First Group Speculation

[Garsty]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
With this whole idea of route learning, I have a question, why?

I take it if they purchase the depot they also 'purchase' the buses and drivers and these drivers obviously know the routes, so I don’t see why there would be a need to train other drivers even before the purchase, perhaps after, when they might want to combine duties together from other parts of Liverpool etc, but I would have thought that for at least the first few months the depot would operate as it does now until things settle down.

I cannot see them making major changes to staffing levels, duties etc for the first day of operation, but I might be wrong of course!

[mbonwick]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
No, you're absolutely right Garsty.

I would not be surprised however to see Stagecoach staff out assessing routings, timings and loadings so they can have some idea of the service details in the event they takeover.

I imagine there'll be all sorts of corporate legal hoops to jump through before First give them that info, but by getting out on the street and doing it themselves they circumvent it all.

[Jack]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
If Stagecoach was to buy First Wigan, it is unlikely they'd take on all routes isn't it?

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
regarding rock ferry whos to say that the depot might shut and most routes taken out then interchange them with other routes stagecoach have running into liverpool? am saying this as i remember something somewhere about the council wanting the land for house building

[Garsty]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation

(29/08/2012 18:52)bolton bus basher Wrote:  regarding rock ferry whos to say that the depot might shut and most routes taken out then interchange them with other routes stagecoach have running into liverpool? am saying this as i remember something somewhere about the council wanting the land for house building

If that’s the case, then why buy the depot? They could just wait for what happened in North Devon after the OFT decision to refer the sale between First and Stagecoach, would save them a load of cash!

[MTL0201]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation

(25/08/2012 09:08)YJ09 FWE Wrote:  

(25/08/2012 09:04)P450 SWX Wrote:  With the 2 stagwcoach Minibuses with drivers in and around rock ferry depot the other day something is going on.

a few weeks ago there was a notice in RF stating Stagecoach are taking over RF in October but the day it got put up a union guy pulled it down my mate said it was a official poster fron First Manchester head office in Oldham

and if you ask some Rock Ferry drivrrs and chester its mostly
Rock Ferry drivers recon Stagecoach
chester drivers are split between Go Ahead or Abillo

so I dunno whats going on lets just wait and see

First time I heard Abillo being mentioned, could we have the start of a three-way QBP soon.

(25/08/2012 13:46)mbonwick Wrote:  *Abellio.

We're getting into dangerous territory here with what's been posted. Please refrain from "I asked someone and he said someone else had said this", especially when it concerns employees. Even though they aren't named it won't take much to figure out who's been talking.

It will be interesting to see what happens, i'm not surprised if RF is one of the depots up for sale considering they were reported to be losing a shed load of money a couple years ago.

[P450 SWX]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
MTL0201 if you look back I am not the only one to notice these minibuses fromm gillmoss being around.

also the Abellio point was drivers telling me the rumours for chester and as this is for that i was just saying what .I had been told

[PO62 MKA]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
This may only be a rumor but is certainly speculation but the car park behind the First depot on Liverpool Road in Chester is up for sale by Cheshire West and Chester council for development and the rumor is that Stagecoach are going to move into there, of course a depot needs to be built but there is plenty of space there, instead of using the current depot.

[cumbria0902150]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
Lead drivers will have been out route assessing, checking loadings etc of which will then allow Stagecoach to roughly calculate their own projected route figures. The route figures would allow Stagecoach to see where changes need to be made for the financial sustainability of the services, for in the event Stagecoach do take over the Rock Ferry services. Direct figures from First themselves would not be as useful for Stagecoach, as the two companies have rather different financial systems in place, which means they are not directly comparable. Such information would be a lot more important in the event of First completely pulling out of the area, for Stagecoach to take over their routes, as opposed to a buy-out, as Stagecoach would only register replacement routes for the ones that are deemed financially viable to operate. (Note that a route not profitable with First could be profitable with Stagecoach, depending on differences in the financial strategies, and costs involved in operations).

[wirralbus]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
I would laugh if you was all hoodwinked into thinking Stagecoach .

Just look at the Wirral routes its not exactly a big network , with only two sets of Non-QBP routes 38/41/2 .

These are the routes that need some investment