First Manchester

[126th street]

RE: First Manchester

(13/07/2014 16:07)acocker96 Wrote:  I used to get on a stotts school bus coming home from school last year and I used to speak to the driver and he said that before stotts he worked for first and that Stagecoach paid significantly more (i think about £6) more per hour than first did

I think he may well have been winding you up. As has been said, a small difference maybe but nowhere near £6ph. Supply and demand and all that.

Regarding lost mileage due to driver shortages... it's always been the same. Weekend in the summer and nice weather means some drivers would rather ring in 'sick' and go out for the day than actually turn up for work.

No doubt the same ones who moan LF when they get a holiday, lieu day or change of duty knocked back at short notice. But, of course, it's different then. What's more the union actually defends these idiots when they get hauled in over their attendence.

[stait.john@hotmail.co.uk]

RE: First Manchester
3 B7TLs went from Rusholme to Oldham today, not sure if they're loans or transfers.

John

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
Confirmation of the changes for First services now listed on the TfGM website. Some changes presumably targeting Stagecoach, as the 53 will be re-routed via Salford Quays.

Meanwhile, the short journeys between Piccadilly Gardens and White Moss only on services 88/89 will be replaced by service 81, providing additional journeys between Moston and Manchester via Moston Lane and Harpurhey.

http://www.tfgm.com/buses/Pages/service_changes.aspx

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester
As a daily bus user and enthusiast I think there is still a very large gap performance wise between Stagecoach Manchester and First Manchester performance wise. The idea that new vehicles, leather seats, wifi and of course the lowering of the very high fares would fix the problems and make all good don't even scratch the surface. It's clearly management issues.
The driver shortage is nothing new and has been rumbling on now for about a year - yet nothing is done about it.
Journeys being dropped is nothing new either, certainly at Pionner anyway. It's extremely poor that they keep getting away with it - and on tendered journeys too! I have to say, as someone who lives on Chowhill, I never saw one journey missed when Speedwell and Stotts ran the 41/337 yet First seen really good at loosing the odd journey or running the route out of service because its late or traffics bad. Or in coldest darkest December, the fact passengers were left waiting at bus stops for buses that wouldn't be turning up because the drivers were attending the Christmas doo - absolutly crazy.

I've never personally encountered a dropped journey by Stagecoach yet over the last 4 or so years, it's 5 and counting with First!

[37554BY]

RE: First Manchester
The long winded rumours concerning First pioneer are confirmed true, First pioneer are to be known as First Tameside with 53149 being repainted at Bolton this week and fitted with a new cared for sticker, as will all the buses over there. And before anyone thinks I'm posting crap, no this is official from First Manchester sources

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
I thought all the newer 53 batch of Solos were heading to Oldham to replace older Solo's there, obviously 53149 is stopping at First Tameside.

As for the B7TLs coming from Rusholme to Oldham it does make me wonder whether eventually all of the Rusholme ALX400 B7TLs will be allocated to Oldham Depot shortly, although in my opinion its decent single deckers we need at the moment for 415 route considering reliability on the route is yet again a problem at the moment and it seems to be the short Marshall Darts that are causing the main problems from what I can gather.

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(14/07/2014 23:35)37554BY Wrote:  The long winded rumours concerning First pioneer are confirmed true, First pioneer are to be known as First Tameside with 53149 being repainted at Bolton this week and fitted with a new cared for sticker, as will all the buses over there. And before anyone thinks I'm posting crap, no this is official from First Manchester sources

It's been on the cards for a while, although most people won't even notice the change. I do wonder though whether its just a cosmetic change, ie on the cared for stickers and on paper or whether First will actually go to the trouble of changing the name on the licence so the legals would 'First Tameside ltd'.

The solo that's already gained the later livery (thing it's 53150) actually looks very smart and modern. Will the Marshall darts receive a new coat of paint though?

[126th street]

RE: First Manchester

(14/07/2014 23:12)Mayneway Wrote:  As a daily bus user and enthusiast I think there is still a very large gap performance wise between Stagecoach Manchester and First Manchester performance wise. The idea that new vehicles, leather seats, wifi and of course the lowering of the very high fares would fix the problems and make all good don't even scratch the surface. It's clearly management issues.
The driver shortage is nothing new and has been rumbling on now for about a year - yet nothing is done about it.

The problems at First, it seems to me, and not just in Manchester, come from a lack of discipline, with drivers often doing as they please, turning out late for reliefs because they've been talking, and so on. Back in the days of roller destination blinds it was quite common to see just a service number and no ultimate destination... usually not because the blind was broken but because the driver couldn't be bothered setting it correctly. Then you come to early running and all the rest of the comparatively minor niggles which pull down service standards.

All this is unacceptable, and something junior/middle management should be jumping all over. That they aren't suggests that the management chain isn't as strong as it should be.

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
Out of interest Dentonian I know you go on about reporting things to TfGM but out of interest how would someone go about doing it

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(15/07/2014 19:01)Dentonian Wrote:  Best ways would be to ring the switchboard (244 1000) and ask to be put through to Customer Relations, or e-mail them at customer.relations@tfgm.com

When ever I've complained to TFGM or indeed included them in a complaint they just seem to forward the issue to the operator who runs the service.

I've complained many times to both companies and TFGM regarding buses alighting outside Ashton Bus Station on Wellington road, which includes tendered services and TFGM have basically refused to get involved and simply pass the complaints form onto the operator.
I complained a couple of years ago about JPT's 169's alighting in the car park of Gala Bingo and again they just passed it into JPT and te practice contined.
I'd be surprised if they even raised an eyebrow at First missing journeys on tendered services.