D&G Bus

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(30/05/2021 08:19)iMarkeh Wrote:  Do you accommodate 17:00 finishers from Macc or 17:00 finishers from Barclays.

There's two points about Barclays:
1. They run designated work shuttles to Knutsford and Crewe from Radbrooke Hall
2. They are flexible regarding start and finish times. The work shuttles mentioned above are timed to connect with trains. There's people arriving in Knutsford by train on the 07:52 from Manchester to work at Barclays and there's people arriving on the 08:28 and 09:25 as well (and 08:50 when it runs.) Back home these people catch the 16:44, 17:44 and 18:44 trains towards Manchester with the 17:44 being the most popular.

Therefore, the main public bus market is Radbrooke Hall to Macclesfield and as long as the evening departure time is an appropriate number of hours after the morning arrival it doesn't really matter about the exact times. Ideally there should be an option for someone doing an extra hour overtime at the end of the day as well. That also applies to Macclesfield departure time with a lot of businesses there being digital and medical communications, where overtime at short notice may be needed.

Quote: If the 88 was split, you would be able to serve the individual markets better maybe.

Another option to consider would be interworking between the 88/89/188 and 130. For example, the third bus isn't needed on the 130 until the 08:45 from Wythenshawe. There would be the option of that bus doing a Knutsford to Wilmslow/Altrincham run before that to help plug the void by taking one of the 88 vehicles to run the 188.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(29/05/2021 21:09)Rick Hunter Wrote:  Waiting in Mobberley isn't such a problem.

Ah yes they did remove Bird & Hand as a timing point.

I suppose the number of designated school/college services using the stop near the old Ilford Works has gone down as well. There used to be one to St Nicholas, another to John Deanes and another to South Trafford college (all 50 seater coaches), so alongside a half-hourly 88 and a 188 (which wasn't operated by taking a vehicle of the 88) that stop was well used in the morning and late afternoon.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus
The next few weeks may show how well publicised bus routes are around Wilmslow.

Wilmslow Health Centre has been running COVID vaccination clinics for cohorts 1-9 (over 50s), while under 50s have been told to use Alderley Park up until now. However, from tomorrow there's a pharmacy led vaccination clinic running at Handforth Dean for the under 50s as well. Those 3 centres are all places D&G serve - Wilmslow Health Centre is on the 88 route, all journeys on the 130 currently operate via Alderley Park and there's the Handforth Dean free bus. The question is how many people know that given bus services aren't all that well publicised in Cheshire East.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus
Looks like 35 has lost it's all over advertising vinyl but a plain yellow bit has remained on the rear left.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus
Strange allocations today with 34 doing the morning 188 run, which wouldn't meet the minimum capacity specified normally and if it's still got the fold down seats behind the driver taped off may even currently be 10 seats below the minimum capacity. Looks like Wincham only have 2 big Enviros out today but they do have a big Solo out on the 130, when quite often the 130 is operated by 3 x 28 seater Solos.

[Rick Hunter]

RE: D&G Bus
Wincham do currently have only 2 big Enviro200s at the moment. 140 was sent up to replace defective 130. 35 has now gone back to Crewe replaced by 45

(09/06/2021 10:41)knutstransport Wrote:  Strange allocations today with 34 doing the morning 188 run, which wouldn't meet the minimum capacity specified normally and if it's still got the fold down seats behind the driver taped off may even currently be 10 seats below the minimum capacity. Looks like Wincham only have 2 big Enviros out today but they do have a big Solo out on the 130, when quite often the 130 is operated by 3 x 28 seater Solos.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(09/06/2021 20:55)Rick Hunter Wrote:  Wincham do currently have only 2 big Enviro200s at the moment. 140 was sent up to replace defective 130. 35 has now gone back to Crewe replaced by 45

130 only came up from Crewe on Tuesday and took the place of 137 on a Wythenshawe to Macclesfield run mid-journey.

