Greater Manchester Service Changes

[iMarkeh]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes

(17/07/2021 10:24)knutstransport Wrote:  I'm not sure how much Hulleys will know about Cheshire East contracting but the 130 extension to Wythenshawe is being operated on a trial basis and funding for that extension could be withdrawn if the trial doesn't yield acceptable results. It might be they know what date the trial ends or it might be they know little about it.

It doesn't matter how frequent the commercial service is, as least not when it's a Cheshire East Council subsided route. A few years ago they cancelled an invitation to tender for an hourly Knutsford to Macclesfield service with a PVR of 2 because High Peak registered a commercial service with a PVR of 1, even though the High Peak journeys didn't cover every variation of the route that the invitation to tender covered e.g. both Beggarmans Lane and Ollerton. D&G got awarded the 130 Sunday service at one point, which GHA had held up until that point but that award was annulled when GHA decided not to cancel their 130 registration but instead submitted an application to reduce the frequency.

I agree that whatever route Hulleys have picked it won't provide a replacement for all journeys that are possible on the 130 route. However, it'll be down to Cheshire East to decide whether or not an alternative is needed. For example, Alderley Edge to Wilmslow is possible by train and Macclesfield Hospital could be served by an enhanced 88 service or by another service being extended to the hospital. Once the COVID vaccinations at Alderley Park end they'll probably be no need for off-peak services to Alderley Park either.

It fully depends on the stopping pattern and frequency. They won't cut an hourly local bus for a 3 hourly express bus. Even CEC aren't that stupid. Will be a complete wait and see.

(17/07/2021 21:02)mikestone Wrote:  Does the first X57 come dead from Baslow and vv in the evening, or do they have arrangements with a local operator?

Dead to/from the depot.

[knutstransport]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes

(17/07/2021 22:18)iMarkeh Wrote:  It fully depends on the stopping pattern and frequency. They won't cut an hourly local bus for a 3 hourly express bus. Even CEC aren't that stupid. Will be a complete wait and see.

The requirement for subsiding a service is that are employment, medical, shopping or other essential journeys which are not met by other services. CEC's view that as they don't need to subside a bus if there's a train instead but TfGM's view that as trains don't make as many stops as buses so it's OK to subside a bus which basically copies a train route. I think that's also worth considering for an express bus vs a stopping bus - CEC aren't going to continue to subside a stopping bus because the express bus only stops at one stop in Wilmslow town centre and one stop in Macclesfield town centre. However, if it doesn't serve Wilmslow at all then there's no reason to change the Wilmslow to Macclesfield section of the 130. If, on the other hand, it serves Wilmslow but doesn't serve Alderley Park or the hospital then CEC will need to look at how many journeys are needed which aren't met by the commercial service and whether those are best served by the existing 130 route or by another service.

[K10K11]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes

(17/07/2021 05:16)M60lad Wrote:  I'm pretty sure the old X1 and 201 before it used to go the direct route to Macclesfield from Manchester via Hazel Grove.

Yeah, going right back to the days of the original North Western running an X1, it always ran via Poynton, Hazel Grove and Stockport. Nothing to suggest this will be any different.

[knutstransport]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes

(18/07/2021 10:26)K10K11 Wrote:  Yeah, going right back to the days of the original North Western running an X1, it always ran via Poynton, Hazel Grove and Stockport. Nothing to suggest this will be any different.

That route is slower according to Google Maps and it also depends whether Hulleys want the bus to serve the airport. Their website indicates they have an arrangement with Thomas Cook (the new company using the name), with anyone booking via thomascook.com getting a 25% discount on their bus services to the airport.

If the X1 does go via Poynton then that just changes the discussion as to whether the 391/392 competes with the X1 instead of the 130. There is also a hybrid option where it could run Macclesfield to Handforth without going through Wilmslow, which is probably the option that would be least likely to be seen as competing with an existing subsided service.

I think D&G will need to keep a close eye on this regardless given they also operate a subsided Macclesfield to Leek service.

[SF07]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes
Confirmation of Diamond Bus NW's 470 service between Bolton and Ramsbottom, which will start this Saturday (24 July). Service will be an open-topper and will connect with the East Lancashire Railway at Ramsbottom.

Quote:Diamond Bus North West is pleased to announce a new open top summer only service between Bolton and Ramsbottom which will commence on July 24th 2021. This service will provide three return journeys per day between Wednesday and Sunday up until September 5th 2021. For those wishing to use the East Lancashire Railway, joint tickets for both unlimited travel on all Diamond Bus North West Services and East Lancashire Railway services will be available online and the East Lancashire Railway website. The service will also provide a link to Jumbles country park and Hawkshaw village, creating bus links with Bolton and Ramsbottom which are not currently available. There are some great walks around the West Pennine Moors and Ramsbottom boasts some quaint local shops and exception real ale pubs. Concession passes, Diamond Bus day/week tickets, our passes, system one and get me there tickets are accepted on this service. A timetable can be viewed above.

