Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot

[lenno121]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot

(11/06/2018 11:58)RedPanda Wrote:  There was a picture on flickr of it yesterday in new livery. One or two jobs needed doing like logos and white swoop adding.

2490 looks good in the repainted original livery!

[chester285]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot
A few amendments to the 3

Date effective: 2 September 2018
Operator: Arriva
Service route: 13 (Previously Service 3)
Description of change: Service 3 renumbered. Timetable and Route amendments. Outbound-Chester-Handbridge-Broughton-Buckley-Mold. Inbound-Mold-Northop-Shotton-Broughton-Handbridge-Chester

Also looks like a bit of competion from Helms
Date effective: 2 September 2018
Operator: Aintree Coaches
Service route: 12
Description of change: New service registered. Outbound-Chester-Connah’s Quay-Northop-Mold / Inbound-Mold-Pennffordd-Broughton-Chester

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot

(08/07/2018 20:20)chester285 Wrote:  A few amendments to the 3

Date effective: 2 September 2018
Operator: Arriva
Service route: 13 (Previously Service 3)
Description of change: Service 3 renumbered. Timetable and Route amendments. Outbound-Chester-Handbridge-Broughton-Buckley-Mold. Inbound-Mold-Northop-Shotton-Broughton-Handbridge-Chester

Also looks like a bit of competion from Helms
Date effective: 2 September 2018
Operator: Aintree Coaches
Service route: 12
Description of change: New service registered. Outbound-Chester-Connah’s Quay-Northop-Mold / Inbound-Mold-Pennffordd-Broughton-Chester

For the benefit of those who dont read the Aintree Feed the 12 is staying with Arriva, this is a typo.

[chester285]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot

(08/07/2018 20:29)T42 PVM Wrote:  For the benefit of those who dont read the Aintree Feed the 12 is staying with Arriva, this is a typo.

Cheshire West and Chester at its best, was taken of their website this evening

[iMarkeh]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot
I can't wait to see the bus station stand allocations. They have made a hash of them as it is with lots of clashes and look at stands B & C. The amount of services off those two stands is amazing. Stand A is full. B, C are too busy. D, E are Park and Ride. F the Chester drivers hog so double loading already takes place with the 11s boarding in the busway. G, H are full. J has space but no destinations match. K the 1 needs it's own stand if possible. L & M have space but would you really couple Liverpool and Mold buses together? N is well. Part of a council and NatEx sweetheart deal (Council are refusing entry to Easybus due to 'lack of available slots on Stand N'. Also NatEx are allowed long layovers in the bus station taking up stands for 45+ minutes which other operators technically aren't allowed to do. They are told they should park up on Delamere St)

[EDB325]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot

(09/07/2018 00:14)iMarkeh Wrote:  I can't wait to see the bus station stand allocations. They have made a hash of them as it is with lots of clashes and look at stands B & C. The amount of services off those two stands is amazing. Stand A is full. B, C are too busy. D, E are Park and Ride. F the Chester drivers hog so double loading already takes place with the 11s boarding in the busway. G, H are full. J has space but no destinations match. K the 1 needs it's own stand if possible. L & M have space but would you really couple Liverpool and Mold buses together? N is well. Part of a council and NatEx sweetheart deal (Council are refusing entry to Easybus due to 'lack of available slots on Stand N'. Also NatEx are allowed long layovers in the bus station taking up stands for 45+ minutes which other operators technically aren't allowed to do. They are told they should park up on Delamere St)

The new interchange is a complete "Fred Karno's" in my opinion. The Park & Ride services shouldn't use it at the expense of other services. It's an INTERCHANGE, where you SHOULD be able to get off one service and seamlessly board another. Park & Ride doesn't fit that pattern, but buses to and from Wrexham and Crewe most certainly do - yet they go from the railway station and/or Foregate Street.

A lot of money spent, an opportunity rather wasted.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot

(09/07/2018 06:47)EDB325 Wrote:  The new interchange is a complete "Fred Karno's" in my opinion. The Park & Ride services shouldn't use it at the expense of other services. It's an INTERCHANGE, where you SHOULD be able to get off one service and seamlessly board another. Park & Ride doesn't fit that pattern, but buses to and from Wrexham and Crewe most certainly do - yet they go from the railway station and/or Foregate Street.

