First Manchester

[YSV-205]

RE: First Manchester
Does anyone know what vehicles First are using on the 157?

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(13/03/2014 15:54)YSV-205 Wrote:  You could have hit the nail on the head there Polo Mint. The low frequency could be to blame. Perhaps they need time to be more recognizable in South Manchester. The way to do that is to flood Wilmslow Rd & beyond with First buses.

As a side note to this, do bus companies have to prove that extra buses are needed on certain routes to be allowed to put extra buses on a given route? Or is it up to the company to decide what they want to do?

Its up to the bus companies to decide on frequency's and how many buses run on which routes but after the UK North/Stagecoach bus war in 2005 Manchester City Council have strict road traffic regulations which effect how many buses can use certain bus stops within the city centre, TFGM also control which services use which stops in Piccadilly gardens and Shudehill so permission would need to be sort before increasing the frequency.

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(12/03/2014 18:44)Polo Mint Wrote:  According to a different forum First has lost tendered service 99 (acquired from Finglands), and will reduce route 41 (Piccadilly to Sale) from every 10 mins to every 20 mins. Apparently route 42 will be extended from Piccadilly to NMGH.

I can't vouch for the accuracy of these claims, but considering Finglands was loss making then changes were to be expected.

The accuracy isn't that good. Apparently First [Finglands] haven't lost the 99 as its not for renewal until September.

[WhiteVanMan]

RE: First Manchester

(12/03/2014 18:44)Polo Mint Wrote:  According to a different forum First has lost tendered service 99 (acquired from Finglands), and will reduce route 41 (Piccadilly to Sale) from every 10 mins to every 20 mins. Apparently route 42 will be extended from Piccadilly to NMGH.

The only notification, I can find is:-

PC0003680/880 - FIRST MANCHESTER LTD T/A FIRST, WALLSHAW STREET, OLDHAM, OL1 3TR
Variation Accepted: Operating between ALTRINCHAM INTERCHANGE and SALE, NORTHENDEN, RUSHOLME given service number 41 effective from 27-Apr-2014. To amend Timetable.

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
42 will extend to North Manchester General Hospital. Details mentioned in TfGM Committee meeting documents. There will be an increased service of every 10 mins, while evening, Sunday and nightbus journeys will be introduced.

Another extended route could see the 408 extended from Stalybridge to Droylsden via Dukinfield

The changes mentioned:

*12 (Leigh-Mcr) - Some weekday morning journeys will start from Roe Green. Leigh-Walkden section replaced by new morning peak journeys on service 39.
*16 - Evening and Sunday service to be reviewed in conjunction with Arriva's withdrawal of Monday-Saturday daytime service
*36/37 - Sunday daytime services increased to every 20 mins each. Some weekday morning journeys on service 36 replaced by service 39.
*39 (Leigh-Mcr) - New weekday morning journeys from Leigh to Manchester, running at 0625, 0640 and 0655. These journeys provide a faster journey into Manchester
*42 - Monday-Saturday daytime increased to every 10 mins and extended to North Manchester General Hospital via Cheetham Hill. Evening and Sunday service introduced, running every 30 mins. Extra journeys between East Didsbury and Manchester including late night bus until 0330 Mon-Sat nights.
*68 - Service re-routed to serve Roe Green
*406 - Sunday service to be proposed to be curtailed between Oldham and Mills Hill. Re-timed and will interwork at Oldham with service 64.
*408 - Service proposed to be extended from Stalybridge to Droylsden via Dukinfield and Audenshaw, replacing services 217 and 218.
*451/452 - Monday-Saturday daytime services proposed to be withdrawn from 26 July 2014. No changes to evening/Sunday service.
*462 - Proposed to be re-routed via Kiln Lane, partly replacing services 451/452 from 26 July 2014.
*X34 - 0625 weekday journey from Leigh is re-routed via Boothstown. New weekdays journeys at 0646 from Pendleton to Leigh and 0842 from Manchester to Leigh. New Saturday journeys at 0758 and 0858 from Pendleton to Leigh and 1745 from Leigh to Manchester.

http://www.transportforgreatermanchester...us_network

[John I]

RE: First Manchester

(13/03/2014 10:20)YSV-205 Wrote:  I hope that First don't end up moving many of Rusholme's fleet to other depots because of these losses & reductions on the 99 & 41.
63116 operating a 42 left Parswood, Manchester bound, this morning at 0800 & there wasn't a soul on it. Granted it had only left Parswood 5 minutes earlier, but to have no one on it was bad.

The one major item that is missing on most if not all of First's buses operating on Wilmslow Road is a lack of information apart from route numbers and destination. I have been on both Streetlites and Deckers and no advertising about tickets (daily, weekly or monthly) either inside or outside of the buses! Passengers know what to expect with Stagecoach (and previously Finglands) with all the advertising clearly shown.

[Polo Mint]

RE: First Manchester
Yep the tender loss was a red herring, but comments about the 42 seem correct.

This will provide the better frequency and hopefully better patronage that I was raving on about and another exciting cross-city link. I genuinely hope that First make the route pay. The extension is rather interesting as I would have thought that it may negatively effect services 88 and 89, but they are well used bus routes. It may also be an indirect strike at JPT 118 for Manchester to NMGH passengers.

I simply don't understand what's going on with route 12.

[Metroline1511]

RE: First Manchester
Although routes 41 and 42 are mostly Streetlite, I saw Volvo B7TL 30956 and 30958 on route 41 yesterday.

As route 42 from East Didsbury to Nth Manchester Hospital will be a different route from the traditional Stagecoach route 42 from Stockport to Piccadilly, should First eventually give their route a new number?

[Polo Mint]

RE: First Manchester
Doesn't look like it, but maybe it should be re-numbered to route 40 as to complement route 41.

Rossendale Bus started route 469 in competition against First and it operates a different route. First operates every 10 mins Tottington to Jericho with 2 buses extending to Rochdale. Whilst Rossendale operate every 30 mins Rochdale to Bury - the route doesn't extend to Tottington and goes via the grounds of Fairfield Hospital, whilst First 469 goes right past the hospital.

Speaking of this route the First operated journeys seem a lot quieter.

[james]

RE: First Manchester

(15/03/2014 23:05)Metroline1511 Wrote:  Although routes 41 and 42 are mostly Streetlite, I saw Volvo B7TL 30956 and 30958 on route 41 yesterday.

As route 42 from East Didsbury to Nth Manchester Hospital will be a different route from the traditional Stagecoach route 42 from Stockport to Piccadilly, should First eventually give their route a new number?

i would think this decision would be for it to stay the same as the greater part and patronage of the route town - dids has been numbered 42 since corporation days so more people will see a 42 and know where its going if you introduce a new number they wont know the bus unless they are clued up like us on here eg more people know the 42 goes down wilmslow road than a say 157 or a 197 if you get what i mean hopefully a lot of students who study/live in the uni area will be maybe be on placements at nmgh and other parts on the new route i athink this is what first is aiming for like stagecoach did with the 50 to media city