GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

[33109]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)
Indeed & their fleet looks a mess, including a relatively new solo YJ59 GHG is scruffy & has a white rear bumper too, also the solos seem to suffer with an issue.

They've got what look like draught excluder flaps on the doors which are meant to fold down when the doors shut. On a lot of solos I've seen though they stick open.

[knutstransport]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

(06/07/2016 18:12)Mayneway Wrote:  How much longer are LA's like TFGM etc going to continue paying GHA to not turn up? It really is a shambles and it's about time some kind of action was taken.

TfGM haven't awarded any contracts to GHA. Cheshire East Council/Transport Service Solutions are responsible for the awards of the P1, 88, 200 and 289 services, while GHA operate the 130 Sunday and Bank Holiday service commercially (after they originally lost the contract to D&G.) The 289 contract is currently up for renewal but with some of the funding coming from Cheshire West and TfGM, those two authorities may not be too happy if Cheshire East want GHA to keep the contract. Also like I mentioned in an earlier post the new 289 contract will require the use of 35 seater buses so I'm not sure what GHA have got which will be suitable - the Solos and 29 seater Darts are ruled out while the Wright Renowns and 45 seater Plaxton Centros might be a big difficult to use on some of the rural roads.

[33109]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)
Sorry guys but I wished D&G had ran the 130 sun duty instead. At least they've got drivers & they show up when their meant to.

[knutstransport]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

(07/07/2016 08:44)33109 Wrote:  Indeed & their fleet looks a mess, including a relatively new solo YJ59 GHG is scruffy & has a white rear bumper too, also the solos seem to suffer with an issue.
...
Sorry guys but I wished D&G had ran the 130 sun duty instead. At least they've got drivers & they show up when their meant to.

The majority of buses used by D&G in Cheshire are now 60 reg or newer so on average they use much younger buses than GHA on Cheshire routes. While GHA have fairly new Enviro 200s operating in Cheshire, they also use a considerable number of Solos and Darts which are over 10 years old, not to mention how old some of GHA's deckers are.

Yesterday D&G had a 11 reg Enviro 200 on the 300 service, which looked to be better maintained than the 64 reg Enviro 200s usually used on the 88 route, even if it lacked the wifi, leather seats and table which are on the GHA Gold Enviros.

[solo]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)
So I'm guessing the adverts for 100s of Agency drivers were unsuccessful?

Not seen any of their own Driver recruitment adverts for a long time.

[solo]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

(06/07/2016 19:01)33109 Wrote:  Indeed & their fleet looks a mess, including a relatively new solo YJ59 GHG is scruffy & has a white rear bumper too, also the solos seem to suffer with an issue.

They've got what look like draught excluder flaps on the doors which are meant to fold down when the doors shut. On a lot of solos I've seen though they stick open.

I agree with that plenty of damage and odd colour panels.The exteriors were always of a good standard I found even in winter the 82's I caught in the mornings would turn up having been put through the wash the previous evening. Now they look like they've just had a hose squirted at them and the interiors are quite frankly a disgrace.
Would be a pleasure if Stagecoach were to compete on the 82's... I know which one I would be sat on

[DK09 GXY]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

(06/07/2016 13:43)DLG817 Wrote:  .
GHA News July 2016

Former Mid Wales Enviro 200 Dart YX60BZK which arrived with GHA in June with RTC damage went immediately to specialist repairers in Gobowen.

Traws Cymru Scania / Enviro 400 SN15ETF (3003) has returned to service after spending the last eleven months receiving repairs following a RTC which occurred within one month of it first being used. Apparently there had been a considerable delay in sourcing certain parts. -PHOTO LINK-

Volvo / Plaxton Profile CA06GHA (4003) has also returned to service. It had been off the road following a serious RTC twelve months ago.

Following an unsuccessful attempt to sell Leyland Tiger / Paramount J935CYK (4235) it has now returned to service.

Levantes FJ56PBU/X (4081/2) have not yet been sold and still remain in the fleet.

Dart R504JFE (1504) with Spryte body has been scrapped on site.

Autobus Classique bodied Mercedes S580ACT which came from Abbey Travel Executive, Essex in January 2011 has also been scrapped on site with its carcass being taken to Lelo Metals, Corwen.
The minibus had been a long term project to repair but this was abandoned and parts from the coach have been used on other vehicles.

T91JBA (1011) has been sold to Midland Trade Centre. This Merc with Plaxton Beaver body was originally new to Phillips, Holywell.

