Stagecoach MCSL - Chester & Wirral Depots

[CKC 312L]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Stagecoach as of yet have not gone nose to nose with Arriva. What Stagecoach got was a left over network of routes inherited from First Group.
The 38 extension was not in competition with Arriva as for the best part of the route Arriva don't run as service to Heswall granted they do run between West Kirby and Greasby (437) and Irby and Heswall (471) but I think for the most part any passengers gained would have been those looking to travel from Meols/West Kirby and Greasby to Heswall area which were always served by Crosville/First services (C22/C23)
As for the X22 that was just a modified version of the C22/C23 services which were always run from Chester depot in the latter days and for the most part were always quiet services especially outside of peak period and lets not forget that this service has had a succession of operators trying their hand at it ever since First withdrew from running the service
Also any new bus service within the Wirral would at some point cut across the established operators routes at some point but as going nose to nose with each other I think the big 2 will give that a miss
Oh and one final point the 471/472 is a quality partnership and has been for a while the competition on that route was between Arriva and First not Arriva and Stagecoach as was the 1/2 a quailty partnership route until Arriva pulled off the 2 It will be interesting to see what happens when we eventually get franchised routes in Merseyside and what sort of shake up the brings about for the Wirral