Diamond Bus North West

[Winston]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(10/07/2019 21:17)GMBuses North Wrote:  He did very little under First, fact, I bore witness to it ???? So yeah, will be interesting to see how long he lasts... The last one they got from First certainly didn't last long... ????

Can't comment, as know very little about him.

Exactly my point, he's now just taking over Yellow Buses from RAPT as an MBO

[Mrboo]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(10/07/2019 21:17)GMBuses North Wrote:  He did very little under First, fact, I bore witness to it ???? So yeah, will be interesting to see how long he lasts... The last one they got from First certainly didn't last long... ????

With First Manchester he had to work with other Depot Managers from other Manchester units you can`t up wages or take cleaners out of being inhouse and you use the buses head office say you can have. with Diamond he maybe given more power or told you will do this and this.

Getting a replacement bus to a broken down bus to Leigh may take longer now but who knows they may keep a spare that is the taxi bus that is close to Leigh.

[gilesbus1]

RE: Diamond Bus North West
The problem with the bus industry and I will be frank is that it recruits fools who seem to think they can do things on the cheap, and then ships them immediately off no places hundred's of miles away they have no idea about. That is First's problem in a nutshell. Someone with a decent geographic knowledge could have saved them £m's also First refused to allow managers to take risk unlike Stagecoach again, another reason why they have failed.

Think with First the remainder will be broken up by this time next year, buyers at a guess will be:-

First Aberdeen - Aberdeen City Council
First Glasgow - Glasgow City Council and Lanarkshire Council
First Scotland East - Stirling Council
First Oldham - Closed - remains to Transdev, Rotala and MCT
First Vantage - Stripped by TfGM due to poor performance and re-let to Stagecoach Wigan
First West Yorkshire - Stagecoach
First York - Transdev
First South Yorkshire - Wellglade/Centrebus/MBO co-orp
First Potteries - Rotala
First Leicester - Centrebus
First Midland Red - Rotala
First Slough - Reading Buses
First Eastern Counties - MBO with First Eastern National as Eastern Counties National
First Eastern National - MBO with First Eastern Counties as Eastern Counties National
First Southampton, Fareham and Portsmouth depots- MBO
First Bristol - Stagecoach
First Dorset - MBO plus Property Company MBO
First Buses of Somerset - Dorset Bus as above plus Property MBO
First Cornwall - Go Ahead
First South Wales - Go Ahead

Elsewhere looks like Arriva is heading to Venture Capitalists who will then break it up and sell it in order to raise capital within 2 - 3 years

Buyers

Arriva North East - North East Property Company buses sold onwards to Stagecoach and Go Ahead in seperate sales all older depots redeveloped
Arriva North West - Merseyside opps to GoAhead, Cheshire Opps to Transdev, Manchester opps, Wythenshawe to Rotala, Bolton closed and demolished routes to Rotala and Stagecoach Wigan
Arriva Yorkshire - Go Ahead
Arriva Midlands North - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva Derby/Fox - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva The Shires - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva Colchester - Sold to Go Ahead
Arriva Southend - Sold to Go Ahead
Arriva Southern Counties (Except Guildford) - Sold to GoAhead
Arriva Guildford - Closed - routes taken on by independent operators and Stagecoach
Arriva Cymru - Sold to Lloyds, Property Company and Craig Group
Arriva London - Tower Transit/Transdev/RATP/Stagecoach/MBO depot by depot.

[gilesbus1]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(10/07/2019 21:31)Mrboo Wrote:  With First Manchester he had to work with other Depot Managers from other Manchester units you can`t up wages or take cleaners out of being inhouse and you use the buses head office say you can have. with Diamond he maybe given more power or told you will do this and this.

Getting a replacement bus to a broken down bus to Leigh may take longer now but who knows they may keep a spare that is the taxi bus that is close to Leigh.

