GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

[Valandil]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

(05/03/2016 11:09)knutstransport Wrote:  With the drivers based at Macclesfield outstation did they transfer to GHA's other depots or did some/all of them leave the company? The 27 route seems to have seen a lot of new drivers since December and I would have thought it would have made sense to keep the drivers on the routes they're familiar with.

While I don't know the answer to your question, I do agree that GHA seems to do a large amount of changing depots/outstations which operate services, probably with good intentions, but it does have drawbacks too.

(05/03/2016 10:57)knutstransport Wrote:  [T]hey made it look like their intention was to steal Network Warrington's passengers opposed to winning both Network Warrington's passengers and attracting new passengers.

If they had painted the Metrocities in say gold, ran them 30 minutes before/after Network Warrington's services but done marketing to highlight their fares are lower, they use new buses with wifi etc. they might have got less passengers initially but they might have done better in the long term.

Completely agree really.
British people tend to like fair play and resent unfair play, even if they themselves could save like 10p on their bus fare from it.
I remember my family boycotting Arriva when they were competing in the 'bus wars' of the 1990's with Warrington Borough Transport and, while I didn't understand why they were letting buses go past at the time (being quite young back then), it all makes sense now.

If Cheshire West council had had the powers to introduce a Merseyside-style QBP (and exercised them) it might have brought your imaginary situation about.
A QBP couldn't have been imposed at the Warrington end due to the large number of services through Stockton Heath (the same reason why, annoyingly, a QBP can't be introduced on the 14/79C between Liverpool and Widnes).
But then if it was enforced at one end, it would naturally work at the other end anyway, as no operator would have their vehicles sit around for a bit after they cross the boundary out of the QBP zone.