Stagecoach MCSL - Chester & Wirral Depots

[Wright Eclipse]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(08/09/2014 15:26)wirralbus Wrote:  If the X8 is being marketed as fast in the route advertising why not brand the buses on the service 1 as slow .

they could always do what theyve down down south in canterbury,& Have X8 branded as "Fast" & the 1 branded as "Scenic"

I Do wonder if they might of been better just extending X2 from the Port to liverpool if they wanted a fast service (or would this of affected the QBP?)

[PO59 MXJ]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(08/09/2014 20:14)polarbear Wrote:  

• The drivers appear to be setting down passengers at some stops that aren't listed in the publicity.
• There seems to be quite a bit of slack in the schedules
• Early days, but I think the publicity push Stagecoach have done around Chester has resulted in people using the new service from day 1.
  

Hopefully, this will generate more custom on the route & in time, the schedules tweaked to better reflect the ability of the 300's.

The drivers (ones who never done the 1 and 2 when Chester operated them) are still finding there way around and trying to remember what bus stop is what. As for the slack, this is probably due to the driver flooring it because they are unsure of how long its going to take from stop to stop, this will wear out. Once word gets around then more people will use it meaning more time spent loading and unloading which will even the times out.
On another note, 27778 is off the road due to the door window being smashed, this happened around 3pm in Cheshire Oaks.

[LJ51 DDA]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Before i state this ill just say this is MY OPINION

Personally i think the X8 has not been thought through very well at all, the branding looks awful and as for a bus not even displaying its proper blind on its second day is hilarious, now looking at the timetable i worked out that if you did the X2 from Chester to Ellesmere then got on board the first 1/2 to arrive at Ellesmere you would in fact arrive at the same time or just earlier so in my opinion it is not 'FAST' at all or even a Express..i dont see how just over a hour is 'FAST' or a 'Express' anyway seeming as you can get a Saveaway which is cheaper and do the train from Chester in 45 minutes, i just think its been badly planned and on top of that ive already seen a photo of a Chester Service 16 branded E20D on the X8 of course as stated there is a vehicle currently NFS but wouldn't one of the Unbranded eclipse's be more suitable 21261 for example. But as stated that is my opinion.

[wirralbus]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Timing issues can be sorted out once some data is collated over about a week or two , some journeys may need more and some less.

I think with motorway usage you are at the behest of the traffic conditions particulary on the southern section of the M53 around the junction with the M56 going to and from North Wales .

[MPTE1955]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Criticism on the second day of service is a bit harsh, it needs a chance to bed in before it can judged properly.

[Raawwwrrr!]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Also the saverway is more expensive at £4.90, not cheaper.

[LJ51 DDA]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
Im criticizing what ive seen in two days and what has been advertised its just my opinion think i stated that, because its not Fast at all.

Yes indeed Raawrrrr my mistake, but then again id pay extra to go cheaper if i was a passenger

[polarbear]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
I appreciate it will take a while for the X8 to settle down & I expect some things like timings & stopping points will be revised in due course. From my point of view, I would like to see better connectivity at EP bus station as the X8 doesn't really connect well with the X2 (which would be the cheap way to provide an express bus service between Chester & Liverpool).

No, it's not the fastest Chester - Liverpool service end to end but it's designed to tap into some new markets. If I lived around the Hoole Road/Kingsway area of Chester & commuted to Liverpool, I'd be tempted to try the bus. From Hoole Road, the journey time on the X8 to Liverpool is around 1 hour but compare that to a train journey of 40 min PLUS the time taken to get the railway station (not to mention the much higher peak fares on the train) and it starts to make a lot of sense.

It's also routed past both Chester & Ellesmere Port stations as Stagecoach are negotiating with the train operating companies for through rail ticketing to/from Cheshire Oaks. Another potential market that is largely untapped.

The former X7 and X8 services in Crosville/First days were more direct, but didn't pay as they didn't pick up sufficient passengers. Since those times, Cheshire Oaks has appeared & is a major revenue generator for the bus companies.

A direct Chester - Liverpool bus, omitting Cheshire Oaks just won't work in this day & age as the train now has the majority of that market.

[LJ51 DDA]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(09/09/2014 20:28)polarbear Wrote:  I appreciate it will take a while for the X8 to settle down & I expect some things like timings & stopping points will be revised in due course. From my point of view, I would like to see better connectivity at EP bus station as the X8 doesn't really connect well with the X2 (which would be the cheap way to provide an express bus service between Chester & Liverpool).

No, it's not the fastest Chester - Liverpool service end to end but it's designed to tap into some new markets. If I lived around the Hoole Road/Kingsway area of Chester & commuted to Liverpool, I'd be tempted to try the bus. From Hoole Road, the journey time on the X8 to Liverpool is around 1 hour but compare that to a train journey of 40 min PLUS the time taken to get the railway station (not to mention the much higher peak fares on the train) and it starts to make a lot of sense.

It's also routed past both Chester & Ellesmere Port stations as Stagecoach are negotiating with the train operating companies for through rail ticketing to/from Cheshire Oaks. Another potential market that is largely untapped.

The former X7 and X8 services in Crosville/First days were more direct, but didn't pay as they didn't pick up sufficient passengers. Since those times, Cheshire Oaks has appeared & is a major revenue generator for the bus companies.

A direct Chester - Liverpool bus, omitting Cheshire Oaks just won't work in this day & age as the train now has the majority of that market.

Just buy a Saveaway thats £4.90 any day no matter what the time of purchase is bar the fact of the weekday peak times thats it.

As regarding Cheshire oaks Etc..why doesn't the X8 just do Chester - Chester Station - Ellesmere Bus Station - Ellesmere Station - Cheshire Oaks Express via Motorway to Birkenhead then over to Liverpool that would be a much nicer service and quite quick to be honest like i said 1 Hour 10 minutes is not a Express at all in my opinion.

[St Helens Rider]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral
I've always thought it strange that there was no dedicated Ellesmere Port Rail Station - Cheshire Oaks link over the years. If the service keeps to time, 46 minutes Liverpool - Cheshire Oaks is very competitive.