GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

[Salopbus]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

(20/07/2016 20:01)knutstransport Wrote:  Credit to that driver. It seems a bit strange the last service was a Cheshire Connect Solo on the T3 route! On the 88 route last Wednesday evening passengers waiting for Wilmslow/Altrincham bound services to get home from work were left wondering what was going on when they saw all the buses on the route heading in service towards Knutsford but not one of them returned to operate a service in the reverse direction.

I just realised it was in another thread I posted about the 88 Enviro 200s. A local councillor has said those buses were purchased using funds provided by Waters Corporation, as their public transport commitment in their planning application. The intention was they would be used on a half-hourly 88 service until 2019, so some questions are being asked about whether any claim can be made to get those buses back on the 88 route. I recall Stephen Byrce saying he had to get approval on the GHA Gold livery at a Cheshire transport committee meeting, which would have been a strange thing to say if GHA had purchased the buses using their own money.

With regards to your list of routes, it partly depends how specific you want to be. The GHA 27 service was commercial, which is actually why the weekday service was at reduced frequency at the busiest time - because GHA wanted to use the second bus + driver for a school contract. At present High Peak are providing a reduced 27 service on weekdays (they've renumbered 27A journeys as 27 and aren't running any services via the 27B route.) Cheshire East have said today they are 'looking at' a 27 Saturday service. Strangely, High Peak had the 27 service originally (as a contract which was originally awarded to Bowers Coaches), then when the contract came to an end they tried to run it commercially but weren't successful, Cheshire East put it out to tender but GHA decided to register the service commercially. So it seems strange that High Peak are having a second go at running it commercially.

I can categorically confirm that no funding was provided towards the Enviro 200's on the 88 service. They were fully funded by GHA. The livery was designed in collaboration with Cheshire East Council