First Manchester

[Mrboo]

RE: First Manchester

(21/02/2020 06:43)M60lad Wrote:  Well if First have won these tenders in Ashton it'll be interesting what they will operate them with and where the vehicles to operate them will come from. Good in a way though that Oldham are taking on more work again after a period of uncertainty.

Well MCT has TFGM sheds so they will come with some routes. It will not be hard to get some sent in from other units mini and midi buses are easy to find within the group.

[iMarkeh]

RE: First Manchester

(21/02/2020 05:36)Mayneway Wrote:  I believe it’s true and in a shock move First have bidded on a load of tenders and got them and some are in Ashton. A number of drivers from Stagecoach Ashton have gone to First on the promise of a Tameside rosta once they take on the tenders.

First may well just put on for all tenders at silly prices. If you win, you get a lot of profit off it, if you lose, you have lost nothing.

I think a fair few companies do it as its an easy way to make money.

[Owl]

RE: First Manchester

(21/02/2020 10:01)iMarkeh Wrote:  First may well just put on for all tenders at silly prices. If you win, you get a lot of profit off it, if you lose, you have lost nothing.

I think a fair few companies do it as its an easy way to make money.

First should concentrate on their existing services, which are a shambles, before taking on extra routes. Their is a clear lack of any strategic planning in Oldham.

[Winston]

RE: First Manchester

(21/02/2020 10:40)Owl Wrote:  First should concentrate on their existing services, which are a shambles, before taking on extra routes. Their is a clear lack of any strategic planning in Oldham.

Those comments tend to be confined to Diamond NW services since the Bolton takeover, I understand First Bolton services matched your above comments long before any takeover occured.

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(21/02/2020 07:52)Mrboo Wrote:  Well MCT has TFGM sheds so they will come with some routes. It will not be hard to get some sent in from other units mini and midi buses are easy to find within the group.

I honestly believe some of the green hybrids currently with us at MCT will be scrapped/stripped for bits once they go back. They are in a shocking state and TFGM are very reluctant to spend any money on them.

[Metroline1511]

RE: First Manchester
This might not be usual. Just that yesterday there was a Volvo B9TL on route 81 and an Enviro 300 on route 182.

[james]

RE: First Manchester

(20/02/2020 07:05)M60lad Wrote:  This sort of contradicts what I was told yesterday in that the only route Oldham have got from MCT is 408 Shaw-Oldham service and allegedly they are not interested in taking anymore minibus work on.

If indeed it is true that Oldham are taking on some of the Ashton tenders then time will tell what vehicles they will use on the routes as Oldham haven't got any small buses now and only have Enviro300s/B7s and Gemini/Enviro400s in the fleet which are too big for 335/345 Denton Circulars that MCT currently operate.

there is only one way to know. and that is to wait and see what the tender award docket says.
first gave up tameside work for a reason and that was to minimise overheads. septembers changes first said they didnt want ashton routes which is why they gave up all except 350 409 which could change driver at oldham and 348.
348 is an interesting route atm as is a lot of taxi mileage for staff changeover. originally it was planned to interwork on the roster with 350s but the roster was never agreed. due to reliability issues.

i can still see om planning to get rid of 348 to stagecoach. as this is one of a few routes that dont serve oldham t.c (others being 181/2 changeover at chadderton and the 6 rochdale changeover).
but wait and see in regards to the mct tender reawards.

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(23/02/2020 19:16)james Wrote:  there is only one way to know. and that is to wait and see what the tender award docket says.
first gave up tameside work for a reason and that was to minimise overheads. septembers changes first said they didnt want ashton routes which is why they gave up all except 350 409 which could change driver at oldham and 348.
348 is an interesting route atm as is a lot of taxi mileage for staff changeover. originally it was planned to interwork on the roster with 350s but the roster was never agreed. due to reliability issues.

i can still see om planning to get rid of 348 to stagecoach. as this is one of a few routes that dont serve oldham t.c (others being 181/2 changeover at chadderton and the 6 rochdale changeover).
but wait and see in regards to the mct tender reawards.

The majority of the work First gave up in Tameside was commercial though. If they can get some lucrative tendered work out of TFGM who’s to say they wouldn’t want it.
Just seems odd that a couple of Tameside based drivers I know have gone to First saying they have been promised work on a new Ashton Rota come end of April. It is though like you say a waiting game.

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
Right a few things:

1> I'm not to sure how 348 could actually interwork with 350, currently once a driver gets on 350 in Oldham their on there for a while as when they get to Ashton they will then do a 350 short to Micklehurst before heading back to Ashton and doing a full 350 back to Oldham so adding a 348 to the equation would make the duty even longer unless it was planned for drivers to have their breaks in Ashton.

2> Regarding 181/182 as far as I'm aware not all duties change over at Chadderton anymore with a driver taking the bus all the way to Shaw before taking the bus back to Depot, when the driver gets to Shaw in theory there should be a replacement bus & driver waiting to take up the next working, also there's at least one peak hour duty that runs in as a 84 before doing a 182 to Shaw and driver takes the bus back to Depot then.

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
First making more changes to services in Oldham in April. Could be another step in splitting the sell of Oldham depot services.

The 59 will run between Oldham Mumps and Manchester only, while the Oldham-Rushcroft section will be re-numbered 57. The 181 is being curtailed to run hourly Monday-Saturday daytime only between Shaw and Royton, while the 182 will run half-hourly Monday-Saturday daytime and hourly Sunday daytime between Royton and Manchester via Royal Oldham Hospital. At the moment, it means no evening service between Manchester, Chadderton and Royton or evening and Sunday service between Rochdale, Shaw and Royton.

These changes means that the direct link between Chadderton and Shaw is completely lost from both the 59 and 181/182. Not sure if TfGM are looking at replacing the evening/Sunday service between Rochdale and Shaw with the 58, as it mentions a replacement service between Rochdale and Oldham via Shaw and Royton.

Also, confirmation that First have re-gained the operations of the 408 from MCT from next month.

https://democracy.greatermanchester-ca.g...3859&Ver=4
https://democracy.greatermanchester-ca.g...rt%20A.pdf