Warrington's Own Buses

[motormayhem1]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(09/08/2015 18:11)Valandil Wrote:  Have to say that I have noticed this too.
A while back some notices appeared on some stands saying something like 'Layover must be taken in layover bays not departure bays.' This doesn't seem to have solved the problem, but from what I have seen the situation isn't as bad as it used to be (though your word counts for far more than mine as you'll have seen the situation there more than me).

I admit its not as bad as it use to be but does still happen on the odd occasions and ive noticed GHA does it badly lately but the difference is that goes from that stand it sits on which i know doesnt justify them sitting on it but at least its there service stand.

[Valandil]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(09/08/2015 18:18)motormayhem1 Wrote:  I admit its not as bad as it use to be but does still happen on the odd occasions and ive noticed GHA does it badly lately but the difference is that goes from that stand it sits on which i know doesnt justify them sitting on it but at least its there service stand.

The awkward thing with GHA is they run the 16(A) and 45 as 'through' services, so someone can get on at the Hospital and stay on until Northwich. There is a lot of layover between the 16A coming in and the 45 departing and passengers probably can't be held ransom on a layover bay inaccessible without a high viz jacket. (This situation doesn't exist in the other direction).
I know this also used to be the case on Arriva's 329 extension to Daresbury, though the drivers sometimes turfed everyone out at the Interchange, went off until the appointed time, then made sure the passengers got back on board before travelling onwards (what did you do in these situations?)

[motormayhem1]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(09/08/2015 18:26)Valandil Wrote:  The awkward thing with GHA is they run the 16(A) and 45 as 'through' services, so someone can get on at the Hospital and stay on until Northwich. There is a lot of layover between the 16A coming in and the 45 departing and passengers probably can't be held ransom on a layover bay inaccessible without a high viz jacket. (This situation doesn't exist in the other direction).
I know this also used to be the case on Arriva's 329 extension to Daresbury, though the drivers sometimes turfed everyone out at the Interchange, went off until the appointed time, then made sure the passengers got back on board before travelling onwards (what did you do in these situations?)

I use to just sit on the stand as i do t believe in throwing someone off on a through route even if i had a few mins more but if a bus was waiting to get on i would pull off and go round the block and back to the stand so i wouldn't be delaying other services.

[mtl97]

RE: WBT Network Warrington
Traveline north west website has the new times for 46 route but you have to put date in after September 1st, I don't think arriva would have any problems if they bought NW as they only have 5 routes that go out of town & they don't compete on local routes, I think GHA are the ones to watch as they seem to be expanding into many areas recently

[motormayhem1]

RE: WBT Network Warrington
I think GHA could expand into warrington more if they opened up a depot in warrington to operate out of so they didn't have to have loads of dead running between the depot and bus station.

[Katie]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(09/08/2015 18:14)Valandil Wrote:  I would really appreciate an insight into the new 16(A) timetable.
Is it just the Monday to Saturday daytime times which are changing, with frequency staying the same, and no changes to the evening and Sunday times?

No problem. 16A's from 1st September as follows: from Warrington Interchange 07.18, 07.45 and then every thirty minutes until 16.13 and then 16.38, 17.18 and last trip 17.48. From Dallam 07.33 and every thirty minutes until 09.03 thereafter 9.32 and every 30 minutes until 15.02 then 15.31, 16.00 hours 16.32 and then every 30 minutes until 18.03 (last one). All these are Monday to Friday, Saturday from Warrington interchange, 9.18, 9.48, 10.15, and then every 30 minutes until 14.43 then 15.18 and every 30 minutes until the last service at 17.38. From Dallam 10.03, 10.32 and then every thirty minutes until 15.33 and then 15 minutes again until the last one at 18.03. Of course there are no Sunday services on the 16A but the number 16 runs every hour from the interchange commencing 9.45 to 16.45 and from Dallam 9.58 to 16.58. I hope this is of some use to you.

[Valandil]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(09/08/2015 18:37)Dentonian Wrote:  What is the gap between the 16A arriving and the 45 departing? Indeed, what is the gap in the reverse direction, and are there any restrictions at the other two termini?

The gap between a bus arriving as a 45(A) and departing as a 16 is 3 minutes; the gap between a bus arriving as a 16A and departing as a 45(A) is 14 minutes.
I don't think there are any restrictions on the 16(A)'s outer terminus, though vehicles only stay there for a couple of minutes anyway.
Vehicles are only timetabled to stand for 5 minutes at the 45's outer terminus at Northwich; I'm not sure what restrictions are in place there.

[Katie]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(09/08/2015 17:47)Mayneway Wrote:  But surly it's there to serve all bus services that wish to use it and not just the services of Network Warrington.
If say Arriva (purely for example) came along and registered on all current network Warrington services are you saying it's perfectly ok for the council to refuse them permission to use the bus station in order to protect their own services??

The fact of the matter is the bus station is not big enough and never has been to enable it to cope with the volume of services now running from there. As for "layover" areas surely these should have been provided for in the bus station itself not in most of the surrounding streets?

[Katie]

RE: WBT Network Warrington

(09/08/2015 18:06)motormayhem1 Wrote:  Im not nit picking as i drive for arriva doing the 329/360 services and use to work out of runcorn doing the 110/X30 and 50% of the time NW buses have been parked on stands 6/7 as i could understand if there services went from them stands but no NW services operate from them stands but yet they leave buses parked on there for 10 mins at a time with no driver on them and yet makes us pick up from a different stand and then we get beeped at and get funny looks of NW drivers as we have brought it to the councils attention numerous times and nothing gets done about it.

Point taken.

[RSTurbo50]

RE: WBT Network Warrington
If anybody was to take over NW I for one would hope it would be Arriva. God help us (from a drivers point of view) if GHA were to buy us out. They have a reputation, within the depot, of not having the best standards and employing drivers that shouldn't be on the road doing the job. I dread to think what it would be like for them to get involved with us.

In terms of the bus station. I don't think its quite big enough. I don't tend to have problems getting on stand these days, it's better than what it was twelve months ago but we are told to always avoid bays 6,7 and 9 and not even to drop off on these bays which I always adhere too. Can't say Iv noticed our buses being left on these stands as the inspectors would have them moved pretty much straight away. If they are left on these bays it's just the driver being lazy and he shouldn't be doing it.

What thing that does annoy me with other companies mainly Halton and Arriva is the persistence of the drivers when reversing to reverse whilst turning into the other bays. It's ridiculous and has caused a number of accidents. I don't see why they can't just reverse back in a straight line, cross the second red marker then pull away, surely the drivers are told of this when doing the training?