Avon Buses

[Barney]

RE: Avon Buses

(15/07/2017 18:05)wirralbus Wrote:  Its not as if there is many operators left to pick up Merseytravel work , over the years so many operators have ceased trading pushing.

Arriva and Stagecoach are so engrossed in there very lucrative daytime and evening commercial work they do not really want to take contracted work up unless its in there favour to do the work.

Nonsense. If it's contracted work they are guaranteed to make money. The only reason that Arriva and Stagecoach don't do more of this type of work is because the likes of Avon will go for a lower tender and then fail to deliver.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Avon Buses

(15/07/2017 18:37)T42 PVM Wrote:  Link Network have not shown any interest in Tenders and i can assure you Red Kite have no interest in public service work

Link have thrown in tenders but just havent won them. I am saying no more.... I am unsure why Red Kite doesnt try operating some service work. The buses are sat there. Even if the bus only makes £50 profit per day, it is £50 more than currently. Quite a few between school routes could be done.

[wirralbus]

RE: Avon Buses

(15/07/2017 20:49)Barney Wrote:  Nonsense. If it's contracted work they are guaranteed to make money. The only reason that Arriva and Stagecoach don't do more of this type of work is because the likes of Avon will go for a lower tender and then fail to deliver.

Arriva have better uses for there drivers than to shovel around fresh air , which is what most Merseytravel work actual consists of , because otherwise it would be commercial .

One of the big differences with Avon in Liverpool and Avon on the Wirral seems to be the amount of work that is contracted in Liverpool whereas its commercial on the wirral to a bigger extent.

[mtl97]

RE: Avon Buses
Arriva are reducing their network on the wirral & in south manchester & i think your right they dont want tendered work, stagecoach i dont think have the capacity at rock ferry or chester at the moment & took on some gha work, ive read in local paper that chester depot site has been bought by university, a new depot may be bigger to take on more work, i hope avon dont vanish though

[iMarkeh]

RE: Avon Buses
Mtl97, The land was bought by the university a long time ago. They would have built on it earlier but due to a fuel leak or oil leak or something of the kind, the land couldnt be built on for so many years. That is now coming to an end. SC will be moving to a smaller depot as far as I am aware on Bumpers Lane, Chester. Anyway, back to topic. I hope Avon don't vanish either. I dont think they will. All they need to do is scale down operations and drop around 2 possibly 3 tenders. Nothing major needs doing really.

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: Avon Buses
Arriva do want tenders but their overheads are bigger than a smaller operator so they are forever outbidded, dont forget Arriva Bolton have just won some tenders

This feed is going well off topic

[wirralbus]

RE: Avon Buses
I agree they need to take a step back , maybe keep there original commercial service in Liverpool .

The problems all seemed to start with the extra work they have took on in Liverpool .

They will stay there an important part of the fabric of independents bus companies on merseyside

[Mayneway]

RE: Avon Buses

(15/07/2017 20:49)Barney Wrote:  Nonsense. If it's contracted work they are guaranteed to make money. The only reason that Arriva and Stagecoach don't do more of this type of work is because the likes of Avon will go for a lower tender and then fail to deliver.

Exactly.
Look at Manchester where MCT are taking tenders off other indendants and the bigger outfits like first and stagecoach - the result is a very very poor level of service and then we act surprised when services start getting delayed or not turning up because of a shortage of vehicles or drivers. This I suppose is a downside of de-regulation where local transport aurthorities are forced to go with the lowest tender price, meaning that reliability and quality of service will often suffer.

[wirralbus]

RE: Avon Buses

(16/07/2017 14:50)Dentonian Wrote:  You mean there's an upside!!!

There was when it started , but as with everything market conditions change things over the years.

The conditions in 1986 do not resemble 2017 at that time services that did not make any money would be operated by local authorities now they cant because of the transport authorities being rather cash strapped .

[wirralbus]

RE: Avon Buses
In Merseyside before deregulation , if you travelled to the likes of Chester compared to fares in Merseyside you would need a second mortgage , even half fares didnt exist in Cheshire it was 2/3 the adult fare .