Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus

[iMarkeh]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus

(10/07/2018 15:46)DLG817 Wrote:  For those interested I have written a 'news' item on my website offering my review of the first days of operation of easyCoach in Wrexham - LINK -

(10/07/2018 20:04)LJ51 DDA Wrote:  Yeah but the TL already existed before the Commercial Service's this is what im saying i dont see why Valentines were not helped out granted an extra Solo not even brand new could of been stock to run the TL1/2 separately on a better time basis as the TL1/2 Timetable granted its disgraceful like how WCBC ruined the 146.

I have to agree that the current TL is a mess. Regardless of it's past, it shouldn't be running Bakers Lane or Stockwell Grove as there is a commercial alternative. If the TL was ran commercially, it could serve all these areas but it seems WBC are being very dodgy. They didn't even put EasyCoach on the bus and coach database originally and up until yesterday the entries were all messed up.

The 146 is laughable. For the sake of 1 extra bus, you could have a uniform timetable. WBC seem to forget that companies can use more than one driver on a route. They seem to want everything to be 1 bus, 1 driver. I think another issue for the 146 is WBC wanted to entice operators by making a gap for school work. Either that or D Jones/Pats specified the gap to reduce the tender price. It is really messy though. Look at all the routes which were bus routes. The 17 and 33 which used to be ran by buses and it is now a taxi route.

(10/07/2018 15:46)DLG817 Wrote:  For those interested I have written a 'news' item on my website offering my review of the first days of operation of easyCoach in Wrexham - LINK -

In my opinion, the best way for Easybus to solve/ease their issues would be to introduce one more bus to do a few trips on the 44 and 2 then regardless of how late the 44 or 2 are, the meal relief will start ontime. With the 2 it would enable a standard hourly timetable. and then if a driver is late coming in, he can still go out on time (as they would end up with an hour scheduled break but they can be upto 30 minutes late before they affect their next trip. All you have to do is 2 trips on the 44, round trip on the 2, 2 trips on the 44. That then means the 44 can run all day without a break (and it would increase punctuality) and the benefits to the 2 are listed above. It puts one more person in employment. All they need is a bus.


I am surprised Easybus still have a Shrewsbury depot. I would keep the minibuses at Wrexham and just work out where the demand is for the airport runs and start some trips in Wrexham and some trips in Oswestry etc. Ease dead millage but the cost of having 2 depots must be very high. Especially given that all that runs from Shrewsbury is the 101 (which though it's a contract, you wouldn't have a depot for this one vehicle. You would find an outstation) and the minibuses (Which in my opinion, probably aren't viable for the first and last trip and the reason they start in Shrewsbury is due to dead millage).

[LJ51 DDA]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus

(10/07/2018 22:05)iMarkeh Wrote:  I have to agree that the current TL is a mess. Regardless of it's past, it shouldn't be running Bakers Lane or Stockwell Grove as there is a commercial alternative. If the TL was ran commercially, it could serve all these areas but it seems WBC are being very dodgy. They didn't even put EasyCoach on the bus and coach database originally and up until yesterday the entries were all messed up.

The 146 is laughable. For the sake of 1 extra bus, you could have a uniform timetable. WBC seem to forget that companies can use more than one driver on a route. They seem to want everything to be 1 bus, 1 driver. I think another issue for the 146 is WBC wanted to entice operators by making a gap for school work. Either that or D Jones/Pats specified the gap to reduce the tender price. It is really messy though. Look at all the routes which were bus routes. The 17 and 33 which used to be ran by buses and it is now a taxi route

When it first started running there was no commercial alternative though and the council only felt the need to serve Stockwell Grove and not a full 42 which is where Easycoach have possibly made a mistake the 41 always carried better loadings than the 42 as the 42s main demand is a bus to town rather than the industrial estate from the Hightown area which i can see its easy to plan a Hightown Circular.

Well it says enough about WCBC as Arriva offered to do a joint operation on the 146 with Oswestry and Wrexham running a trip each to provide the GHA Timetable and that was rejected and Arriva were basically told to do one in a sense then the council produced this awful X46/146 timetable then awarded it to D Jones and later Pats, as for the 17 and 34 (33 is Arriva's Llay) a Minibus is suitable as there is no demand on these routes the 34 never got any major loadings back in its day and only had 3 or 4 runs IIRC the 17 is covered in a way ayway anyone who lives in the Moss can walk 5 minutes and get Arriva's 21/21A or walk the opposite direction same time and get Arriva's 12/12A.

[DLG817]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus
I understand from a reliable source that no 42 services were run yesterday (Tuesday 10th). I would be interested to learn if they are operating it today.

[DLG817]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus
.
Today (16th July) the 44 Barkers Lane service was not operated. A small notice was posted near the timetable in King Street Bus Station to say "Barkers Lane 44 Not running today 16th July Mechanical Issues Sorry!"

