Stagecoach Manchester

[Barney]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(29/10/2018 21:16)iMarkeh Wrote:  I think one of the biggest issues now is buses don't all suit shift times. There is also a lot more people going into 'industrial' jobs like warehouses which work to many different shifts. People have to use cars as the buses simply don't get them to work for the shift times. I know this isn't Manchester but Deeside Industrial Estate has most shifts running 6-2, 2-10, 10-6. All of the subsidised buses to local areas except the short distance shuttles are non existent at these times.

I think the way to get more people on buses is to try and get buses to link with main industrial shift times and office times. Until that is done, people will stop using buses to get to/from work.

I think you are comparing apples with pears. Where in Greater Manchester are there large industrial estates that employ a large workforce that lack a bus service?

The biggest challenge for Stagecoach - and all bus operators - is to get the 9-5 commuters out of their cars. The vast majority of bus users travel between 7 am and 7 pm which is also the time when most conurbations, especially Manchester, experience traffic congestion and gridlock.

I saw a TV report recently about the current ongoing issues in central Manchester and the most vociferous comments came from disgruntled motorists. One in particular was very telling. To paraphrase: "It's ridiculous. It's taken me 40 minutes to travel the one mile from my home to my work."

Until this motorist (and thousands more) realise that they are part of the problem and other modes of transport are possible - including walking - traffic congestion will only get worse and bus usage will decline.