Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan
17499 working out of AZ today on 236's. It's down on my list as a dual door in Magic 141 livery so im assuming it's a recent conversion/repaint - it did look freshly painted and very clean compared to some of AZ's regular vehicles.
I'm pretty certain there's also an older Trident at AZ as I noticed one on the 347 on Friday lunchtime with dot matrix displays.

Interesting that there sending Enviro's off to become Magic buses as in return are getting former magic Tridents in return - give me the tridents anyday lol.

[Owl]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(07/03/2016 14:28)Mayneway Wrote:  17499 working out of AZ today on 236's. It's down on my list as a dual door in Magic 141 livery so im assuming it's a recent conversion/repaint - it did look freshly painted and very clean compared to some of AZ's regular vehicles.
I'm pretty certain there's also an older Trident at AZ as I noticed one on the 347 on Friday lunchtime with dot matrix displays.

Interesting that there sending Enviro's off to become Magic buses as in return are getting former magic Tridents in return - give me the tridents anyday lol.

I understand that 17452 is also at Ashton, converted and repainted into corporate livery.

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(07/03/2016 15:28)Owl Wrote:  I understand that 17452 is also at Ashton, converted and repainted into corporate livery.

That's interesting. Ashton seems to be getting a number of the younger Tridents. I wonder if they will get at further tridents once converted.

[mbonwick]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan
17452/484/499/500/504 have all been single doored and repainted into corporate swoops AFAIK.

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(07/03/2016 18:25)mbonwick Wrote:  17452/484/499/500/504 have all been single doored and repainted into corporate swoops AFAIK.

Is the plan to convert them all and paint them into corporate livery all will some remain in Magic livery - isn't the 141 only contracted till the end of this academic year or have I got that totally wrong lol.

[mbonwick]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan
No idea on that I'm afraid!

[Raawwwrrr!]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(07/03/2016 20:59)Dentonian Wrote:  The 141 is a mystery service, which on both its inception last Academic year and change this year, was a closely guarded secret, and then Students wonder why they were left stranded between East & West Didsbury last September! Anyway, that change meant that 17452/99/500 were released last Summer, initially to cover Rail Replacements on Merseyside. They then returned here to be repainted and converted alongside 17484/504. 17500 has yet to make an appearance in their new guise, whilst 17484 appeared briefly at Wigan late last year, broke down, was returned to HE and has not been seen on the road since! 17504 is at Middleton.

As regards these older Tridents going into the main fleet, whilst Enviro400s become Magics, this is to rid Oxford Road and other parts of the Quality Bus Corridor of Euro 3 and older buses. As such, it is highly likely 17484/500 will be needed at Ashton, especially with the MMC order being reduced to 25.

The 141 only operated as far as East Didsbury the previous academic year as MMU anticipated that students that attended the old East Didsbury Campus (Which was home to Health and Education faculties) might have found housing in the area of the old Didsbury Halls of Residents (which closed as of July 2014 following the opening of Birley Fields).

However a year later, this was found not to be the case, with most students living in Withington, Fallowfield, Rusholme or Queens Park. There was consultation between the MMU and Stagecoach (and also some students from the faculty with MMU) and the service was shortened to West Didsbury serving most of the areas the current students are living, reducing the cost to the University who subsidies the service.

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(07/03/2016 20:59)Dentonian Wrote:  The 141 is a mystery service, which on both its inception last Academic year and change this year, was a closely guarded secret, and then Students wonder why they were left stranded between East & West Didsbury last September! Anyway, that change meant that 17452/99/500 were released last Summer, initially to cover Rail Replacements on Merseyside. They then returned here to be repainted and converted alongside 17484/504. 17500 has yet to make an appearance in their new guise, whilst 17484 appeared briefly at Wigan late last year, broke down, was returned to HE and has not been seen on the road since! 17504 is at Middleton.

As regards these older Tridents going into the main fleet, whilst Enviro400s become Magics, this is to rid Oxford Road and other parts of the Quality Bus Corridor of Euro 3 and older buses. As such, it is highly likely 17484/500 will be needed at Ashton, especially with the MMC order being reduced to 25.

Interesting times then regarding the Tridents.
So with regards to the 141, is it a permanent service or is it contracted to run for a certain amount of time? Surly if they were going to convert the whole batch of dual door tridents they would have retained 1 maybe 2 in magic livery once converted so that others could be done.

From AZ's point of view although there older thier in better condition than some of the bone shaker 56/07 Enviro's and they will make light work of the hilly routes at AZ.

[Raawwwrrr!]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(08/03/2016 00:23)Mayneway Wrote:  So with regards to the 141, is it a permanent service or is it contracted to run for a certain amount of time?

Ran in 'collaboration' with MMU (following the closure of Didsbury) to provide a link to the 'new' campus which is totally inaccessible from the 'Student Corridor' without a ten minute walk.

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(08/03/2016 00:26)Raawwwrrr! Wrote:  Ran in 'collaboration' with MMU (following the closure of Didsbury) to provide a link to the 'new' campus which is totally inaccessible from the 'Student Corridor' without a ten minute walk.

So it's a permanent service subsidised by the university.
I seem to remember reading when the 141 first started that the plan was not to convert the Tridents to single door as they wouldn't be staying long term in Manchester as the subsidy the university was/is paying was possibly for a limited time but obviously plans change in regards to the buses and it's nice to see them being painted and retained.