A lot of money spent, an opportunity rather wasted.

It is something in the region of 45p per departure. Just asking NX to take their layovers on Delamere Street would make another £8 odd per day (doesn't sound a lot but it all adds up).

I have sent in about 3 stand lists which make more sense. Link services better, give exclusive stands where they are needed, make things less crowded. I was lucky to get a thanks. X4 and 4 have 6-9 minutes stand time and are regularly late (with the delay varying a lot. Sometimes one or two mins to 15 mins) so really the 4 and X4 need their own stand. There is no space.

The original bus station proposal was better. Drive in, reverse out with about 3 'in line' stops on Gorse Stacks. Ability for Park and rides and city rails to drive in and out while giving lots of space for normal routes to run. The current layout is blocking the bus station. God forbid these services go on the inside. Blacon 1A on stand and a 15 on the curve. The 11 parks right on the curve as well but in the middle (if that makes sense). Bus station can be blocked for 5 mins easily at times.

A proposal that I have given may a time is fines like Merseytravel. They would make about 3 grand in the first week. Stand blocking, picking up on wrong stand, blocking the bus station with how some people park in the middle. Then you have the information people who know less about buses than the person who is originally asking. Worked there almost a year and still have to look for what bus goes where yet the bus enthusiast which spots there and knows all about the buses has been told he isn't allowed to help people. He must direct people to the clueless staff.

[CTL45]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot

(09/07/2018 06:47)EDB325 Wrote:  The new interchange is a complete "Fred Karno's" in my opinion. The Park & Ride services shouldn't use it at the expense of other services. It's an INTERCHANGE, where you SHOULD be able to get off one service and seamlessly board another. Park & Ride doesn't fit that pattern, but buses to and from Wrexham and Crewe most certainly do - yet they go from the railway station and/or Foregate Street.

A lot of money spent, an opportunity rather wasted.

So what you're saying is the Park & Ride buses shouldn't use the Interchange as passengers from them won't be changing onto other buses? How many passengers do you think actually 'interchange' between other services in general?? I think you're taking the word 'Interchange' a little too literally.
Also, the Crewe service 84 does use the Interchange and as I understand it, the decision for the Wrexham service 1 to not use the Interchange was made by Arriva, not the council.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot
Like the example I gave with Merseytravel and all their rules. If CWACC implemented them, drivers would think twice before stand blocking and parking in silly places.

Stand allocations can easily be done if you know what you are doing. You just simply make it into a slots and work it out from there. It could just be my autism but I somehow have a talent with timetables and stand allocations (which has been recognised by a few companies).

Small things make a big difference. If you can't allocate stands properly, nothing else works. As is being proved with the current X2/X8 and NX situation.

If Arriva move in, they are likely to end up on the outside blocking those stands. Through no fault of their own, they will cripple the bus station.

With Stagecoach MCSL MD and Arriva Chester Depot Manager sitting in the bus station a few times recently observing, hopefully between them they can pressure the council into sorting the stands.

It's funny when the Arriva 15 comes in as it always parks on the curve so it can get into stand H as soon as it becomes available. At the same time the 10, 10A or 11 (I'm unsure which) likes to park up on the inside but reverses as far back as possible so it can get easily into stand F. These two buses block the whole of Chester bus station. It isn't Arrivas fault in some senses, the 15 is waiting for a stand and the 10,10A or 11 can't get on stand. If it was all planned out better though, this wouldn't happen. (for example simply swapping stand F and J would mean the 10/10A/11 would still park in the middle but would face the opposite way and not cause as many issues. Stand J most buses have little/no layover so the layover issue is removed and buses can run more smoothly. Simple change, improves the running of the bus station).

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva Buses Wales - Chester Depot
With the 12 and 13 Change i wonder how many extra Buses will be required, Also i dont think the Solos have a future here as i think they will be to small for these routes now