing and it's the same timetables. I can't see them changing the operations as it would defeat the object of the branded buses.

Yeah, it would be ridiculous to do what it says on the timetable.
Even Monday to Friday during the interpeak period, either they have just 3 minutes off between journeys (not much at all especially if there is heavy traffic on Winwick Road) or 15 minutes, if they stick on the same route for the whole day.

Then in the peaks, there is either no time at all between journeys or just 1 minute or else 15/16 minutes - again, why not just drop the whole 'continual loop' idea and just interwork?
It seems like strange priorities when the company is really struggling.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(01/09/2021 08:34)Valandil Wrote:  Yeah, it would be ridiculous to do what it says on the timetable.
Even Monday to Friday during the interpeak period, either they have just 3 minutes off between journeys (not much at all especially if there is heavy traffic on Winwick Road) or 15 minutes, if they stick on the same route for the whole day.

Then in the peaks, there is either no time at all between journeys or just 1 minute or else 15/16 minutes - again, why not just drop the whole 'continual loop' idea and just interwork?
It seems like strange priorities when the company is really struggling.

If you're being sarcastic, look on bustimes and WOBs site. Right now, it says the buses are doing a continual loop. https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west...828924.pdf

Go on bustimes and check the tracking. Saturdays it's a 20 then 21 then 20. Sundays it's a mixed bag interworking with everything.

It's only Monday - Friday pre 19:00 that the continual loop happens.


I think that it is a good selling point when it happens but they should maybe instead make it a timetable note or put specific times on the continual loop thing as it is misleading to passengers.

[Valandil]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(01/09/2021 21:00)iMarkeh Wrote:  If you're being sarcastic, look on bustimes and WOBs site. Right now, it says the buses are doing a continual loop. https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west...828924.pdf

Go on bustimes and check the tracking. Saturdays it's a 20 then 21 then 20. Sundays it's a mixed bag interworking with everything.

It's only Monday - Friday pre 19:00 that the continual loop happens.


I think that it is a good selling point when it happens but they should maybe instead make it a timetable note or put specific times on the continual loop thing as it is misleading to passengers.

No, I wasn't being sarcastic.
I have no doubt that "right now" they are doing a continual loop, but that isn't all the time - so if it's only Monday to Friday pre 19:00 that the continual loop happens, then to my mind that's what should be written on the timetable.
However, I also thought they didn't do the continual loop in the morning peak either - at least not on every journey.
Anyway, those notes seem to have been removed from the timetable coming in on September 6th, so perhaps that is all now academic.

The 11 and 12 have also been added to the new Monday to Friday timetables: vehicles will sometimes do a 1 to Westy then 11 back to Warrington, and sometimes do a 12 to Westy then 2 back to Warrington.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(01/09/2021 23:35)Valandil Wrote:  No, I wasn't being sarcastic.
I have no doubt that "right now" they are doing a continual loop, but that isn't all the time - so if it's only Monday to Friday pre 19:00 that the continual loop happens, then to my mind that's what should be written on the timetable.
However, I also thought they didn't do the continual loop in the morning peak either - at least not on every journey.
Anyway, those notes seem to have been removed from the timetable coming in on September 6th, so perhaps that is all now academic.

The 11 and 12 have also been added to the new Monday to Friday timetables: vehicles will sometimes do a 1 to Westy then 11 back to Warrington, and sometimes do a 12 to Westy then 2 back to Warrington.

I'm glad the notes have been removed as they were misleading. We have a WOB manager reading this forum with us picking up their faults haha.

[Valandil]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(02/09/2021 05:42)iMarkeh Wrote:  I'm glad the notes have been removed as they were misleading. We have a WOB manager reading this forum with us picking up their faults haha.

If so, then welcome and feel free to share inside info!

[Valandil]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses
Based on what's happened so far, the 16(A)/20/21 seem to be interworking during the interpeak period now.
A full circuit of 21 -> 20 -> 16/16A takes 2 hours including stand time etc.
That pattern would work on any frequency, but on a 12-minute frequency it seems surprising because you'd think the 16's would work on their own.
Time for new branding for 16(A)/20/21?

Apart from that, there still seem to be a few errors / omissions / weird things in the PDF 1/2/11/12 timetable.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(07/09/2021 10:31)Valandil Wrote:  Based on what's happened so far, the 16(A)/20/21 seem to be interworking during the interpeak period now.
A full circuit of 21 -> 20 -> 16/16A takes 2 hours including stand time etc.
That pattern would work on any frequency, but on a 12-minute frequency it seems surprising because you'd think the 16's would work on their own.
Time for new branding for 16(A)/20/21?

Apart from that, there still seem to be a few errors / omissions / weird things in the PDF 1/2/11/12 timetable.

I don't think the 16s have ever worked alone have they?

WOB could be so much more reliable if they did keep services more standalone or interworking route groups and not the huge cross networking thing but I guess it's how they run.

[Valandil]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(07/09/2021 17:24)iMarkeh Wrote:  I don't think the 16s have ever worked alone have they?

WOB could be so much more reliable if they did keep services more standalone or interworking route groups and not the huge cross networking thing but I guess it's how they run.

Just before the recent timetable change is probably the closest the 16's have come to working independently in many years - there were often strings of 16 then 16A, then off onto 11, but then back to 16's.

The Tour of Britain currently means many services cancelled, terminating short or delayed.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Warrington's Own Buses

(09/09/2021 14:37)Valandil Wrote:  Just before the recent timetable change is probably the closest the 16's have come to working independently in many years - there were often strings of 16 then 16A, then off onto 11, but then back to 16's.

The Tour of Britain currently means many services cancelled, terminating short or delayed.

It'd be great if Warrington Council actually thought things through for the Tour of Britian thing. Not very good to cut the majority of the towns bus network for an event and for the few buses which are running, people have to walk quite far. Sure another, less disruptive plan could have been created somehow. Closing the main town centre as that happens a bit more often but at least buses can then get around it on the ring roads on Midland Way or Mersey Street.

Guess it's happened now. Not a lot operators could do to fight back. I hope that operators did put up some opposition to all the closures. Probably a lot of lost revenue as I can't see many people walking such a distance to the buses.