North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

[Metroline1511]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak
Stagecoach in Manchester have notices recommending contactless payment. The 192s I've used (due to redundancy and using buses to other supermarkets to counteract the panic buying) have been sufficiently quiet for the 5 or 6 minute frequency to seem sufficient for now.

[knutstransport]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak
One thought I've had is the children who are off school are unlikely to sit at home all day. Could they end up boosting off-peak loadings on public transport even if it's just travelling to their friend's over the other side of the town or going to the park?

[ant17612]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(20/03/2020 11:40)DOG101 Wrote:  Very disappointing that every other operator in the North West has managed to publicise revised timetables in this time of crisis with the one exception of Arriva. Very poor showing for a so called major operator, particularly as people’s livelihoods depend on this information.

Altrincham bus station has posters outlining the service changes to the 19, 245, 247 and 263. I can only assume their is information like this at majority of Interchanges so therefore I would say your comment was a bit premature.

[TheShire]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(21/03/2020 19:00)iMarkeh Wrote:  Stagecoach don't literally run every 3.3 minutes, that is just how the 18 buses per hour works out on average. I don't think that though down to every 5 is much of a reduction if the passengers are down as much as has been reported. I suppose it is 6bph less but still doesn't seem a lot.

I am surprised the Metrolink hasn't reduced down to every 15 on each route or just drop some of the routes completely (Media City - Ashton and run the Eccles - Ashton via MediaCity. Also the Shaw - East Dids route and just run the Rochdale route).

Sometimes not ideal

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...sport.html

[iMarkeh]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(22/03/2020 14:39)TheShire Wrote:  Sometimes not ideal

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...sport.html

It's a double edged sword. Lower frequency means you better suit demand but the other side is yes you are risking more people on each tram.

Some areas are absolutely dead and have 1 or 2 people per bus (obviously not metrolink and it wasn't in Manchester but if Manchester is as bad as some other areas, a similar story could come out), slight reductions won't do much.

Taking 1 tram per hour out of the equation means for every 4 people on the withdrawn trip, 1 extra person will be on the others. 1 or 2 extra people won't be a huge issue if the numbers are low to start with. Not only does less trams mean less drivers needed (and thus reduced overheads), but also it means less wear and tear on the infrastructure and trams meaning better reliability in the long run.

Could lower frequencies mean more double trams as well which then reinforces the social distancing thing. A double tram every 12 minutes is the same as a single tram every 6 for example. The main difference is less cost.

[knutstransport]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(23/03/2020 01:12)iMarkeh Wrote:  Could lower frequencies mean more double trams as well which then reinforces the social distancing thing. A double tram every 12 minutes is the same as a single tram every 6 for example. The main difference is less cost.

I think the main thing to consider is how that will affect people who have to make journeys with multiple legs, possibly on multiple modes of transport. For instance, Altrincham-Chester and Altrincham-Stockport trains are only to be every 2 hours and Altrincham-Warrington buses will only be hourly so a missed connection at Altrincham will mean a long wait for some people, possibly increasing the chance of someone deciding to do non-essential shopping to pass the time.

[Mrboo]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak
Lets be clear the bus companies want to cut as many services as they can as they are going under as they are not making any money on any service. no schools / many free passes holders are not using buses/ most workers working from home.

I can see them banning people from services who are not keyworkers within days

[knutstransport]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(23/03/2020 10:37)Mrboo Wrote:  Lets be clear the bus companies want to cut as many services as they can as they are going under as they are not making any money on any service. no schools / many free passes holders are not using buses/ most workers working from home.

I can see them banning people from services who are not keyworkers within days

Don't forget some people need to use the bus to get to essential medical appointments. It's not always easy to know what impact a bus cut could have on these due to some community hospitals and clinics having specialists present only for a few hours per week. For instance I'm aware at Wilmslow Health Centre one clinic only runs on a Tuesday evening. If the 88 bus service does not run on a Tuesday evening then some patients may have to travel further to go to an alternative facility instead.

[Mrboo]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(23/03/2020 10:59)knutstransport Wrote:  Don't forget some people need to use the bus to get to essential medical appointments. It's not always easy to know what impact a bus cut could have on these due to some community hospitals and clinics having specialists present only for a few hours per week. For instance I'm aware at Wilmslow Health Centre one clinic only runs on a Tuesday evening. If the 88 bus service does not run on a Tuesday evening then some patients may have to travel further to go to an alternative facility instead.

essential medical appointments. should be covered by medical transport now.

I can see very soon the order to only allow keyworkers to use buses to happen. once they say no work apart from core jobs there no reason for anyone to use buses without a reason like a letter to say your going to a appointment
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[knutstransport]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(23/03/2020 13:57)Mrboo Wrote:  essential medical appointments. should be covered by medical transport now.

Patient transport services are for those who cannot get to appointments by other means. My mum in her late 70s had to use them after suffering a fracture, meaning she couldn't easily get in to a car or get to a bus stop. Yet before they booked the service for her they asked numerous questions to confirm there was no way of her to get there, like can a neighbour/friend/relative take you?

I'm not sure they have enough vehicles and drivers to take everyone who needs to attend an out-patient appointment at any facility, especially if some of those who can usually rely on a lift from a neighbour/friend/relative can't due to their usual helper needing to self-isolate, unless the NHS starts paying for loads of taxis or if they start requisitioning buses which are normally used for bus services but which aren't operating.

Quote:like a letter to say your going to a appointment

If we do go down the French/Italian route I'm not sure a requirement for holding a letter would work. The way the NHS consultant/specialist system works is you might get a letter for an appointment weeks away and then out of the blue you get a phone call saying someone's cancelled their appointment tomorrow and asking if you want that slot.

I think the Italian approach is you fill out a form and you might not be asked to show the form but if the police ask to see it and you don't have one or they find out you've lied then they can fine you. I'm pretty sure the Italians also allow 'non-essential' workers to travel to work if it's not possible for them to work from home e.g. if you're an animal keeper at the zoo.

For my GPs I've never had any communication by post to confirm/remind me of appointments and my dentist has stopped sending out appointment cards (instead sending reminders by text) except where people have told them they don't want texts/don't have a mobile.