QBP Liverpool and Wirral

[First Class]

RE: QBP Liverpool and Wirral

(20/10/2012 19:36)mbonwick Wrote:  Stagecoach Tridents are Euro3, and exhaust traps take them up to Euro4 for particulates, which is the baseline requirement for the QBP IIRC.

Darts are Euro4 anyway, so meet it anyway.

I've said it many times before and I'll say it again; if loadings consistently justified single decks, or even doubles, you'd have them. The fact that you have darts means vehicles aren't full enough for long enough throughout the day.

The loadings ARE consistently full.

The problem is that the likes of Stagecoach (and some other operators), will see no increase in revenue as a result of a higher investment into larger vehicles, because they know people will still cram on to the smaller, (and cheaper), vehicles they utilise.

Why do you think they had to introduce the 22/23 on the main section of the 20/21 corridor? People were getting particularly peeved at the lack of capacity throughout the day. If double deckers had been brought in, they wouldn't have needed the 22/23 capacity boost. At times, (usually Sundays or match days), the 130/210/250 buses were often full themselves when I used them. They already went from small single deckers (Darts) to larger single deckers (MAN) because capacity was not sufficient.

There is no incentive for Stagecoach to buy more expensive (larger) vehicles, because they have a fairly captive market who have no choice but to be on a cramped vehicle. The QBPs worsen this, because they just rely on Arriva to provide the additional capacity, without incurring any cost to themselves.

If a QBP has been introduced, it is because the demand for the routes warranted improvements. The reality of it is, Merseytravel had good intentions, but failed to deliver the improvements, and in some cases, made it worse through timetable rationalisation.

Bus passengers numbers continue to grow, but in most cases capacity does not rise at the same rate, and in some circumstances, is decreased.

You have to ask why Manchester seem to get a lot more investment in double decked vehicles, (despite having Metrolink etc), whilst Liverpool with very similar passenger numbers, have small single decks? Why did Stagecoach Merseyside get a handful of old double deckers, instead of brand new Deckers like other regions?