This new summer service promoting the staycation message from Government and providing a link between Bolton and Ramsbottom. We hope our passengers will enjoy using the open top service and our timetable is timed to enable travel on the East Lancashire Railway. A joint bus and train day ticket which is valid on all Diamond Bus North West and all East Lancashire Railway services will be available at http://www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk

https://twitter.com/DiamondBusNW/status/...5697923083
https://www.diamondbuses.com/north-west/...vices/470/

[KXW212]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes

(18/07/2021 11:04)knutstransport Wrote:  That route is slower according to Google Maps and it also depends whether Hulleys want the bus to serve the airport. Their website indicates they have an arrangement with Thomas Cook (the new company using the name), with anyone booking via thomascook.com getting a 25% discount on their bus services to the airport.

If the X1 does go via Poynton then that just changes the discussion as to whether the 391/392 competes with the X1 instead of the 130. There is also a hybrid option where it could run Macclesfield to Handforth without going through Wilmslow, which is probably the option that would be least likely to be seen as competing with an existing subsided service.

I think D&G will need to keep a close eye on this regardless given they also operate a subsided Macclesfield to Leek service.

Depends what market they are aiming at. Is the airport worth bothering with?, I doubt it. Attempts to serve it from the CEC end have been failures and there's nothing to suggest that has changed.
Running direct between Macc and Hazel Grove serves little except Poynton, which is traffic choked due the the shared space council vanity project. The sensible way is limited stop Macc TC, Hospital, Broken Cross, Alderley Park, Wilmslow, A34, East Didsbury, MRI, Manchester only. May be adjustments to the 130 might be required to provide some sort of balanced service. There's also the 109 issue, which is very lightly used and also provides a 'Town Service' element in Leek. Again adjustments to this might need to be made. Alongside all this, is resource. Assuming an X1 2 hourly service end to end, a 4 hour round trip with 2 buses would be ambitious, a 6 hour round trip with three would be more realistic and allow more useful stopping points and create useful links, plus reliability, something Arriva failed dismally to address when they ran the 130 into Manchester.
Far more 'tidy' and efficient driver duties would also result. I await the TT with interest.

[knutstransport]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes
A blog site has one of the old X1 PMT timetables, I notice it mentions subsided by various councils including Cheshire County Council, meaning the operator wouldn't have had free choice over the route e.g. if CCC said it needs to provide a service between Poynton and Hazel Grove to get the subsidy then it had to go that way. I also notice there was a morning return working between Leek and Macclesfield only operated by Arriva Midlands, presumably to compensate for the first PMT service being too late for workers.

https://ontrainsandbuses.com/wp-content/.../02/x1.pdf

[knutstransport]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes

(20/07/2021 08:06)KXW212 Wrote:  Attempts to serve it from the CEC end have been failures and there's nothing to suggest that has changed.

The 200 service basically duplicated a train service but with more stops, it was more of use for getting to and from Styal, than as an airport service, as while it did run 7 days a week it only went as far as Wilmslow and didn't provide any real useful onward connections or through tickets.

D&G decided their original 130 attempt was a failure within weeks of it starting and ended it before the peak summer season. Most people aren't booking flights for the next day and a commuter base needs time to develop, unless the service is launched to coincide with a mass recruitment programme. Their current service started during a global pandemic when flights to most destinations were suspended or advised against.

[djb]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes
I wouldn’t be surprised if the x1 was attached to the off peak x57. Looking at it, theres just enough time to add just one bus into the system, and the lengthy layover the x57 currently has at the airport, to provide a 2 hourly x1 service.

Hulleys currently run a school service in ashbourne. That would be a good fit to then provide the first northbound service of the day as the additional resource.

[Michael]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(05/08/2020 21:31)gilbert Wrote:  It's a huge lash up on both 42B/C and 378/378A/379 services.The public haven't a clue what runs where and when,which way it goes etc.Some of the bus stops have the wrong numbers on.None of them appear to have timetables-one even has 2016 on it. Not all the public have access to computers.The 42C wastes half an hour doing nothing at Handforth Dean picking up only one or two passengers each time I've seen it. Cheadle Hulme and Bramhall have lost half of their 42B services as a result.For what?

I asked one of the 378A drivers about it-he said''TfGM just threw a map at us and said make a route out of it. This is the result.'' Chaos and utter car crash.

How would a 378 driver know the 42c is run out of Hyde road.I would have thought the route was planned by the stagecoach scheduling team like every other route TFGM dont just walk in with a map & say sought this out.Its a tendered route so would have gone out to competive tender.As for the 42B loadings are very poor between cheadle hulme & Bramhall doesn't justify a 30 min service