GM Buses Liverpool

[Brickmill]

RE: GM Buses Liverpool

(19/02/2019 01:42)gilesbus1 Wrote:  GMS's operating territory wasn't all that great, lets not forget every major route had MTL competition on it, also there was numerous other competition on Oxford Road and on the 192 service. GMS buses even made a loss after Stagecoach took over, and I know that because while at university I examined a set of financial figures for the year 1997 which showed a loss them at that time, was told it was down to ongoing necessary fleet renewal and restructuring at that time. If profits were that great why did they not invest in replacing its ageing fleet until after MTL had retreated? 1996 if my memory serves me right?

Incidentally competition ended at the end of May 1995, e.g. around the week before final bank holiday. Which was from Monday 22nd May 1995.

The last through 34 service Manchester to Liverpool and 320 Wigan to Liverpool and vice versa operated on Saturday 20/05/1995. Initially GMN timetables gave times of MTL connecting journeys on a black strip at the top of the timetable but said connections between the two couldn't be guaranteed. At that stage both GMN and GMS were printing its own timetables to the GMN size for commercial journeys on commercial routes. GMPTE was printing the rest.

If east Manchester, Wythenshawe (pre Metrolink), Stockport, Tameside (especially the southern half of the borough) etc wasn't great, then where in GM was? I had forgotten about the coincident 192 competition, but I suspect the lack of investment was more to do with paying off the ESOP purchase and choosing the right vehicles to standardise on. Also, MTL may have provided competition, doesn't mean to say they carried many pax. I recall 19yo Atlantean s parked up for 20 minutes plus belching out the equivalent of dozens of Euro6 fumes, but I don't recall any MTL 204s actually carrying anyone.