D&G Bus

[iMarkeh]

RE: D&G Bus
I think they have just done as far as they can go with 2 buses. Cheadle to Parrs Wood is covered by the 130. It's just Handforth to Cheadle which then needs looking at for a replacement.

All this said, it's interesting to see how the 130 has become. Running half hourly to Manchester and even making enough money to be Sapphire and then it has kept being killed off to now an hourly Macclesfield to Handforth service which, if D&Gs previous attempts at the area are anything to go by, will be dropped within 6 months.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(21/12/2019 07:32)33109 Wrote:  Well that's a bit crap!

Leaves a lot of people stuck who need to be to parrs wood for connecting buses into manchester.

Based on the current timetable it looks like that's the furthest they can go if they want to reduce the PVR without going to a 2 hourly frequency.

There are direct trains to East Didsbury from Wilmslow and Handforth so I very much doubt Cheshire East will look at funding any extension. (They said a Knutsford to Holmes Chapel bus isn't required because the journey is possible using a bus to Wilmslow/Chelford and then a train to Holmes Chapel.) Cheadle will be a bit cut off from Cheshire but I imagine Cheshire East will say that's TfGM's issue. Anyone going from Macclesfield to the part of Manchester south of the city centre will probably get there quicker by getting a train to Piccadilly and then a bus southbound even now.

[Metroline1511]

RE: D&G Bus

(13/12/2019 21:11)33109 Wrote:  I thought that'd happen sooner or later.

Although this is a good fit, I thought D&G could eventually have sold out to Rotala, as it would fill the gap between their West Midlands and Manchester operations. It could be more fitting for Rotala to buy First Potteries instead.

[Y458 KNF]

RE: D&G Bus

(21/12/2019 19:20)Metroline1511 Wrote:  Although this is a good fit, I thought D&G could eventually have sold out to Rotala, as it would fill the gap between their West Midlands and Manchester operations. It could be more fitting for Rotala to buy First Potteries instead.

Surprised First haven't put their Stoke depot up for sale yet I assume they are waiting until the last bits of Manchester get sold off first.

[dounowhoiam]

RE: D&G Bus
If I was in charge of D&G, I would focus on Macclesfield in getting a depot local to that area, bring in cheaper tickets to Arriva (they only provide North West saver tickets and expensive singles) and really reinvigorate the area so that it isn't just mainly pass users that depend on the bus with extra focus on linking for employment, the Airport and leisure.

(21/12/2019 19:20)Metroline1511 Wrote:  Although this is a good fit, I thought D&G could eventually have sold out to Rotala, as it would fill the gap between their West Midlands and Manchester operations. It could be more fitting for Rotala to buy First Potteries instead.

With the expansion in Bolton I can't see Rotala attempting any buy-outs both for financial reasons and due to the numerous issues they are currently facing in that area (bus / driver shortages, damage to depot, poor customer service etc).

(21/12/2019 20:03)darylyates17 Wrote:  Surprised First haven't put their Stoke depot up for sale yet I assume they are waiting until the last bits of Manchester get sold off first.

Recent developments in the news shows that FirstGroup is now setting their attention back to UK public transport (selling off US operations) with recent train franchise agreements. Due to fear of franchising and bad management causing loss of profit it is no surprise First Manchester is being sold off, although other areas are going to be targeted in cost-efficiency cuts first before more sell-offs are intended.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(21/12/2019 08:42)iMarkeh Wrote:  All this said, it's interesting to see how the 130 has become. Running half hourly to Manchester and even making enough money to be Sapphire and then it has kept being killed off to now an hourly Macclesfield to Handforth service which, if D&Gs previous attempts at the area are anything to go by, will be dropped within 6 months.

Well the 82 seems to be going OK for them, despite the very changeable loads. Although, I still don't get the point of the Gadbrook Park extensions which are off-peak only.

The changes to commercial services which were implemented at the same time as the new Cheshire East contracts were a disaster for D&G. Apparently they lost so much money on the Manchester Airport to Macclesfield service that they cancelled services which they were more or less breaking even on, like the 88A, as they didn't want to continue operating services which may be a financial risk.

