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Cheshire Bus News (was East Cheshire Bus News)

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Baxenden Bank

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A relative of mine was involved in a bad accident, he was taken to A&E and the hospital phoned his next of kin asking for her to attend the hospital ASAP. She had access to a car but what if she didn't? The doctors needed her to consent to an emergency procedure so if there had been no car or adequate public transport link that emergency procedure wouldn't have happened so soon. I don't know what the consequences of that would have been.
Attending ASAP and attending using public transport are very unlikely to be compatible. Save for a very small number of people who are fortunate enough to have a direct bus to the hospital running every few minutes 24/7/365. In the absence of a car, and an urgent need to attend, then the spouse / family / friend / neighbour option comes into play. Failing that a taxi, or as suggested, an NHS funded taxi in lieu of a non-emergency ambulance / patient transport service.

Don't misunderstand, I fully understand the need for people to attend various places. And for some of those to do so by public transport. I am one of them and there are so many places which it is simply no longer possible to reasonably reach by public transport. But, as was discussed upthread, people need to allow for such things in their life. Very occasionally things happen out of the blue which have unforeseen costs i.e. the need to attend a hospital a few times over a short period of time, then not again for several years. That could be as a patient or a visitor. Public transport, nowadays, simply cannot be provided on that basis unless the population density is sufficient to have enough of those 'once in a blue moon passengers' travelling on every bus service to make the subsidy at least reasonable.

My view would always be that the provider of a service should consider how its users are going to access their services. That applies to a place of employment, leisure, retail or health. Unfortunately we now live in a world where the people deciding on the locations of those facilities simply have no concept whatsoever that there still remain people in the world who do not have immediate access to a car for their sole use, as and when. Equally unfortunately, the numbers of such people are so few that the loss of their business can be easily afforded.
 
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pemma

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Public transport, nowadays, simply cannot be provided on that basis unless the population density is sufficient to have enough of those 'once in a blue moon passengers' travelling on every bus service to make the subsidy at least reasonable.

I don't think providing a regular designated hospital bus is a good idea. However, if we look at Macclesfield Hospital a commercial bus service between Wilmslow and Macclesfield via the hospital operates Mon-Sat daytime. Why not provide a subsided evening and Sunday service?

Macclesfield-Knutsford doesn't look as good at present. However, that doesn't mean it can't be a more successful bus service. The loadings were much better when not all buses diverted to serve Over Peover and when the frequency was hourly. Why not extend beyond Knutsford to make it more attractive to people from the Macclesfield area e.g. to Tatton Park or/and Manchester Airport or Warrington?
 

6Gman

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I don't think providing a regular designated hospital bus is a good idea. However, if we look at Macclesfield Hospital a commercial bus service between Wilmslow and Macclesfield via the hospital operates Mon-Sat daytime. Why not provide a subsided evening and Sunday service?

Presumably because the usage wouldn't make it value for money?
 

pemma

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The commercial 130 service doesn't allow for evening visitor hours. There is a Sunday subsided service which gets a healthy loading but the subsidy will be withdrawn next April as Cheshire East council have decided public transport on Sunday is an unnecessary luxury.
 

6Gman

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The commercial 130 service doesn't allow for evening visitor hours. There is a Sunday subsided service which gets a healthy loading but the subsidy will be withdrawn next April as Cheshire East council have decided public transport on Sunday is an unnecessary luxury.

Presumably because they don't consider it value for money.
 

pemma

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Presumably because they don't consider it value for money.

They claim the government has cut their funding by millions and one consequence of that is very little money to subside bus services so most subsides are being axed or severely reduced.
 

pemma

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D&G have re-registered the SB services so they will continue running them after 27th January despite the previous cancellation.
 

Statto

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The commercial 130 service doesn't allow for evening visitor hours. There is a Sunday subsided service which gets a healthy loading but the subsidy will be withdrawn next April as Cheshire East council have decided public transport on Sunday is an unnecessary luxury.