Fair point on some of that, however we already have between 1 and 3 Vantage buses frequently stored at Leigh Bus Station issue is though they never ever replace failed V2's with them only V1's

The other issue is that many staff are saying they will simply leave if they have to go to Rusholme therefore there simply won't be the drivers needed either, given that they will also need extra ones as well for the tenders they seem to have decided to keep as well, then we face the same again next time around as no other operator would be stupid enough to operate it from Rusholme, so the staff they now recruit will leave again. The best thing for Rusholme would have been to have past it back to the Fingland Family and for it to have been demolished in January then it could be ready for student accommodation now. God knows what shambles they will now make with selling Oldham? will they shove some of that in Rusholme as well? God knows why they simply don't just hand Vantage back considering the loss they are making on it, £3.5m per year based on the fact they signed up to a bad deal in order to undercut Arriva Merseyside who also wanted it, presume they would have operated it from St Helens.

My own thought is that First will be stripped of the contract, as folk who work in Manchester will simply start bothering Andy Burnham, lets not forget some of those who work in Manchester have good jobs and are powerful people. I am sure Andy Burnham has already warned First about working out of Rusholme, its just a shame Rotala didn't see sense to pass Atherton on to First Vantage and pull out of it on 12th August instead of end of August.

Running vehicles from Eccles is far from ideal, buses at Atherton should have been moved in batch en bloc to Bolton, Eccles is simply too far if a 132 goes wrong in Wigan Town Centre. But then Rotala have a knack at failing to operate the 132 and not letting anyone know, has happened to me twice before so imagine they simply don't care and won't bother to operate it as before, and I'm not a regular user of it, certainly couldn't use that for work, based on the fact its on an hourly frequency hardly can be two hours late for work.

However I am watching both sets of them and the slightest slip up and I will bother Andy Burnham and the local MP, so be warned any operator who thinks they can con me and others with poor service, and yes I will be watching from my car as well.

[AlexBus12]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(10/07/2019 22:09)gilesbus1 Wrote:  However I am watching both sets of them and the slightest slip up and I will bother Andy Burnham and the local MP, so be warned any operator who thinks they can con me and others with poor service, and yes I will be watching from my car as well.

Everyone has their criticisms, but that just seems obsessive.

[Barney]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(11/07/2019 08:34)AlexBus12 Wrote:  Everyone has their criticisms, but that just seems obsessive.

Unless I've missed something, all commercial bus services in Manchester are still operated by private companies and how they run their businesses is entirely up to them. Until a decision is made and enacted to re-regulate and franchise said services, I'm sure Andy Burnham has very little influence on the matter.

[Winston]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(11/07/2019 09:27)Barney Wrote:  Unless I've missed something, all commercial bus services in Manchester are still operated by private companies and how they run their businesses is entirely up to them. Until a decision is made and enacted to re-regulate and franchise said services, I'm sure Andy Burnham has very little influence on the matter.

Exactly, how long has Andy Burnham been threatening quality contracts and how far has he got with the process??
Not really someone that makes things happen quickly, all hot air thus far, the long term uncertainty for operators has seen investment in new buses fall off a cliff.

[GMBuses North]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(10/07/2019 22:09)gilesbus1 Wrote:  its just a shame Rotala didn't see sense to pass Atherton on to First Vantage and pull out of it on 12th August instead of end of August.

I'm sorry but perhaps Rotala 'didn't see sense' because they actually want to sell the land for its commercial value and make money on it?? Perhaps a better idea than just handing it over to a rival firm regardless of thier position??

I think you're over thinking a lot of things and should take a step back abit.

[Winston]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(11/07/2019 10:52)GMBuses North Wrote:  I'm sorry but perhaps Rotala 'didn't see sense' because they actually want to sell the land for its commercial value and make money on it?? Perhaps a better idea than just handing it over to a rival firm regardless of thier position??

I think you're over thinking a lot of things and should take a step back abit.

I believe Atherton is only leased, there was a suggestion that it may be retained yet for potential future requirement.

[SandyDrew]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(10/07/2019 21:54)gilesbus1 Wrote:  Arriva North West - Merseyside opps to GoAhead, Cheshire Opps to Transdev, Manchester opps, Wythenshawe to Rotala, Bolton closed and demolished routes to Rotala and Stagecoach Wigan

The Arriva garage in Bolton has just had a new roof, so doubt it will be demolished anytime soon.