Stagecoach MCSL - Chester & Wirral Depots

[Raawwwrrr!]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(28/02/2018 19:59)St Helens Rider Wrote:  The answer to that is providing a central Birkenhead - Cheshire Oaks link which the X8 doesn't and shouldn't really provide and I'm unsure of what the solution would be.

The other answer is that the 1 provides a local cross-county stopping service, allowing people to get to the large centres of cong... employment, and local shopping and entertainment facilities. Unlike the 1 which caters to more of a tourist and day tripper crowd.

Personally I wouldn't divert the X8 away from Cheshire Oaks or Chester Zoo, I'd replace the Ellesmere Port Station stop with one at Birkenhead Bus Station (Either stand 11 or Opp Conway Park - avoiding bus Stn queues), leaving the X2 to cater for Cheshire Oaks (with no direct replacement to the Zoo).

If you are travelling from Liverpool and beyond to Cheshire Oaks or the Zoo, it is much more convenient to get the direct X8 service than the 1. Cheshire Oaks is very popular with students, particularly UoL international students. In recent years also, Merseytravel and Stagecoach/(First?) have also changed the terms and conditions of the 'Chester Zoo Ticket Offer' so passengers can no longer alight at Bache and catch the 1 Liverpool bound to the the Zoo, they now have to travel to Chester and back again on the X8 or Park&Ride service, which actually takes longer. (This has also reduced the amount of passengers boarding on Mill Lane).