Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

[Mayneway]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(28/12/2014 20:32)Shaun821 Wrote:  That is double time for a bank holiday. Gillmoss Sunday/Bank Holiday rate is roughly £17 an hour. As for the differnce in pay, something to do with agreements already in place between management and the unions and also management refusing to pay Chester amd Rock Ferry the rate Gillmoss are on.

The same at depots up and down the country. No wonder some depots seem to have constant staff shortages while other depots within the same group have waiting lists for in house transfers. It does nothing for morale.

As for the pay rates on Boxing Day - if what I've been told drivers were actually queing up to work Boxing Day in Manchester - and it's no wonder with rates like that

[Barney]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(29/12/2014 00:13)Mayneway Wrote:  The same at depots up and down the country. No wonder some depots seem to have constant staff shortages while other depots within the same group have waiting lists for in house transfers. It does nothing for morale.

As for the pay rates on Boxing Day - if what I've been told drivers were actually queing up to work Boxing Day in Manchester - and it's no wonder with rates like that

Thanks for that but when I set up this thread I was hoping that responses would be from a passenger's perspective. The issue of rates or differing rates of pay probably doesn't register with the travelling public but whether there is a bus service does.

Recently there was a newspaper article questioning why there is no bus service in London on Christmas Day and the journalist was keen to dismiss the argument by TfL that there is no demand from the public and an unwillingness by staff to work on that day.

[wirralbus]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
On Christmas day there really is only a limited market for public transport as there is really no possibility of connections to most other places .

The Wirral was devoid of connections to Liverpool for starters.

[Mayneway]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(29/12/2014 17:38)wirralbus Wrote:  On Christmas day there really is only a limited market for public transport as there is really no possibility of connections to most other places .

The Wirral was devoid of connections to Liverpool for starters.

I agree with no services on Christmas Day but given the relaxation of trading hours over the last few years were finding more and more retail outlets open for most or all of Boxing Day. We have debated this on another thread in the past but I'm keen to know how operators such as stagecoach can say that there is only demand on certain services on Boxing Day and New Year's Day when as Barney pointed out above the last time most areas saw a decent level of services on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day was before de-reg when if were honest you were lucky to find a corner shop open on Boxing Day let alone a major retail store!

[wirralbus]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
In Liverpool I would say that service radiating out from Liverpool may be worthwhile running , but those services that miss out Liverpool City Centre like the 60 61 , 68 and 81 could be the ones to miss out if enhancements do take place , as there will only be a finite amount of drivers to go round .

On the Wirral you already have the same thing anyway with all services radiating from Birkenhead the , these boxing day services are hit and miss for communities .

[E400]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
I live in Wirral but almost all of my family lives in Liverpool. Christmas Day buses for me were not particularly useful other than getting out of the house for a couple of hours to go for a walk in New Brighton - and that was only because it was free. However, if they had a service resembling Ace's 500, to intersect the 110X and 118X at Woodside, I would've been using that to get over to Liverpool where I'd then use at least 1 other service to see various family members.

Although Wirral and Liverpool are geographically separate, they do not exist in isolation. They are economically dependant on each other and almost everybody has social ties crossing the river. Although I see the value of Christmas Day buses, I think more would find use in them if they actually linked Wirral and Liverpool.

[wirralbus]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
On the Wirral one section is excluded on Christmas Day , West Wirral .

If happen to live West of Arrowe Park Hospital its no bus , if you live to the east there is a marginally better chance of being in the catchment area for one of the 110X or 118X

[E400]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(29/12/2014 20:24)wirralbus Wrote:  On the Wirral one section is excluded on Christmas Day , West Wirral .

If happen to live West of Arrowe Park Hospital its no bus , if you live to the east there is a marginally better chance of being in the catchment area for one of the 110X or 118X

East Wirral has a much higher population density and is much less affluent on average than West Wirral. I'm sure Merseytravel will have some sort of dataset for household income and car ownership which helps them to work out which routes are most necessary.

That said, I'm sure a Heswall-West Kirby-Arrowe Park circular would see some use. This would connect to East and South Wirral via the 118X at Arrowe Park.

All things considered though, we are lucky to have any public transport at all on Christmas Day, and I am grateful for what we've got. I personally feel that a cross-river link is something that should be provided and would be used.

[wirralbus]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning

(29/12/2014 22:41)Enviro400 Wrote:  East Wirral has a much higher population density and is much less affluent on average than West Wirral. I'm sure Merseytravel will have some sort of dataset for household income and car ownership which helps them to work out which routes are most necessary.

That said, I'm sure a Heswall-West Kirby-Arrowe Park circular would see some use. This would connect to East and South Wirral via the 118X at Arrowe Park.

All things considered though, we are lucky to have any public transport at all on Christmas Day, and I am grateful for what we've got. I personally feel that a cross-river link is something that should be provided and would be used.

What probably works against a Liverpool link is that the Birkenhead Tunnel is closed , with consequent journeys having to go through the Wallasey Tunnel .

[YN05 WKE]

RE: Christmas and New Year Services: The Reckoning
The one I don't get and others may be able to answer this

118X New Brighton to Mill Park on Christmas Day...why does it not run Boxing Day and New Years Day as the usual118/119?