Oakwood Travel (Classic Bus North West)

[wirralbus]

RE: Classic Bus North West

(23/12/2013 15:18)robertclark125 Wrote:  I've a feeling BTS, Stagecoach, or Preston Bus, will take the 80 on instead. But yeah, Cumfybus must feel cheated, as must, most importantly, the passengers. Remember, some of the subsidised services had to be altered so as to not compete with the new commercial route 80. Links were broken, in one or two cases, routes altered, as were timetables. This begs the question, why did CBNW do this?

Do think the transport act is going to have to be looked at more closely as this seems to be an unecessary expense by the tendering authority , maybe a longer period being allowed between terminating a contract and a commercial service starting to see if the commercial is really a viable option .

[126th street]

RE: Classic Bus North West

(23/12/2013 15:18)robertclark125 Wrote:  This begs the question, why did CBNW do this?

Because unfortunately they seem to have been yet another outfit from the 'playing buses' mould, who come along thinking it's all so easy and that any idiot can make a living running buses. Then when the inevitable happens it's a case of do one and leave others to pick up the pieces. Not the first time it has happened this year, and it will happen again in 2014.

Pulling a bunch of 11-year old Citaro artics out of long-term storage and expecting them then to work perfectly well when flogged flat out up and down the motorway all day tells me all I need to know. Ross and his boys at Ensign could have provided numerous much better alternatives, for a price.

[robertclark125]

RE: Classic Bus North West
I'm just thinking on better alternatives, and the list is long; Optare Versa, MAN 18.220, Volvo B10BLE, Enviro 300, VDL SB120, Scanias various offerings, Volvo B7L. And, no doubt, if they'd been looked after beforehand, even better.

[P528LND]

RE: Classic Bus North West

(23/12/2013 18:24)robertclark125 Wrote:  I'm just thinking on better alternatives, and the list is long; Optare Versa, MAN 18.220, Volvo B10BLE, Enviro 300, VDL SB120, Scanias various offerings, Volvo B7L. And, no doubt, if they'd been looked after beforehand, even better.

Robert, you can't really flag those buses up as being better so directly, as has been stated before they are being expected to run up and down the motorway non stop all day.

In my honest opinion, they would have fared better buying long distance coaches for the services, simply because of the fact that they are designed for that kind of work. Buses (more notably, bendybuses) are built for stop-start bus routes - not intercity running.

It was a silly move in the first place, I knew it wouldn't last the day I heard about it.

As for ClassicBus as a whole, I don't know a lot about them but I'm guessing they were doing a lot better beofre they started the X70.

[robertclark125]

RE: Classic Bus North West
I can see what you're getting at. I think I know the real reason they went for bendies. It probably had nothing to do with capacity. No, it was more the case of something that caught the eye. In that regard, the bendies worked; everyone noticed. They may have caught peoples eye, it's a pity those people didn't catch the bus.

Although it would add to running times, I had suggested before calling in at Preston. That would make the service Blackpool - Preston - Manchester. It would also give folk the choice of Blackpool - Preston.

Then again, look at their route 12. If they extended that into St. Annes, and kept it all year round, it would provide a faster link into Blackpool. Wise thinking now.

[M113 YKC]

RE: Classic Bus North West

(25/12/2013 21:51)robertclark125 Wrote:  I can see what you're getting at. I think I know the real reason they went for bendies. It probably had nothing to do with capacity. No, it was more the case of something that caught the eye. In that regard, the bendies worked; everyone noticed. They may have caught peoples eye, it's a pity those people didn't catch the bus.

Although it would add to running times, I had suggested before calling in at Preston. That would make the service Blackpool - Preston - Manchester. It would also give folk the choice of Blackpool - Preston.

Then again, look at their route 12. If they extended that into St. Annes, and kept it all year round, it would provide a faster link into Blackpool. Wise thinking now.

If only they thought like you...! I can understand why companies want to expand, but I really don't see the sense in them going out of their mind (randomly) like ClassicBus did with their RedRocket and 80 (the latter being a huge commitment) in such a short period of time.

Why don't companies start with one service and expand on that to make it better, expanding in small steps by branching off of that route to provide a better service for its identified customer base whilst expanding (as such)? Your idea regarding the 12 is a perfect example - improving what they've already established alongside expanding into a new market! Or have I lost the plot?

[P528LND]

RE: Classic Bus North West

(25/12/2013 22:23)KU02 YUH Wrote:  Why don't companies start with one service and expand on that to make it better, expanding in small steps by branching off of that route to provide a better service for its identified customer base whilst expanding (as such)? Your idea regarding the 12 is a perfect example - improving what they've already established alongside expanding into a new market! Or have I lost the plot?

I agree with you massively, however when a small company starts up in an area where another has a massive monopoly to the point that no matter where they run they will have competition, they have no chance running one route, because passengers then only have the choice of going to one or two places on this one route. With a full network going, you can then actually compete on other corridors and giving a much larger area for people to get around in on day tickets and week tickets.

Even though that sounds self explanatory, it's still not that easy - because there's never enough money in a new-starting company for them to be able to do this, market it, make it run perfectly etc. etc.

ClassicBus had a golden opportunity when they set up in an area where the competition is [merely] a municipal, they could have put up a good fight if they weren't playing around in Manchester. This here was the worst thing they could have done to themselves for its own reasons.

That's enough input for me anyway, there could have been much more problems behind closed doors that played a bigger part. The likelihood is, we probably will never know.

[St Helens Rider]

RE: Classic Bus North West
It is sad to see them go. They had some good ideas. One of the highlights during 2013 was the heritage running day on the 22 which included a Routemaster and 1946 vintage Lytham 19 on the route.

[robertclark125]

RE: Classic Bus North West
The 12 did call in at St. Annes, but it only terminated at the square. It didn't penetrate further south, where the 7 and 11 of BTS go. Doing this would've made the 12 much more than just a tourist bus. They could've promoted it as a faster link to the town centre in Blackpool, coming off the prom to serve the town centre bus stops, then back on the prom at Talbot Square. And it would've been quicker during the day.

It's easy to look back, but if the 12 and 22 were doing ok (I have no access to figures so cannot comment), they could then have run another service to Mereside Tesco, the number 6, re-creating the old Blackpool Transport 6. Centreing themselves on Tescos at Mereside would be better than trying to branch out to Manchester.

[SandyDrew]

RE: Classic Bus North West
This story has even made it onto the BBC News website today...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lan...e-25518788