ANW and ABW double decker influx - where next?

[Valandil]

RE: ANW and ABW double decker influx - where next?

(27/03/2017 16:42)Y474 KNF Wrote:  Yeah I get what you mean but I really don't think vandalism is a reason to not buy deckers anymore - I've been on double deckers in London and Birmingham and they were much worse than those operating on the worst routes in Liverpool for vandalism. The 410 is worth considering in the future for sure but I really don't think it's a priority at the moment - the 8/9 I do see where you're coming from but the 7 I'm totally convinced needs upgrading in either capacity or frequency within the next 12-18 months

If you think of how busy the 7 is now between Queen Square and Huyton then think of how much busier it will get if Edge Lane Retail Park takes off - there's absolutely no way in a month of Sundays that single deckers will be suitable on a 30 minute frequency. There's also the chance it could attract more people coming from the Warrington portion of the route as well which will further increase passenger numbers. Personally I think the only way around buying deckers (or bringing older ones in from Speke for example) for the 7 would be to increase the frequency to every 20 minutes - but even then I'm not sure that'd solve the issue. Time will tell though I'm sure

The 7 is interesting, and I see it as having 3 main purposes.
People travelling into Liverpool on the Huyton - Liverpool stretch: lots of people, can be busy, and deckers could be useful there.
People travelling into Warrington on the Warrington - Huyton stretch: surprisingly many, with buses being full towards Warrington in the morning and busy towards Huyton in the afternoon peak.
People travelling into Liverpool from the Warrington - Huyton stretch: not too many people here, with buses towards Liverpool being quite empty in the mornings on this stretch.

So I would suggest that maybe deckers are appropriate on the 7 between Huyton and Liverpool, but that a Warrington - Liverpool service should use a faster route between Huyton and Liverpool, as well possibly as extending to Liverpool One if possible, encouraging more people to use the bus for this purpose.