I also notice yesterday 34's tracking shows it being set for a positional move for the 130, which then got switched to an 88 positional and it ended up arriving in Macc late for the 07:05 Macc to Knutsford.

Today it seems 140 is working one set of journeys which would normally be a big Enviro.

[knutstransport]

RE: D&G Bus

(29/05/2021 19:08)Rick Hunter Wrote:  Several staff have made suggestions to management to no avail Drivers seem to get less feedback than passengers. When the 16.02 89 Knutsford - Northwich was being dropped one of the regular passengers contacted the company Chris Almond told her the company felt it was a waste of council money running the service empty. That bus now runs to Macclesfield at 15.58 with 1 woman on it daily. She used to catch the 17.15 to Macclesfield which now travels empty and often returns empty as very rarely anyone gets on the 18.15 from Macclesfield.

Presumably this passenger you referred to here:

(18/03/2021 09:27)Rick Hunter Wrote:  The driver who took over 120 on the 15.35 from Knutsford contacted the driver he relieved when he got to Wilmslow and hadnt passed the bus (53) that should make the 16.02 to Northwich. Reason being a regular passenger was waiting with her youngster at the Nursery on Manor Park who catches the bus to Tabley. So the driver of 155 went round that way looking for said passenger. before commencing his trip to Northwich. The driver while being in Knutsford for approx 50 mins bear in mind 30 mins is his legally required break. So he had his 30 mins, drove round Manor Park then logged on to commence the 89 to Northwich.

Looking at D&G's timetables they allow 17 minutes in the morning between a vehicle arriving at Knutsford bus station and it needing to depart Pepper Street, Mobberley on the 188 run.

89 journeys to Tabley take around 10 minutes each way.

The junction layout at Pickmere Road/Budworth Lane means it's possible for a bus to turn around there.

Except on Tuesdays there's 50 minutes between the 188 terminating at Pepper Street and the same vehicle departing Knutsford on the 16:35 journey to Altrincham

While you don't write a timetable to suit one passenger it seems a part service could easily be added in between Shaw Heath/Longridge and Tabley which would suit that passenger's needs without affecting other journeys and possibly could get some additional passengers in the process, as it would mean later journeys out towards Northwich Road and the 70 minute gap between departures from Longridge could be reduced.

Maybe the solution to the Tuesday issue could be it runs directly via Mobberley Road to get the bus station quicker?

[Rick Hunter]

RE: D&G Bus
No, different one. The one you refer to takes her kids to the nursery on Manor Park and lives in Tabley. The one that spoke to management works in the dry cleaners and travels to/from Northwich town centre. That's 2 people that regularly used the 16.02 to Northwich whereas there is only 1 uses the 15.58 to Macclesfield. There are also 2 Booths staff live in Northwich who frequently used the dropped Northwich service.

The bus that does the afternoon 188 is the one that did the 14.55 to Macclesfield and 15.45 back which made the 16.35 to Altrincham. It now does the 188 and slots back in the service where it would have been at 16.35

(10/06/2021 16:32)knutstransport Wrote:  Presumably this passenger you referred to here:

there's 50 minutes between the 188 terminating at Pepper Street and the same vehicle departing Knutsford on the 16:35 journey to Altrincham

[Rick Hunter]

RE: D&G Bus
130 was sent up to replace 137 but inreality it shouldn't as it wasn't fit for service having a front suspension defect which is why it was returned to Crewe for repair yesterday morning. 34 was going to be allocated to the 130 however 140 was sent up and the journey ran late. The big Solos are 37 seaters so can cover any Wincham work

(10/06/2021 08:56)knutstransport Wrote:  130 only came up from Crewe on Tuesday and took the place of 137 on a Wythenshawe to Macclesfield run mid-journey.

I also notice yesterday 34's tracking shows it being set for a positional move for the 130, which then got switched to an 88 positional and it ended up arriving in Macc late for the 07:05 Macc to Knutsford.

Today it seems 140 is working one set of journeys which would normally be a big Enviro.