Stagecoach MCSL - Chester & Wirral Depots

[iMarkeh]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(27/05/2018 09:18)wirralbus Wrote:  On point one . Do you ever see a standard bus with USB ports no , its an added extra to entice passengers , you might think CCTV is the be all and end all of protection if someone finds the blind spot on a vehicle the damage will not be recorded there is a limit to the amount of CCTV you can put on a vehicle before vehicle costs become prohibitive .

Even with cameras in their normal positions, you would catch it easilly at the front. At the back there is 1 possibly 2 cameras and you have to look between seat backs. At the front, you can see faces easier and there are a lot more cameras to pinpoint an individual who is vandalising the bus.

(27/05/2018 09:55)T42 PVM Wrote:  The way you write this its almost like you know exactly how much operators have taken on the route, However if we are going to look at the 204 (And 202) as a route then fine, Last operator was Avon Buses who was struggling with a Driver shortage so trips went missing before that you had Eazibus which was also struggling with a Driver shortage at the end. I remember before the troubles started Eazibus used to get a lot more passengers than Stagecoach currently do, I remember once being on their Trident and it was really busy. Stagecoach have a job on their hands now to show they can operate a reliable service to get the Passengers back.

Also no one is going to switch from the 79 to the 204, for a start they dont stop at the same stand in L1 however heading into Liverpool you might pick up some people whos bought the Solo Ticket, Stagecoach are not going to fit USB Sockets for the 204 anyway as its most likely their lowest paying Commercial Service, I think at best it will get some Enviro200s from Rock Ferry to put the Darts back into Reserve.

Well Terrance, interestingly enough, I know people who are on/have been on the 204 in recent times and so yes, I do know how much some drivers take. For obvious reasons, I do not post figures nor names online. Eazibus and Avon have slightly reduced passenger numbers but even Avon had healthy loads. Stagecoach are very happy with the progress it is making. Even Dingle into Liverpool takes a few people (A route extention which was done only for driver changes. Drivers can have breaks at L1 or if they need to return to the depot, there is the regular shuttle bus. Vans would be needed for the 204 without this extension so it made sense to save costs (it sounds odd but works in practise). The funded Broadgreen - Belle Vale seems to do alright. Quite a few people use it along Childwall Valley Road as well. If it wasn't funded though, I don't think it would be done and would run as a circular again around Alder Hey/Broad Green.

On your point about the 79, it is possible one or two people will swap. 79s are regularly late and have quite a few more holdups compared to the 204. The L1 departure stand is irrelevant. You would catch people going into Liverpool which would then guarantee the fare and almost certainly the return customer. Once onboard, the drivers can give out a timetable. Departure stands aren't the be all, end all of bus services. I know, I have helped other companies with this sort of thing in the past. The 204 is probably the lowest paying AT THE MOMENT. You are forgetting it has just started and needs to build up it's customer base. The best way to build up a customer base is providing the highest spec vehicles possible. Throw anything out on it later on but then it can and will slightly discourage usage but ones the main customer base is built, you are pretty much level with how much you will take.