Depends what direction your traveling in, as the last 130 arrives in Macclesfield around 2020, last one from Macclesfield is at 1825.
 

daodao

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Depends what direction your traveling in, as the last 130 arrives in Macclesfield around 2020, last one from Macclesfield is at 1825.

For a number of years, the last weekday bus from Macclesfield Hospital to the town centre was much earlier - it only changed a few weeks ago as route 130 is now run by the Macclesfield depot. However, it is only a 15 minute walk to the town centre, and there are few connections available to other places from Macclesfield bus station after 1900.
 

pemma

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For a number of years, the last weekday bus from Macclesfield Hospital to the town centre was much earlier - it only changed a few weeks ago as route 130 is now run by the Macclesfield depot. However, it is only a 15 minute walk to the town centre, and there are few connections available to other places from Macclesfield bus station after 1900.

Although, Macclesfield does have direct trains to quite a few places for onward connections but those places don't include Broken Cross, Nether Alderley, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Handforth, Chelford, Ollerton, Over Peover or Knutsford which are all within the area Macclesfield Hospital serves.
 

pemma

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The registration also says yes to requiring subsidy?

While Cheshire East said they were re-awarding all the contracts with new services starting on 1st April 2018, I wonder if some ended before that and required an extension or short term contract to continue running until 31st Mar.
 

1Z42

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For a number of years, the last weekday bus from Macclesfield Hospital to the town centre was much earlier - it only changed a few weeks ago as route 130 is now run by the Macclesfield depot. However, it is only a 15 minute walk to the town centre, and there are few connections available to other places from Macclesfield bus station after 1900.
It is a fair walk, 20 mins up from, the town centre ie the railway station, and it is not much fun in the wet. And it is 20metres down then 40 metres up, 200 feet in brexit units. and about 1 kilometre horizontal
 
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pemma

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do we know how long for?

The service was operating to a revised route and reduced frequency during the roadworks, so it'll again become an hourly service from Wilmslow Station to Manchester Airport Viewing Park via Styal and Quarry Bank Mill. Cheshire East council plan to terminate the contract on 31st March 2018 as part of their bus funding cuts.
 

pemma

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I can this TSS recruitment campaign being successful (not)

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gordonthemoron

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I don't think providing a regular designated hospital bus is a good idea. However, if we look at Macclesfield Hospital a commercial bus service between Wilmslow and Macclesfield via the hospital operates Mon-Sat daytime. Why not provide a subsided evening and Sunday service?

Macclesfield-Knutsford doesn't look as good at present. However, that doesn't mean it can't be a more successful bus service. The loadings were much better when not all buses diverted to serve Over Peover and when the frequency was hourly. Why not extend beyond Knutsford to make it more attractive to people from the Macclesfield area e.g. to Tatton Park or/and Manchester Airport or Warrington?

The 27 could do better at peak times if they had bigger buses and/or improved frequencies between Macclesfield and Radbroke Hall. A load of Barclays' Indian workers have relocated from Hale/Altrincham to Crewe as accommodation is cheaper, but the free Barclays bus is now chokka. There are some Barclays' staff who commute on the 27 from Macclesfield but it is already full from Macc
 

pemma

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The 27 could do better at peak times if they had bigger buses and/or improved frequencies between Macclesfield and Radbroke Hall. A load of Barclays' Indian workers have relocated from Hale/Altrincham to Crewe as accommodation is cheaper, but the free Barclays bus is now chokka. There are some Barclays' staff who commute on the 27 from Macclesfield but it is already full from Macc

Agreed. I've pointed out on numerous occasions the 27 bus used to be hourly and operated by 38 seater Wright Cadets and even those used to get fairly full at peak times.
 

323235

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The 32 has been cancelled as of 27th January and the 130 Monday - Saturday is being cut to hourly from the 28th January.

