Diamond Bus North West

[Winston]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(16/07/2019 11:14)gilesbus1 Wrote:  Whatever Diamond do your still adding unnecessary pollution from engines that need not occur. All a super depot does is cause smaller depots to close and services that are distance from it to be dropped and late and early journeys to also be dropped, nothing super about that is there?, now in Greater Manchester which is super depot capital of the UK we seem to have super depots clearing up other super depots, and it will get to the state if it carries on where the only depots that exist are those close to Central Manchester, already Bury and Trafford have no depots, Salford had no depot for many years and Tameside had no depot for many years, Wigan's going that way.

What I can't understand is why Rotala seems keen to hand on to depot and pay high lease charges when there is little chance of it ever being used again, simply business sence should say terminate off lease now and cut costs. If a depot's needed again then no doub't another car workshop somewhere else could be picked up and leased, perhaps closer to Wigan where the bulk of everything else is and which offers the ability to take routes from Preston Bus around Skelmersdale and Ormskirk again, and be much nearer, and also offers growth opportunities in Lancashire and Merseyside, and the option to pick up tenders like Garswood to Wigan which seems to frequently change hands more often than changing a set of socks, and other routes in Newton-le-Willows, etc... Thus making it more sustainable in the long term, rather than 4 years further down the line closing the depot again, and also should Greater Manchester and/or Merseyside eventually go for competitive tendering gives a greater scope to go for contracts in those area's.

As for single deckers you have already stated that Rotala is only buying new double-deckers for Bolton so its hardly fixing the issues of the Volvo B7RLE's on lease, unless what Rotala is intending to do is replace saloons on Bolton/Bury town services and the 582 with deckers or minibuses? Granted the 582 needs deckers but can't see town routes in Bolton crying out for them, also I remember being told that there is a low bridge issue on one particular town route in Bolton and others will tell me which it is, that would be unsuitable for deckers in anycase?

Completely disagree with your comment highlighted, for all the reasons previously stated. There will be fewer buses at Bolton than at present, not more! Only a small portion will operate routes any different to what they do now. With some based at the opposite end of the route.

Late & early journeys are dropped because no one uses them & they are not viable, operators aren't a charity, it's a commercial business that needs to make money or at the very least break even. Even TfGM are dropping journeys on tendered routes to save money, fact of life currently. A super depot cut costs for the operator having one large depot instead of 2 or 3 small depots, staffing levels can also be rationalized. In times of increasing costs, falling passenger numbers / government cuts and falling profit margins, that's what needs to happen, accept it. Most big cities have a fewer number of super depots, very few have small local depots, as they're too expensive to keep running. EYMS is a good example, looks at the number of small depots that were closed prior to sale to Go-Ahead.

You don't know what the lease agreement / clauses are regarding Atherton, nor Rotala's future plans / requirement, just guessing.

No, I've previously said that Rotala are drafting in some of their own buses to make up the numbers comprising 08/58 plate B7RLE/Wright, some Euro 6 single deckers from within Rotala group & potentially a quantity of Euro 6 single deckers acquired externally (used). You are getting a little ahead of yourself as regard new buses, Rotala will not be replacing the whole 125 leased buses within the first few months, they are leasing from First for up to 2 years, only part of the replacement order has been decided, even Rotala don't what they're ordering for the remainder yet!