Merseyside Bus Review 2022

[iMarkeh]

RE: Merseyside Bus Review 2022

(30/06/2022 09:57)T42 PVM Wrote:  It is indeed

Probably better with a firm such as Hattons then. Arriva never seem to do very well on pass heavy routes. I think their costs are just too high for it. To cover Arriva driver wages needs a heck of a lot more passes than Hattons say and that's before you go into depot costs.

(30/06/2022 12:38)CX06 EBK Wrote:  The thing is iMarkeh I have seen your gripes here and elsewhere about housing estates not being served by buses and the same sort of thing would apply here with the 135/235 not existing. Fernhill Road in its entirety has no direct link to Bootle other than the 135/235 unless you live right by the junctions of Aintree Road & Linacre Lane otherwise it is a considerable walk to these places as Fernhill is a very long road. Southport road which runs parallel with Fernhill only has one bus service, the 56 - which doesn't serve Bootle town centre either, the 235 of a daytime is mainly passengers travelling into Bootle and then back home and secondarily travelling to Park Lane Medical Centre which is again unserved if these routes do not exist. Finally, the 235 is the direct daytime run of the 135 so the only road (other than the extension to Aintree) that is not served by the 235 is Menai Road - in this instance that makes no sense as the 2 roads the 235 does serve of a daytime are fully covered by the 52A so I don't see why it is that way other than Merseytravels backward logic.

I ask for you to find me a quote where I asked for the 235 to be withdrawn. I said the 135 to be withdrawn yes but not the 235. I agreed with it being extended to cover Aintree Hospital. Hardly the sort of response I'd give if I thought it should be withdrawn.

The point that I have made consistently though is the 135 specifically is a stupid route as firstly, it isn't very good value for money when it carried 4 people per journey pre covid (no recent figures but based off the national trend, this is likely to be lower now) but if someone insists a bus must run, it should follow the services which are ran in the daytime (whether that be as per the current 235 or with the extended 235 as you suggested to Aintree Hospital). That's all. No issue with the 235.

(30/06/2022 12:38)CX06 EBK Wrote:  As for Switch Island on the 159 I think the link should be there of a daytime as it does see some use from workers from the retail park of an evening so this could be expanded upon by having it there all day. As a side note the evening 159 operates via Northern Perimeter Road & Copy Lane (like the 55) but the daytime service operates the entirety of the Northern Perimeter Road, again a slight difference but hardly joined up thinking is it? As for the layover the drivers will have to take their layover away from Cavendish anyway as you are expected to have your engine off at all times up there and their a serial complainer but thats no use in the winter. We will see, the times themselves need revising as 20 minutes from Cavendish to Bootle is far too long.

Certainly not joined up thinking. To think the people who manage these tenders and could make these changes within weeks but CHOOSE not to, are the same people who would decide routes for franchising. God help us all.