Tempo MX05ELC operated the 64 Llangollen - Glyn Ceiriog - Llanarmon service today. It appeared that the Health Centre in Llangollen and the Community Centre in Froncysyllte were not included on the 1330 journey from Llangollen.

Solo MX07JNU (which has been on loan and worked the 42 last week) is in the process of being returned to Llew Jones.

The 42 service was operated today by Solo LXZ6238 and appeared to be working on time.

The four remaining Tempos were working the 2 and 2D services and all were observed this morning to be running late. Loadings on the easyCoach buses were relatively light compared to thos on the Arriva Midlands buses that appeared to be keeping better time. Road works on Bradley Road Wrexham was hampering the service.

[RedPanda]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus

(16/07/2018 16:29)DLG817 Wrote:  .
Today (16th July) the 44 Barkers Lane service was not operated. A small notice was posted near the timetable in King Street Bus Station to say "Barkers Lane 44 Not running today 16th July Mechanical Issues Sorry!"

Tempo MX05ELC operated the 64 Llangollen - Glyn Ceiriog - Llanarmon service today. It appeared that the Health Centre in Llangollen and the Community Centre in Froncysyllte were not included on the 1330 journey from Llangollen.

Solo MX07JNU (which has been on loan and worked the 42 last week) is in the process of being returned to Llew Jones.

The 42 service was operated today by Solo LXZ6238 and appeared to be working on time.

The four remaining Tempos were working the 2 and 2D services and all were observed this morning to be running late. Loadings on the easyCoach buses were relatively light compared to thos on the Arriva Midlands buses that appeared to be keeping better time. Road works on Bradley Road Wrexham was hampering the service.

Are timings on the 2 now getting more reliable or does it look as if passengers favor the more reliable Arriva Midlands to operate this service?

[DLG817]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus

(16/07/2018 18:02)RedPanda Wrote:  Are timings on the 2 now getting more reliable or does it look as if passengers favor the more reliable Arriva Midlands to operate this service?

The timimgs by easyCoach on the 2 (and the 2D) do not appear to becoming more reliable. I am not able to say what is in the mind of the passengers.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus

(16/07/2018 18:02)RedPanda Wrote:  Are timings on the 2 now getting more reliable or does it look as if passengers favor the more reliable Arriva Midlands to operate this service?

In cases of competition, the bigger the price difference, the longer people will wait. Given prices are only 20p cheaper, most people will get the first bus that comes. Then you add on the operating times, Easybus have no 'commuter' trips in the evening so people who need a bus to get to/from work will automatically use Arriva. Any OAPs who don't really care which bus they get, will almost certainly end up on an Arriva bus because Easybus are timed 5 minutes behind Arriva on the IB trip. To top it all off, they depart from a different stand at Wrexham so they wouldn't get passing trade at the key interchange.

Surely they can't be far off losing their licence if they keep having all these issues. If it was as bad in Shrewsbury as people are saying, why have they been allowed a licence increase?

[motormayhem1]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus

(16/07/2018 22:52)iMarkeh Wrote:  In cases of competition, the bigger the price difference, the longer people will wait. Given prices are only 20p cheaper, most people will get the first bus that comes. Then you add on the operating times, Easybus have no 'commuter' trips in the evening so people who need a bus to get to/from work will automatically use Arriva. Any OAPs who don't really care which bus they get, will almost certainly end up on an Arriva bus because Easybus are timed 5 minutes behind Arriva on the IB trip. To top it all off, they depart from a different stand at Wrexham so they wouldn't get passing trade at the key interchange.

Surely they can't be far off losing their licence if they keep having all these issues. If it was as bad in Shrewsbury as people are saying, why have they been allowed a licence increase?

Ive been heard a few things into how but thats not for me to say over a public forum unfortunately .
As there new depot been registered and active now or is it still awaiting confirmation?

[Depotosw]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus

(16/07/2018 22:52)iMarkeh Wrote:  Surely they can't be far off losing their licence if they keep having all these issues. If it was as bad in Shrewsbury as people are saying, why have they been allowed a licence increase?

They started off well in Shrewsbury but when the 436 was having trips dropped left, right and centre it became a problem. I have spoken to a few passengers on the 436 in the months after Arriva took it back on and some of the comments on dropped services, getting stranded in Bridgnorth and not knowing if the bus was going to turn up summed it up, they were happy Arriva were back, they had confidence and the biggest advantage was the livemap, it gave them confidence if the service was running late. I understand a large number of SCAT College Students were regularly getting stranded in Shrewsbury which got Shropshire Council to review the situation.

The Harlescott services operated fine for a number of weeks (except the Sunday work that barely operated) and then was dropped nearly two months before been deregistered with the TC.

Observations with the 2 which I see most days, they do seem to be running well on that service and are certainly taking the passengers out of Oswestry when on time. Cannot comment on the Wrexham end of the services.

[motormayhem1]

RE: Express Airport Transfers (Europe) Ltd and The Skiers Lodge Ltd t/a Easybus
By looking at there reviews online they seem to have a lot of bad reviews as it only showing as 1 star rating .