Arriva North West - Southport Depot

[skelmersey]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(20/12/2012 19:43)Vbg111v Wrote:  It's all very well transferring buses, buying buses & branding buses. If however they are allocated incorrectly it all proves pointless. The 375/85 has been running Pulsars packed to the rafters with standees suffering a horrendous long journey in poor conditions. Meanwhile the 43/6 or other single deck routes run a half empty double decker. It makes Arriva look fools. Branded stock running the wrong routes confuses people & 95% of the time is unavoidable. The ageing non DDA compliant 'School' deckers, a regular sight on local routes, leaving pushchair & wheelchair customers seething. I've written a letter to the company & will publish their response when it is received.

I agree, waited 15 mins at Digmoor to go to Upholland and when a 395 turned up it was like a sardine tin, after it looped Tanhouse a half empty 385 decker caught up, either increase the frequency on either or decker the 395

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot
St Helens won't decker the 395; it shouldn't justify it and the interworking 352 certainly doesn't either. I also doubt that they'd go for a frequency increase given the way it interworks with the 352. Besides which, if the 375/385 runs to timetable, it again shouldn't justify it.

If the 375/385 are struggling to keep time and running practically empty as a result, increasing the frequency/running time on those is probably the best way to go.

[skelmersey]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(22/12/2012 16:16)CX54 DKD Wrote:  St Helens won't decker the 395; it shouldn't justify it and the interworking 352 certainly doesn't either. I also doubt that they'd go for a frequency increase given the way it interworks with the 352. Besides which, if the 375/385 runs to timetable, it again shouldn't justify it.

If the 375/385 are struggling to keep time and running practically empty as a result, increasing the frequency/running time on those is probably the best way to go.

The 385 was not empty, lower deck full, but its annoying seeing seats spare on top while people are standing on the 395, if its Arriva policy to single deck I understand but why is one depot OK to run deckers while the other isnt?

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot
Because the 'other' may not be able to make a return on them. Generally, with the exception of some journeys on the Liverpool road, St Helens wouldn't make a return on deckers. Although the 395 may run full at times, it won't at others and besides which, as I explained above, it interworks with the 352 which doesn't justify deckers at all so, would there really be justification for St Helens to take on deckers to operate peak journeys on a route which the vehicle wouldn't even spend all day allocated to? I think not...

[skelmersey]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(22/12/2012 16:30)CX54 DKD Wrote:  Because the 'other' may not be able to make a return on them. Generally, with the exception of some journeys on the Liverpool road, St Helens wouldn't make a return on deckers. Although the 395 may run full at times, it won't at others and besides which, as I explained above, it interworks with the 352 which doesn't justify deckers at all so, would there really be justification for St Helens to take on deckers to operate peak journeys on a route which the vehicle wouldn't even spend all day allocated to? I think not...

Then the solution is to give Southport the 395 interworking with the 375/385, I do think St Helens struggle to keep to times with working the 352 with the 395, if the 352 is so bad for loadings they should decrease the frequency to the same as the 395 and run deckers

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot
The 352 isn't poor for loadings, it fills Pulsars but that doesn't mean it justifies deckers. However, nor would I have said St Helens particularly struggle with the services as recent delays have stemmed from traffic in the Wigan region so anything operating in the area would have been subject to them. I'm fairly certain that operating the 395 off of the 375/385 would mean breaching driving hour regulations and Southport operating it independently would endure the same issues that St Helens would if they did - getting drivers out to operate it.

If the 375/385 have been suffering from issues and not running ahead of the 395, then perhaps, as I've already suggested, running time/frequency should be increased there so that they can run to time and pick up the bulk of passenger traffic leaving the 395 free to pick up the smaller loads. The only reason it's getting so full at the moment is because of the accumulation of passengers it is having to pick up. Lets not forget that a lot of the 375/385 allocation has been single deck recently anyway.

[skelmersey]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(22/12/2012 16:52)CX54 DKD Wrote:  The 352 isn't poor for loadings, it fills Pulsars but that doesn't mean it justifies deckers. However, nor would I have said St Helens particularly struggle with the services as recent delays have stemmed from traffic in the Wigan region so anything operating in the area would have been subject to them. I'm fairly certain that operating the 395 off of the 375/385 would mean breaching driving hour regulations and Southport operating it independently would endure the same issues that St Helens would if they did - getting drivers out to operate it.

If the 375/385 have been suffering from issues and not running ahead of the 395, then perhaps, as I've already suggested, running time/frequency should be increased there so that they can run to time and pick up the bulk of passenger traffic leaving the 395 free to pick up the smaller loads. The only reason it's getting so full at the moment is because of the accumulation of passengers it is having to pick up. Lets not forget that a lot of the 375/385 allocation has been single deck recently anyway.

In all honesty the services have become worse since Skem closed, at least there was both singles and deckers on both services then but since they operate separately its a joke, the 395 is always behind schedule

[SLTRegular]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot
Its not helping by the fact st helens keep sending buses out of service from Orrell/Billinge/Upholland Wigan bound and then driving via Winstanley to sort timing issues out which is slowly driving people from the car and bus onto the trains at Orrell

If they need to do this and they have done this for many a year back to the days of the awful tyranny of those cowboys merseybus/MTL North/Lancashire Travel why dont they just make a X52 or X95 limited stop Orrell Post-Wigan and then normal stopping to St Helens or Southport as Clearly the Ormskirk road Corridor is a major issue with regards timings of buses into wigan and re route via Winstanley like the old Northwestern Haydock Route 342?

[skelmersey]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(22/12/2012 17:35)SLTRegular Wrote:  Its not helping by the fact st helens keep sending buses out of service from Orrell/Billinge/Upholland Wigan bound and then driving via Winstanley to sort timing issues out which is slowly driving people from the car and bus onto the trains at Orrell

If they need to do this and they have done this for many a year back to the days of the awful tyranny of those cowboys merseybus/MTL North/Lancashire Travel why dont they just make a X52 or X95 limited stop Orrell Post-Wigan and then normal stopping to St Helens or Southport as Clearly the Ormskirk road Corridor is a major issue with regards timings of buses into wigan and re route via Winstanley like the old Northwestern Haydock Route 342?

Increase frequency is the answer, Skem ran the 375/385 at 15 mins once WITH the 395, I am sure if Stagecoach Wigan ran into Skem it would help, but agreements will be in place previously between operators

[skemnational]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot
I also think the 395 should be transfers to southport,there is also talk round depot that stagecoach Wigan are going to run a bus to skem and it would be arrivas own doing,the 375 needs brandnew deckers that aren't going to break down,this route is up there revenue wise with any in north west,

Also 2624 on 375 today
2725 on Wigan lates