Midland Trade Centre have also purchased N3GHA (1003) [Merc / Marshall] . However it has not yet left the Ruabon depot. This was one of the first pair of new vehicles purchased by GHA in January 1996

In a previous report I stated that some 6 vehicles had been sold to Shelton Motors in Cambridge and it was anticipated that most of them would depart in June. Four of them have left but so far Darts S200CBC (1505) and V7GHA (1527) are still at Ruabon but it is anticipated they will soon depart to join the others.

A large number of vehicles are currently out of service and unlicensed at Ruabon. Some of these are undergoing repairs and the company now normally make Statutory Off Road Notifications (SORN) when vehicles are off the road for such repairs.

Volvo B10M / Alexander K781DAO (2781) has been withdrawn and is to donate parts shortly. Sister K772DAO (2772) however remains in service.

Ex Dobsons Olympian K656UNH (3656) has been withdrawn probably permanently.

Ex Shropshire Bus and Coach Iveco's SF54PXL (1092) and GN53OPM (1091) are currently unlicensed as work will be done to convert them to PSV standard.

Leyland Tiger / Alexander H279LEF (2479) is withdrawn at Winsford with a cracked windscreen. Unfortunately a replacement screen is proving difficult to source and this may result in the end of this ex Arriva (NW&W) workhorse.

GHA undertook the park and ride shuttle operation that took place for the Stereophonics concert at the Wrexham football Racecourse ground on July 2nd. Four of the deckers used on this Shuttle were then involved as duplicates for the 11.00 pm 5 service to Llangollen. Two of these vehicles involved were Olympian P4GHA (3614) and Traws Cymru liveried SN15ETF (3003).

It is understood that the recent fine imposed on the company for breaches of Health and Safety legislation in connection with lifting equipment within their workshops has been reduced from £250,000 to £90,000 at a subsequent hearing of the Magistrates Court

Any updates on the B10BLEs from a few months ago being converted to DDA yet?

[knutstransport]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

(07/07/2016 10:28)solo Wrote:  So I'm guessing the adverts for 100s of Agency drivers were unsuccessful?

Not seen any of their own Driver recruitment adverts for a long time.

Seems the new plan is to find people who want a job and to train them as drivers

Quote:A bus operator has made a public apology for the ‘poor level of service’ it has provided in recent weeks. GHA Coaches who operate several services in Shrewsbury and Shropshire has recently come under criticism regarding the reliability of bus services it operates in the county. Conscious that the quality has fallen in the last few weeks, the Ruabon-based operator has begun a strong recruitment drive as part of their determination to resolve issues. “One of the problems has been a shortage of drivers,” said GHA Coaches General Manager Stephen Bryce. “There is a national shortage of qualified bus drivers and we are addressing this by looking for friendly and reliable people who enjoy meeting the public and whom we can train to become bus drivers.

Read the full article via shropshirelive.com at: http://www.shropshirelive.com/2016/07/11...f-service/

With GHA being affected by driver shortages much more than any other operator it suggests they are having more issues retaining drivers or have drivers less willing to do overtime, than other operators.

[33109]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)
It would seem that way aye, is it due to wages or conditions or other poss unknown factors why they're not able to keep drivers on for any length of time I wonder???

Also when you compare GHA's fleet to say that of D&G, arriva & other operators in competition with them, it's gotta be said they don't do themselves any favors. A big chunk of their fleet is quite old now & even the newer stuff doesn't seem to be that well looked after tbh.

Here's hoping they'll be able to start recruiting some more drivers. Also i'm not sure what anyone else's view is on this, but it seems to me that the bus industry in general is lacking some younger blood. A load of the GHA drivers are getting on a bit now, when they start retiring there's gonna be a fairly sizeable gap to plug.

[Mayneway]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)
I think it's quite laughable really to blaim a 'national shortage of bus drivers' for there problems.
At the start of the year it was single decker DDA regulations causing problems for them. They have gone from recruiting 100 qualified drivers to now recruiting trainee drivers with the promise of a bright future, this to me suggests thier desperate.

How many other operators big and small nationally have been affected by this driver shortage? To a point where service levels have been greatly affected? I know First Manchester have had problems in the past but even thier problems seem to have been solved.
There's clearly internal reasons why drivers arnt staying. Whether it be pay, working conditions or management, until these issue are resolved their going to continue to sink.