It is to be hoped the 130 can sustain itself on an hourly service.
 

pemma

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The 32 has been cancelled as of 27th January

The 32 and SB services were both showing as cancelled on VOSA but the SB were re-registered. The 32 is showing as being withdrawn on the Cheshire East site but not the D&G site. Also of note the 85 Sunday service (Crewe to Newcastle) is to be retained despite Staffordshire CC axing funding as Keele University have agreed to provide funding.

the 130 Monday - Saturday is being cut to hourly from the 28th January.

It is to be hoped the 130 can sustain itself on an hourly service.

Also mentioned is the Macclesfield College diversions will be withdrawn.

Does anyone know how the closure of Wilmslow Job Centre with transfer of services to Macclesfield Job Centre has affected loadings on the 130 route? It's had a very negative effect on off-peak loadings on the 88 route (Knutsford was in the Wilmslow Job Centre area.) Although, I don't know how many may from the Wilmslow and Handforth have requested to transfer to Stockport Job Centre instead.
 

ag51ruk

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The 32 and SB services were both showing as cancelled on VOSA but the SB were re-registered. The 32 is showing as being withdrawn on the Cheshire East site but not the D&G site.

From a local newspaper site (Crewe Guardian)

"CHESHIRE East Council is stepping in to save Warmingham’s only bus service for two months.

D&G Bus is withdrawing the 32 service, which runs between Crewe and Sandbach, on January 27, 2018.

The service was due to end no earlier than next April after it was listed as one of the supported buses to be axed in CEC’s review – only for the D&G decision to leave Warmingham without a bus service earlier than planned.

But Cheshire East Council is now in talks with another operator to continue the service until April.

Cheshire East Council spokesman said: “D&G has given notice to end the service, but we have found a replacement until April. We are waiting for the contract to be signed by the new bus operator.”
 

LOL The Irony

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Does anyone know how the closure of Wilmslow Job Centre with transfer of services to Macclesfield Job Centre has affected loadings on the 130 route? It's had a very negative effect on off-peak loadings on the 88 route (Knutsford was in the Wilmslow Job Centre area.) Although, I don't know how many may from the Wilmslow and Handforth have requested to transfer to Stockport Job Centre instead.
The Welcome Cafe on Longridge is becoming the job centre on Wednesdays. The rest of the time, Knutsfordians will have to go to Macc. The only effect on Wilmslow is traveling costs.
 

pemma

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^ The Welcome facility is for those requiring additional support and doesn't count as mandatory weekly job coach appointments for those claiming benefits. People in the WA16 postcode are allocated to Macc but many have requested transfers to Northwich.

What I was getting at is 130 revenue should have increased due to Wilmslow JCP closing.
 

323235

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They were probably just trialing it to see how many existing users were boarding / alighting there to see if there was any demand from existing users?
 

pemma

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Macclesfield College is a provider of adult education courses for the surrounding area (including Wilmslow, Handforth, Alderley Edge and Knutsford) but I imagine most of those attending Macc college for adult education were already using the bus, if they were going to use it, so the diversion wouldn't have gained any extra passengers. For 16-18 year olds attending full time they'll be designated scholars services so they won't have any need for the 130 unless they aren't arriving or finishing at normal hours.
 

pemma

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D&G have changed the Wincham allocation to 6 x Streetlites and 1 x Solo 880SL (previously 6 x Solo 970SRs and 1 x Streetlite.) http://dgbus.co.uk/fleet-list.html

The Streetlites provide terrible ride quality on the poorly surfaced B5085 between Knutsford Business Park and the Wilmslow/Alderley Edge Junction.
 

ag51ruk

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D&G have changed the Wincham allocation to 6 x Streetlites and 1 x Solo 880SL (previously 6 x Solo 970SRs and 1 x Streetlite.) http://dgbus.co.uk/fleet-list.html

The Streetlites provide terrible ride quality on the poorly surfaced B5085 between Knutsford Business Park and the Wilmslow/Alderley Edge Junction.

And you are very welcome to them! It's been nice to have the ex-OneLink Solos back in Crewe
 
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