Stagecoach Manchester

[Barney]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(07/03/2019 01:37)Y474 KNF Wrote:  A number of Arriva North West buses have been fitted with e-leather seating and WiFi recently


There are times where some areas need and receive more investment than others. Operators can only afford to buy a certain amount of new buses each year and they have to prioritise which area needs them the most

The whole issue of fleet replacement for both large and small operators should not be confined to this thread alone.

I will simply make these points. Until about 1980 the PTEs were able to invest in fleet renewal thanks to three factors. Firstly, there was a national trend to introduce OPO as a means of saving running costs. Secondly, they received a 50% reduction in the actual cost of each unit thanks to the New Bus Grant and thirdly successive central governments recognised that all forms of mass transit should be in the public domain.

Like it or not, both bus and train operation in this country is now in the hands of companies either quoted on the stock exchange or in the hands of foreign governments. Their whole raison d'etre is make a profit NOT to provide a service.