Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

[stait.john@hotmail.co.uk]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
Don't forget a lot of other issues come up when deciding where work goes, depots need to be as fairly balanced work wise as possible, for example Sharston has a high proportion of Magic work which runs frequently evenings/Sundays so they would try and make the number of late duties and Sunday duties fair depending on the size of the depot. Stockport has a lot of late/Sunday duties on the 192s.

John

[Metroline1511]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(30/06/2014 16:47)Dentonian Wrote:  Not seen any photos or links thereto. All I've heard is Manchester's are due "Sept/Oct".

Nice timing, as I could ride one around Christmas on the same day as I ride Metrolink to/from the Airport for the first time!

(29/06/2014 20:21)John I Wrote:  38-branded 19499 seen yesterday afternoon on Princess Street on route no. 197!

I rode Trident 17175 on route 197 this morning! I didn't think these ex-London Tridents (apart from limited MagicBus repaints) ran central Manchester routes, just radial routes like the 22, 23, 168 and 169.

(05/07/2014 06:40)M60lad Wrote:  Just because a route goes near one of Stagecoach Manchester's Depots doesn't mean that that particular depot would be operating the route just look what happened when Stagecoach Manchester used to operate the tender for 247s it was operated from Stockport Depot when Sharston Depot would have been easier to operate the service

Another example is route 197, run mainly from Hyde Road instead of Stockport garage.

[M60lad]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
Mayneway its actually the other way round now, its Middleton Depot operating Saturday 343s with a variety of single deck vehicles

[joe_alker]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(05/07/2014 21:51)Metroline1511 Wrote:  I rode Trident 17175 on route 197 this morning! I didn't think these ex-London Tridents (apart from limited MagicBus repaints) ran central Manchester routes, just radial routes like the 22, 23, 168 and 169.

Don't forget, the 168/9 and 197 are both run from Hyde Rd. So just as a E400H can appear on the 168/9, a Trident can appear on the 197.

[cumbria0902150]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(06/07/2014 09:20)Dentonian Wrote:  Can - but shouldn't! The purchase of Hybrids is backed by public funds based on investing in particular routes, so there shouldn't be Hybrids on other routes if supposedly insufficient are available for (eg) 197. Hyde Road's "quality control" used to be second to none, but standards do seem to have slipped in the last year or so.

Easier said than done, believe me! It's more important to make sure the board is covered by a bus than to make sure the correct bus types/branded buses are on the correct routes. If there wasn't enough hybrids for first allocation but one became available later on, it could have been parked in the depot waiting for a swapover then a breakdown call could come in from another route, so the hybrid gets sent to cover the breakdown instead. Alternatively they could have had a spare hybrid for allox, used it on another route, then a breakdown call on 197 meant a Trident had to go out in it's place.

[SF07]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
Trident was operating on the 76 yesterday

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(06/07/2014 06:11)M60lad Wrote:  Mayneway its actually the other way round now, its Middleton Depot operating Saturday 343s with a variety of single deck vehicles

That's what I meant M60lad.
The 343 actually runs closer to AZ than MN so on the assumption made by another poster that services are run by the closet depot then it would actually be run by AZ.

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(06/07/2014 09:20)Dentonian Wrote:  Can - but shouldn't! The purchase of Hybrids is backed by public funds based on investing in particular routes, so there shouldn't be Hybrids on other routes if supposedly insufficient are available for (eg) 197. Hyde Road's "quality control" used to be second to none, but standards do seem to have slipped in the last year or so.

As for ALX400s in general, I think the 168/9 is still the best place to see at least some of Hyde Road's. I've yet to see either of the pair on loan from Bedford, though - and I have no idea what has happened to those ostensibly at Ashton (17200/2/40/1/2).

The 168/169 is a strange one. You can have a day where every bus is a Trident and then days where it's all Enviro400's. Saturdays always seem to be a mixed bag with Tridents/Enviro400's and MANs working it so you never know what's going to turn up. Hopefully things should settle down timings wise tomorrow as Oldham road apparently reopens at 10am a month ahead of schedule.

As for AZ, the 5 Tridents (plus AZ's own) are still their but are only being used on the former JPT school services in Oldham. They do appear during the day on taxi duties but I haven't seen them in use recently on anything else.

[acocker96]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(06/07/2014 10:57)Mayneway Wrote:  The 168/169 is a strange one. You can have a day where every bus is a Trident and then days where it's all Enviro400's. Saturdays always seem to be a mixed bag with Tridents/Enviro400's and MANs working it so you never know what's going to turn up. Hopefully things should settle down timings wise tomorrow as Oldham road apparently reopens at 10am a month ahead of schedule.

As for AZ, the 5 Tridents (plus AZ's own) are still their but are only being used on the former JPT school services in Oldham. They do appear during the day on taxi duties but I haven't seen them in use recently on anything else.

I see them doing crew change on the 183 quote frequently, they should be on the 183 rather than a MAN or E200D as it does a school at 3 at Newman rc college on Broadway to Sholver (835)

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(06/07/2014 14:00)acocker96 Wrote:  I see them doing crew change on the 183 quote frequently, they should be on the 183 rather than a MAN or E200D as it does a school at 3 at Newman rc college on Broadway to Sholver (835)

I don't think these Tridents are staying at AZ. All the JPT contracts are apparently being retendered so come the end of the school term they will probably join thier sisters at Hyde Rd.