Howards/Springfield

[knutstransport]

RE: Howards/Springfield

(24/07/2017 19:45)Dentonian Wrote:  Unfortunately, I have to confess my knowledge of he network is lacking somewhat - if only because I only use it as a "stress purchase". Consequently, I can't readily find an ATW operated journey between Stockport and Manchester. That said, Virgin manage to charge a ridiculous £3 something OPR, but most others charge £5, which is 70p more than the bus - albeit with free cross-city Metrolink added on, of course.
It is also difficult to remember that franchise costs are a blanket subsidy, wheras every commercial bus journey is an individual cost-centre; I don't know if you are old enough to remember Nicholas Ridiculous' famous speech about the "Evils of cross-subsidy" - though not so evil for red buses passing Westminster and Whitehall, of course!

The examples I had in mind were ATN not ATW, and were where off-peak fares were kept below competing commercial bus services, and were protected from the most recent fare rises (May?). That, over and above the general political strategy of Local Rail (heavy and light) being a way of getting buses off the road, and not cars.

The reason I mentioned ATW was because they have to produce separate financial information for the English and Welsh sections which shows that despite them being a heavily subsided franchise that not everything contained in the franchise is loss making.

The reason Virgin offer cheap Virgin only fares is because they have so many empty seats on a lot of their services between Manchester and Crewe/Stoke and if they charge £3 for a Virgin only fare they get the full £3. For the Any Permitted tickets they get a share split between all the operators based on the number of seats each operator provides, which means the system favours Virgin over Northern and why Northern were so unhappy about Virgin removing the pick-up/set-down only restrictions at Stockport.

Going back to buses while cross-subsidy isn't allowed, in reality with many operators issuing Day tickets valid on all their services within a specific area it happens anyway.

If I see the 200 bus in Wilmslow in the next few weeks I'll report back as to whether the bus arrives in or leaves Wilmslow with any passengers on board.

[knutstransport]

RE: Howards/Springfield
Proposed 200 diversion has been cancelled after the plan for roadworks has changed.

[knutstransport]

RE: Howards/Springfield

(25/07/2017 19:34)Dentonian Wrote:  I suppose the argument is that Rover ticket sales even themselves out, and certainly in an area like GM, where virtually all services except maybe the 250/X50 are used by regular customers making necessary journeys, they would naturally apportion themselves. The problem is with services that have considerably reduced fares and lower than average loadings. Without giving too much away, basic prep work is being done on how a franchised network might look in GM, and if what that work has already revealed is tied in with fares charged, it looks like profit margins between different corridors, differ considerably, and I mean considerably.

I was thinking of more when an operator might run a town service/circular and then longer routes from the bus station, so people buy a day/weekly ticket on the town service and then make a much longer journey on another route using the same ticket purchased on the town service.

[knutstransport]

RE: Howards/Springfield

(26/07/2017 19:50)Dentonian Wrote:  Again, not hugely relevant to SGM I would have thought. Slightly more so for FiM, and I do see how it is relevant in shire counties where both distances and bus speeds (especially off-peak) are greater.

But discussions relating to Stagecoach and First Manchester services would be better had in another thread given this is supposed to be the Howards/Springfield thread.

Whether Cheshire East are right to fund a bus service which duplicates a train service without serving any additional towns/villages is no longer relevant now the proposed 200 re-routing has been cancelled.

[knutstransport]

RE: Howards/Springfield
F13 HOW has been turned in to a mobile cycling bus: http://www.thecyclinbus.com

[C209 GTU]

RE: Howards/Springfield
Saw YJ03 GYD in Chester this morn which turned out to be my last sighting of it with that reg as 3hrs later it was back in Chester with a Howards private reg - FH02 HOW

Does anyone know if GYC & GYF have been given private plates?

[St Helens Rider]

RE: Howards/Springfield
Howards have been quite busy today with rail replacements around Manchester and a few vehicles at Heaton Park for the Trans Lancs Rally.

[knutstransport]

RE: Howards/Springfield

(03/09/2017 16:39)C209 GTU Wrote:  Saw YJ03 GYD in Chester this morn which turned out to be my last sighting of it with that reg as 3hrs later it was back in Chester with a Howards private reg - FH02 HOW

Does anyone know if GYC & GYF have been given private plates?

Does the letter F relate to an initial of the Howards owner?

It seems unusual for a bus to get a private registration which suggests it was registered the year before it was, opposed to one which indicates an age which is clearly a lot older than the vehicle.

[quahogbuscompany]

RE: Howards/Springfield

(04/09/2017 10:56)knutstransport Wrote:  Does the letter F relate to an initial of the Howards owner?

It seems unusual for a bus to get a private registration which suggests it was registered the year before it was, opposed to one which indicates an age which is clearly a lot older than the vehicle.

GYC is now HOW3R, GYD is FH02HOW and GYE is JH03HOW.
P109DCW is now F13HOW and LJ09OKD is now Y22HOW.

HOW3R is in a silver livery like LH16HOW and MH66HOW.

[knutstransport]

RE: Howards/Springfield
Apparently at least one driver working for Howards has told Cheshire East ENCTS holders boarding buses in Cheshire East that they have to pay the full adult single fare before 09:30. This is incorrect - as explained in clause 4.3 for the Cheshire ENCTS scheme: http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/publi...h-2018.pdf