(10/03/2017 21:16)Dentonian Wrote:  All of which emphasises the failure of the free market. The worst aspect of this is indeed the fact that they are punishing their long-standing, loyal customer base for their own misguided failings and obsession with internal competition. However, it is also lamentable that they then blame city area roadworks - which presumably means 2CC work - as if they had no idea that Metrolink expansion would involve any kind of disruption, when they decided to start a bus war with First. Also, it was always believed that Stagecoach's former success was built on local knowledge and independence - so now we hear that the millionaire fat cats 250 miles away are now dictating who is to suffer.

(10/03/2017 01:38)Mayneway Wrote:  In a way stagecoach have got bus users by the neck so to speak. They have spent years soaking up the rivals and independants, to a point where in large pockets of Manchester they are the only operator only for them to reduce, and cut the services in that area, practically pushing punters away from the bus alltogeter.

(10/03/2017 21:16)Dentonian Wrote:  All of which emphasises the failure of the free market. The worst aspect of this is indeed the fact that they are punishing their long-standing, loyal customer base for their own misguided failings and obsession with internal competition. However, it is also lamentable that they then blame city area roadworks - which presumably means 2CC work - as if they had no idea that Metrolink expansion would involve any kind of disruption, when they decided to start a bus war with First. Also, it was always believed that Stagecoach's former success was built on local knowledge and independence - so now we hear that the millionaire fat cats 250 miles away are now dictating who is to suffer.

(11/03/2017 15:38)Dentonian Wrote:  Actually, that's the saddest part. Yes, the main criticism of First was always that decisions were made hundreds of miles away by people who didn't know the difference between Mossley and Moss Bank Way, but Stagecoach was different. if you take out individual incidents around Easter 2006 around EO stand at the height of the bus war with UKN, I found Stagecoach to be thoroughly professional as both a passenger and an industry "partner" from the late nineties right up to around 2013. However, since then standards have dropped markedly, with total refusal to address punctuality problems outside the city of Manchester boundary, and cutting services in low car ownership areas to fight to fund a bus war in Salford charging ridiculously cheap fares. The only consolation - so far! - is that road staff have not allowed their standards to drop like the rest of the company.

(11/03/2017 11:14)WhiteVanMan Wrote:  Unfortunately, this is true not only with-in Greater Manchester. Just take a look at Lancashire upto 12-months ago, there were villages (Arkholme & Whittington) that had a regular bus service, but are now with-out a bus service. Same is also true with parts of Northamptonshire (Yarwell & Nassington).

(12/03/2017 15:00)Dentonian Wrote:  My experiences of Easter 2006 were mainly as a straightforward commuter, so I mainly witnessed (and was caught up in) events between 1655 & 1735ish. I can't therefore comment more generally, other than to point out that the 211 had been replaced by 201 many years earlier, and of course, the 347 doesn't run anywhere near Manchester. I recall three distinct incidents:
1. Two UKN employees staging a (mock?) wrestle on the ground like a pair of drugged up yobs, in front of 100+ bemused commuters waiting for a bus - any bus - going up Hyde Road.
2. Being ushered with about 70 other passengers aboard the 1720, 204, whilst it parked right across the Newton Street/Piccadilly junction, by a Stagecoach inspector barking as though it was the 204 passengers' fault that UKN had decided to run 192s!!! The bus then left at 1716.
3. Running (again with dozens of others) all the way from EO stand to what is now EQ stand to board another 204 (the 1740?), because EO stand was totally blocked by 192s of both Operators.

(13/03/2017 20:55)Dentonian Wrote:  Are we talking about the same bus war?? My point about the 211 was that the service number ceased to exist about a decade before, not that it ran from a different stand! Also, as I recall, there were no officials from VOSA or anyone else around - certainly not at peak times. The two companies were left to do as they pleased.