First Manchester

[jimbo]

RE: First Manchester
Yeah same as stagecoach's bluebird takeover, I recon they will need to have bloody good offers on that corridor to contemplate competing on a profiting scale with stagecoach

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(28/01/2014 20:16)jimbo Wrote:  Yeah same as stagecoach's bluebird takeover, I recon they will need to have bloody good offers on that corridor to contemplate competing on a profiting scale with stagecoach

I think your right. They will need to offer something special to make the mark. Don't forget Finglands are already pretty cheap and the fleet is quite modern. I don't think a batch of shiney new buses will be enough.

Personally I think whoever took over Bluebird was destined to do OK. Bluebird had all but gone to the dogs in the year or so before the takeover with many passengers switching to JPT and First but Stagecoach seem to be doing ok.

Wilmslow road is another story though

[jimbo]

RE: First Manchester
Wilmslow road will become a war zone, stagecoach will do 30buses an hour if needs be...

[YSV-205]

RE: First Manchester

(28/01/2014 23:25)jimbo Wrote:  Wilmslow road will become a war zone, stagecoach will do 30buses an hour if needs be...

Maybe...... but where will all those extra Stagecoach buses come from? Personally I think First will do well there. Finglands have managed for years as the "other" operator (grouping Stagecoach & Magicbus as one operator). Granted they have had their financial issues, but there will still be two operators along Wilmslow Road. [I haven't included MCT as a third operator because of the limited amount of Wilmslow Road that their buses use]

[jimbo]

RE: First Manchester
Mct bave no passengers going to uni tbh, very rare system one, and pensioners... most people use the 44 to go places no other services do.

[Polo Mint]

RE: First Manchester
I am not sure how First will go about operating on Oxford Road.

On one hand if Stagecoach flood the market then First may be able to hit back on the ex-Bluebird routes, however Stagecoach have more of a niche as opposed to Finglands duplicated services.

I'd personally like to see services 41 and 42 both every 10 minutes, with a 5 minute headway to Piccadilly, perhaps with them extending from Piccadilly to Shudehill to connect with the network. This may rile Stagecoach up a bit though.

I wouldn't mind seeing cross city route down Oxford Rd, but I am not sure of which services and whether it could be juggled about by the depots, perhaps some 135 services extended to Sale as 41 replacement. I am getting a bit carried away, but maybe over time.

I hope this doesn't mean that route 18 will be curtailed at Shudehill, the route seems to be a fair bit busier these days, and often gets very crowded at rush hour.

[Valandil]

RE: First Manchester
First has been given OFT approval to acquire Finglands.
(Source: Bus and Coach Buyer magazine).

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
A B10BLE has now received the new livery. 66194 being the bus in question

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46868364@N04/12194233765/

[MX05 CKN]

RE: First Manchester

(30/01/2014 19:38)SF07 Wrote:  A B10BLE has now received the new livery. 66194 being the bus in question

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46868364@N04/12194233765/

That looks really really good to be honest

[Polo Mint]

RE: First Manchester
Looks good, I expect it will be on the 88/89 and sometimes the 64/52/53/110 journeys in the future?