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RE: D&G Bus - knutstransport - 19/02/2025 11:33
(18/02/2025 18:56)K10K11 Wrote: My poor old mum just a bus home at about 1.40, didn't get back til near 4pm. Apparently there was a driver change, and the new driver insisted on taking his break, so it missed out yet another run to Wistaston Green meaning a two hour gap between journeys.
If the driver had worked a certain number of hours, then not taking a break might have been illegal. Their working hours are tracked, and it's not just the employer who are interested in the trackers.
From the tracking it looks like vehicle 59 was out on the 8 all day, but missed the Crewe bus station to Wistaston Green part of the 14:03 journey, and the Wistaston Green to Crewe part of the 14:40 journey. Vehicle 31 started on the 8 route from 15:30, having worked the 85 until then.
While the operator should aim to prevent any cancelled journeys, if they are short it does make sense for them to cancel on the routes with the highest frequency. Unfortunately, in Cheshire East in 2025 that usually means a half-hourly service, not a route with a bus every 10-15 minutes.
RE: D&G Bus - K10K11 - 19/02/2025 14:35
(19/02/2025 11:33)knutstransport Wrote: If the driver had worked a certain number of hours, then not taking a break might have been illegal. Their working hours are tracked, and it's not just the employer who are interested in the trackers.
From the tracking it looks like vehicle 59 was out on the 8 all day, but missed the Crewe bus station to Wistaston Green part of the 14:03 journey, and the Wistaston Green to Crewe part of the 14:40 journey. Vehicle 31 started on the 8 route from 15:30, having worked the 85 until then.
While the operator should aim to prevent any cancelled journeys, if they are short it does make sense for them to cancel on the routes with the highest frequency. Unfortunately, in Cheshire East in 2025 that usually means a half-hourly service, not a route with a bus every 10-15 minutes.
Well, I take your point, but it effectively meant that a section of the 8 went from a bus every 30 minutes to a 2 hour gap between services. They could take a bus off the 84X for example which is half hourly, but they're in competition with Stagecoach so they won't do that.
And of course, as they don't have any social media channels or put any of this stuff on their own website, no one is aware other than by waiting at a bus stop. Poor stuff all round.
RE: D&G Bus - iMarkeh - 19/02/2025 19:38
D&G have been shocking on the 8 lately and I've seen numerous complaints on the Crewe and District Bus Users group about the service.
The issue being that the staff who run Crewe depot seem to have no care for service delivery.
While they do have social media channels, almost all (all?) service update posts are for pre planned roadworks/diversions. And even that Crewe depot struggles with most of the time.
It's a low quality cowboy operator led by the Peddle empire. The only reason they still exist is because Cheshire East thinks the sun shines from their behind and keeps throwing them contracts.
RE: D&G Bus - knutstransport - 19/02/2025 19:41
At somewhere like Crewe, Macclesfield or Northwich bus stations, D&G have enough services that if one is cancelled they should be asking one of their drivers (from another route) to go and inform the passengers waiting at the adjacent bus stand.
RE: D&G Bus - knutstransport - 19/02/2025 19:44
(19/02/2025 19:38)iMarkeh Wrote: While they do have social media channels, almost all (all?) service update posts are for pre planned roadworks/diversions. And even that Crewe depot struggles with most of the time.
They didn't even manage to get a note on about the bridge in Pickmere being deemed unsafe meaning the 89 was diverted for a few weeks.
Quote:The only reason they still exist is because Cheshire East thinks the sun shines from their behind and keeps throwing them contracts.
In fairness they'd exist as a Staffordshire operator, even if Cheshire East didn't award them a single contract.
I wonder how many of the Cheshire East contracts starting on 30/31st March they've been awarded. I doubt there was much competition for some routes. It seems they're handing back the 48 to Cheshire West on that date.
RE: D&G Bus - chesterbuses21256 - 19/02/2025 20:31
(19/02/2025 19:44)knutstransport Wrote: They didn't even manage to get a note on about the bridge in Pickmere being deemed unsafe meaning the 89 was diverted for a few weeks.
In fairness they'd exist as a Staffordshire operator, even if Cheshire East didn't award them a single contract.
I wonder how many of the Cheshire East contracts starting on 30/31st March they've been awarded. I doubt there was much competition for some routes. It seems they're handing back the 48 to Cheshire West on that date.
Surely Stagecoach won’t take the 48 again
RE: D&G Bus - knutstransport - Yesterday 18:47
(19/02/2025 20:31)chesterbuses21256 Wrote: Surely Stagecoach won’t take the 48 again
Did Stagecoach not bid last time, or did D&G offer to run it for less?
The 48 only needs one vehicle, but it needs to be a large one due to the schools demand. Cheshire West won't accept a 29 seater as a backup as Howards found out when they faced penalties for putting the 29 seater Dart on the route.
RE: D&G Bus - chesterbuses21256 - Yesterday 18:55
(Yesterday 18:47)knutstransport Wrote: Did Stagecoach not bid last time, or did D&G offer to run it for less?
The 48 only needs one vehicle, but it needs to be a large one due to the schools demand. Cheshire West won't accept a 29 seater as a backup as Howards found out when they faced penalties for putting the 29 seater Dart on the route.
Think they had it once but gave it up as it was awkward for driver changes I think
RE: D&G Bus - knutstransport - Yesterday 19:16
(Yesterday 18:55)chesterbuses21256 Wrote: Think they had it once but gave it up as it was awkward for driver changes I think
Howards took the route over in 2015, I think from GHA. The route transferred to Warrington's Own Buses in 2019 after Howards had their licence revoked. Stagecoach took it over in January 2022, then D&G took it over 18 months later.
It would be amusing if Arriva Chester or Runcorn submitted a bid, after they pulled out of running all their Northwich services following the closure of Winsford.
RE: D&G Bus - K10K11 - Yesterday 19:18
(19/02/2025 19:38)iMarkeh Wrote: D&G have been shocking on the 8 lately and I've seen numerous complaints on the Crewe and District Bus Users group about the service.
The issue being that the staff who run Crewe depot seem to have no care for service delivery.
While they do have social media channels, almost all (all?) service update posts are for pre planned roadworks/diversions. And even that Crewe depot struggles with most of the time.
It's a low quality cowboy operator led by the Peddle empire. The only reason they still exist is because Cheshire East thinks the sun shines from their behind and keeps throwing them contracts.
You know, I forgot that D&G have Twitter and Facebook pages. Given the general lack of any interaction with other FB users, it appears they are poorly used - there isn't even a link to them from the D&G website.