I think whoever came up with the 130 Airport to Macclesfield service and 88A Knutsford-Colshaw Farm service overlooked the following:
1. Loadings were very low on the old 200 service and the additional train services introduced at Styal reduced the need for a replacement service.
2. Wilmslow job centre closing meant services were transferred to Macclesfield. That reduced the number of journeys being made between Knutsford & Wilmslow and also the number of journeys being made between Colshaw Farm & Wilmslow only - someone from Colshaw Farm wasn't exactly going to use 2 D&G buses to reach Macclesfield when Arriva offered an hourly direct service.
3. Manchester Airport station offers services to a number of stations across the north so gets used by people who aren't airport passengers. As Macclesfield and Wilmslow stations already have a mix of local and long distance services, people from those towns are perhaps less likely to want to travel to the airport station than people from Altrincham and Knutsford.
4. A lot of people arriving to check in at the airport need to do so between 4am and 8am due to the number of morning departures from the airport, especially on a Sunday. If you want the airport passengers then starting a service with the first departure at 7am and not running it on Sundays means it's not suitable for a lot of airport passengers.
5. The size of a town isn't proportional to the number of people who will use an airport bus. People from the more affluent areas are more likely to be able to afford to go abroad and are more likely to go on business trips abroad. (There's a reason why some of the Trafford taxi companies advertise Knutsford-Airport fares but don't advertise fares from some Trafford towns.) While business trips usually result in taxis being booked and going on expenses many businesses have a policy that say you should use the cheapest available option (within reason) to get to the airport.
6. There were probably many people who planned to use the 130 Macclesfield-Airport service but never got the chance as the service was cancelled between when they booked flights and when they actually travelled.

Also on the job centre point anyone applying from out-of-work benefits in Knutsford and Wilmslow is assigned to Macclesfield job centre. However, you can ask to transfer to another job centre if public transport is poor. I know that a number of people from Knutsford have asked to transfer to Northwich due to the low frequency of the 88 service to Macclesfield. Those from Wilmslow may find Stockport more convenient than Macclesfield. It's up to D&G to ensure Macclesfield is more attractive by public transport than Northwich/Stockport, through a good frequency and bus fares being lower than train fares, if they want those passengers.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(22/12/2019 10:26)dounowhoiam Wrote:  If I was in charge of D&G, I would focus on Macclesfield in getting a depot local to that area, bring in cheaper tickets to Arriva (they only provide North West saver tickets and expensive singles) and really reinvigorate the area so that it isn't just mainly pass users that depend on the bus with extra focus on linking for employment, the Airport and leisure.

I was surprised they decided to go for Wincham as a depot location over somewhere like Chelford. The latter has easy access to Macclesfield, Knutsford & Wilmslow and is as close to Sandbach and Holmes Chapel as Crewe is. Apparently it was because they were targeting Cheshire West council contracts but they haven't managed to get any expect for two Sunday only ones, as well as obviously registering the commercial 82.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus
Chris Almond has told the Wilmslow Guardian that no details about their replacement service will be released until the second week of January. Presumably as they've registered a Handforth-Macc weekday commercial service they are awaiting a response from Cheshire East as to whether they will subside an extension or/and a Saturday service before publishing timetable information.

[Metroline1511]

RE: D&G Bus

(23/12/2019 10:38)knutstransport Wrote:  Chris Almond has told the Wilmslow Guardian that no details about their replacement service will be released until the second week of January. Presumably as they've registered a Handforth-Macc weekday commercial service they are awaiting a response from Cheshire East as to whether they will subside an extension or/and a Saturday service before publishing timetable information.

Will there be alternative buses between Handforth and Cheadle over Arriva route 130? I know that Cheadle - East Didsbury is covered by Stagecoach 42B at least.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus
Destination displays on D&G Buses now have a scrolling message about contactless being accepted, as well as cash.