First Manchester

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
Actually the timetable and allocation for 24 is quite interesting as despite it being an hourly service it still requires 3 vehicles to operate it and the usual allocation is the following:

1x Citaro
1x B7
1x Volvo Olympian

The 2 vehicles normally on the route are time to pass each other between Chadderton Town Hall and Chadderton Sportsman with the 3rd vehicle normally on layover in Rochdale Bus Station until just before one is due to get into Rochdale Bus Station.

The Volvo Olympian is normally on the same duty day in/day out as this interworks with a School in the afternoon

Also the 181/182 sometimes gets the odd Citaro allocated during the week from what I've seen

Other interesting allocations from Oldham Depot include the following:

1x Volvo Olympian on Peak 58s (this comes of a School in the afternoon)
1x Volvo B7 on 389 (16:20 off Hyde)
1x Volvo Olympian on 387 (16:50 off Hyde, bus comes off 126 Bluecoat School-Haughton Green)

[P528LND]

RE: First Manchester
Have you seen the duty sheets Andy? They're actually much more complicated the 24 ones...

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
Nothing complicated with First's Duty sheets, not compared to some other operators, take Rossendalebus for example you might end up doing upto 4 services on your first bit all with the same bus.

Oh and I forgot there's currently an Olympian turn on morning peak 182 as it starts with a journey or 2 on 719 Rochdale-Hopwood Hall College, then it does 435 Rochdale-Crompton House School, before going onto do 08:42 182 Rochdale-Piccadilly service before going dead back to Depot

[Polo Mint]

RE: First Manchester
High floor vehicles shouldn't be in the fleet at all, even for school services. Surely there are some older low floor Tridents in other Firstgroup fleets?

The 24 seems run down, only hourly?

[jimbo]

RE: First Manchester
Yeah the funding for the 24 was reduced, so the service was too... it is only really used as an alternative for the 181/182 up to chadderton, people rarely get on it from Manchester to Royton or Oldham/Rochdale Road

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
Two Olympians were out today. One on the 58, the other on the 425. One of the 180/184 branded Enviros was also on the 425, while a 409 branded Enviro was on the 184.

[jimbo]

RE: First Manchester
And unbraded b9 on the 6

[P528LND]

RE: First Manchester
33698 on the 408? :O

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
Olympian 34096 on the 184 this afternoon

[Polo Mint]

RE: First Manchester
How is the closure of Oldham St. affecting services to Piccadilly? Are buses stopping at alternative locations?