Avon Buses

[SK15 GZG (Moderator)]

RE: Avon Buses

(05/10/2018 19:21)Jw88 Wrote:  10 Liscard - New Brighton
10A Arrowe Park Hospital - New Brighton
16 Clatterbridge Hospital - Moreton (Monday To Friday Daytime)
16A Clatrerbrige Hospital - Moreton (Monday To Friday Daytime)
17 Clatterbridge Hospital - Moreton (Monday To Friday Daytime)
17A Clatterbridge Hospital - Moreton (Monday To Friday Daytime)
17S Moreton - Wirral Grammar School
18 Birkenhead - Town Meadow
22 Moreton - Chester
X22 West Kirby - Chester
77 Heswall - Birkenhead
77A Heswall - Wirral Grammar School - Birkenhead
80 West Kirby - Newton Circular
82 West Kirby - Caldy Circular
83A West Kirby - Arrowe Park Hospital Or Birkenhead
84 Heswall - Raby Mere
85 Heswall - Eastham Ferry
88 West Kirby - Heswall
88A West Kirby - Heswall
91 Birkenhead - Prenton Circular
107 Town Meadow - New Brighton
122 Crosby - Aintree University Hospital
124 Woodside - Harrison Drive (New Brighton)
125 Woodside - Harrison Drive (New Brighton)
144 Bootle - Netherton (Monday To Saturday Daytime)
164 New Ferry - Woodside
207 Woodside - New Brighton
208 New Brighton - Woodside
492 Woodside - Beechwood - Arrowe Park Hospital (Evenings/Sunday Daytime)
495 Woodside - Noctorum - Arrowe Park Hospital (Evenings/Sunday Daytime)
628 Moreton Cross - Hilbre High School (Morning Journeys)
C5 Dingle - Royal Liverpool Hospital

Many thanks

[SNL 824]

RE: Avon Buses
Just really sad to see another longstanding independent go under..particularly as very local to me...hope it all works out for the staff

[childwallblues]

RE: Avon Buses
I think that they did a bit of a GHA and expanded too far too quickly.

[Barney]

RE: Avon Buses

(06/10/2018 06:07)childwallblues Wrote:  I think that they did a bit of a GHA and expanded too far too quickly.

I read in the Echo that there were several reasons for the demise but the primary one was the introduction of the Mersytravel MyTicket which allows under 19's unlimited travel for just £2. Since its introduction the number of adult cash fares plummeted.

[knutstransport]

RE: Avon Buses

(06/10/2018 06:07)childwallblues Wrote:  I think that they did a bit of a GHA and expanded too far too quickly.

With GHA I think the main problems were:
1. Starting bus wars on routes where there was already a reasonable level of service in comparison to the number of operators.
2. Trying to be the lowest bidder for council contracts even when there was already other operators in the area submitting low cost bids for contracts e.g. D&G in South Cheshire.
3. Opting to run routes commercially which probably weren't profitable when they lost the contract e.g. 130 Sunday and Bank Holiday service and in some cases registering a route commercially to prevent it going out to tender.

[cfm146g]

RE: Avon Buses

(05/10/2018 08:41)T42 PVM Wrote:  The fact they have no money to replace the 139 is one of the first things that came to mind as most Avon Services get some sort of payment from Merseytravel to operate, If Arriva or Stagecoach where to take on any of these services they would expect a higher payment as their overheads are higher and since Merseytravel had no money for the 139 getting money for these services could end up being a problem

In this report here George Lewis is forthright on the damage the My Ticket has done to the business. The scheme has been trumpeted by Merseytravel as a big benefit to young people but they are not funding it and, as Lewis says, it falls to the operators to absorb the loss in revenue that the scheme causes. Evidently Merseytravel can't afford it, the operators can't afford it. Without an injection of real cash support from central government all these aspirations for public transport outside London, in spite of the creation of "Transport for the North", are just pipe dreams. Initiatives are all well and good but if this is the best they can do we can see the result: they end up costing far more than anyone imagined.

[Busguy12]

RE: Avon Buses
The my ticket I'll agree is a huge issue at the moment, it is abused left right and centre with staff being told you can not challenge the customer about there age unless they are very obvious over age and it's hard to tell at times

[DVG526]

RE: Avon Buses
Could be tricky to cover some of those minimal routes 77/80/84/88 etc which don’t carry much.

Sandbrook/TML can be covered by the 38/407 which duplicate the 18.

Arriva/SC could possibly step in on hourly/2 hourly 17/124/164/495?

Possibly extend 175 to cover Greasby/Newton/Thurstaston/Caldy?

Possibly reintroduce 419 to cover Spital Rd?

Divert one of the many 52/55 to cover Hatton Hill/Pendle Drive using a Cadet?

[Barney]

RE: Avon Buses

(06/10/2018 11:24)DVG526 Wrote:  Divert one of the many 52/55 to cover Hatton Hill/Pendle Drive using a Cadet?

That's an idea but unlikely to happen for several reasons. Firstly, these routes are nominally double-deck routes for a reason though full-sized Pulsars and Commanders are often to be found on them. Secondly, the 144 takes a totally different route through Seaforth and thirdly, there are no Cadets in Bootle.

I suspect that HTL will end up doing the 144 as a daytime tendered service, assuming Merseytravel can find the money.

[Metroline1511]

RE: Avon Buses

(05/10/2018 11:57)Barney Wrote:  That's very interesting. The 63 and 122 run within five minutes of each other most of the day so Arriva will be competing with itself!

I suspect that as Arriva doesn't have suitable vehicles (short Darts) for the 144 that is why they aren't operating that route too. Perhaps an unloved long Solo might be transferred in.

Arriva London loaned a few Solos to Metroline for the take-up of routes 631/H2/H3 but Metroline are now introducing their own new Solo SRs there. So these Solos could come to Merseyside for route 144 or another ex-Avon route.