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RE: Buses Bill - wirralbus - 21/05/2016 21:31
The thing you might get with bus franchising out in the sticks though compared to London that the major players will not fight each other , so you will just the big guns sharing the big routes out , leaving the smaller operators for some of the secondary type routes .
RE: Buses Bill - Mayneway - 21/05/2016 22:43
If this franchising does go ahead in the near future are we likely to see an improvement on the current ever shrinking evening/Sunday service network.
Certainly in Manchester anyway continuing budget restraints have led to some towns having there evening/Sunday services all but disappear.
RE: Buses Bill - knutstransport - 22/05/2016 11:04
(21/05/2016 20:19)Dentonian Wrote: The 200 is already an administrative nightmare, as it is funded by Cheshire East, National Trust, MAplc and TFGM, albeit I assume the former is the lead authority.
The recently awarded new 200 contract was awarded by Transport Service Solutions Limited (Cheshire East Council) to GHA Coaches and it expires in 2023, although there may be break clauses in the contract. It seems they are now awarding long contracts on routes which are unlikely to go commercial, presumably to reduce admin costs.
The value of that contract isn't clear because Cheshire East awarded all the contracts up for renewal to GHA and gave the total value. However, two of the services originally awarded to GHA instead went to D&G Bus and Arriva due to GHA having staff retention problems.
RE: Buses Bill - Barney - 22/05/2016 11:14
(22/05/2016 11:04)knutstransport Wrote: The recently awarded new 200 contract was awarded by Transport Service Solutions Limited (Cheshire East Council) to GHA Coaches and it expires in 2023, although there may be break clauses in the contract. It seems they are now awarding long contracts on routes which are unlikely to go commercial, presumably to reduce admin costs.
The value of that contract isn't clear because Cheshire East awarded all the contracts up for renewal to GHA and gave the total value. However, two of the services originally awarded to GHA instead went to D&G Bus and Arriva due to GHA having staff retention problems.
I'm sure that long contracts are beneficial to all parties concerned but, certainly with smaller operators, circumstances change and contracts are often handed back at very short notice. This is certainly the case on Merseyside.
RE: Buses Bill - Barney - 22/05/2016 20:36
(22/05/2016 20:15)Dentonian Wrote: That shouldn't matter as far as the passenger is concerned, as there will be no wasteful competition on one route, taking resources from other routes and no financial penalties for having to use different bus companies, or living in the wrong part of town.
As I posted earlier if, or rather when, this franchising is introduced I expect bundles of routes to be tendered. This will prevent the main operators only bidding for the most lucrative routes. In essence, this will allow cross-subsidy, something that was outlawed in the 1985 Act.
Those of us old enough can all remember local routes that disappeared in 1986 because, though socially necessary, were not commercially viable, especially of an evening.
RE: Buses Bill - wirralbus - 22/05/2016 20:44
(22/05/2016 20:12)Dentonian Wrote: I think they will, as they were what took a massive hit at De-reg. Certainly, Sunday/PH Daytimes should see an improvement. This has not been helped by the Retail trade lacking Innovation - in the same way as indpendant bus companies did - and all interpreting the 6 hour Sunday trading maximum as strictly 1100-1700.
The six hour trading regulation on a Sunday will eventually disappear , it doesn't exist in Scotland , the only reason they didn't get it through this time was because some of the Tory's rebel wouldn't agree to it topped off by SNP MP's being opposed it even though the legislation wouldn't have meant anything to them , remember Tam Dalyell and his West Lothian Question.
RE: Buses Bill - wirralbus - 22/05/2016 20:46
(22/05/2016 20:36)Barney Wrote: As I posted earlier if, or rather when, this franchising is introduced I expect bundles of routes to be tendered. This will prevent the main operators only bidding for the most lucrative routes. In essence, this will allow cross-subsidy, something that was outlawed in the 1985 Act.
Those of us old enough can all remember local routes that disappeared in 1986 because, though socially necessary, were not commercially viable, especially of an evening.
Lets see if this is a success or whether its another transport policy made in hell.
RE: Buses Bill - 126th street - 23/05/2016 12:18
(18/05/2016 19:33)PO59 MXJ Wrote: All drivers will be on the same wage and should get a council pension as well
Is absolutely the wrong answer, because there is a clear stipulation in the Bill that all services will still be run by private operators. There is also specific wording that prevents any LA from setting up its own operation to take on bus services.
Those that think that franchising is a given just because an area will have an elected mayor are missing the most important thing, and that is that franchising has to pass a number of tests before it can be adopted even if the mayor decides that he or she wants to go down that route.
Among those are the VFM test and whether it is affordable. As seen in the Nexus debacle, the answer to both is likely to be no. Another test to be passed is whether a franchising scheme would contribute to the implementation of neighbouring authorities' transport and wider policies, which again is likely to be a very sticky one.
RE: Buses Bill - wirralbus - 23/05/2016 14:02
Do you think that Chester sitting outside the Liverpool City Region will help or hinder them ?
RE: Buses Bill - Barney - 09/12/2016 12:24
I see the Liverpool Echo is re-running an item regarding the Buses Bill and implying that franchising will/would result in a return to the old traditional municipal colours of pre-1970! I doubt this would happen but Liam Robinson does state that IF franchising is implemented there would be a Merseyside livery. I suspect that any new livery would probably include Merseytravel's colour of yellow, black, white and grey. This livery was used in the mid-90's when Merseytravel bought some buses (B6's 7246-50 and the Neoplans on the city circles) specifically for tendered services but operated by Merseybus.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/could-liverpool-old-green-buses-12294111#ICID=ios_EchoNewsApp_AppShare_Click_FB