StagecoachBus1
Member
Is there any update the Tranche 3 school routes, notably if independents have managed to get anything?
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Bee Network Service/Route Discussion
- Thread starter Andyh82
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R
RailUK Forums
Class 466
Established Member
Believe the announcement is due this coming week
StagecoachBus1
Member
Oh ok, thought it was due soon.
YorkRailFan
Established Member
Night buses has officially returned to Manchester:
x.com
Some fantastic news for those wanting a night out in Manchester, particularly Friday or Saturday night.
x.com
x.com
Some fantastic news for those wanting a night out in Manchester, particularly Friday or Saturday night.
The news of the Night Bus revival for the 36 and V1 ignores Stagecoach has 24/7 operation on route 43 City Centre - Airport, and a small network of Friday and Saturday night services across south Manchester to around 3am (some of which operate M-Th as well particularly in University termtime) Presume these will continue with Bee Network on the launch of Tranche 3 from 5 January 2025?
Routes : 86 103 112 142 143 192 201 203 216 219 as listed https://tfgm.com/public-transport/bus/night-bus
Routes : 86 103 112 142 143 192 201 203 216 219 as listed https://tfgm.com/public-transport/bus/night-bus
WibbleWobble
Member
Can't be stealing Andy's limelight now, can't we!
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
There are times when I wonder if a severe outbreak of extreme naivety has affected the "Bee for Burnham" press network....Can't be stealing Andy's limelight now, can't we!
TheSmiths82
Member
I've been using night buses in Manchester for over 20 years, so it is news to me. "Night Buses return to Salford" would have been a much more accurate story. I can't see the existing night buses being stopped under Tranche 3. I do think the existing service needs to be better advertised though.
Maybe do like in London add a N prefex to each service to simplify things for customers?
johncrossley
Established Member
London only does that now where the night-time route differs from the normal route. Most night buses in London probably don't have a N-prefix any more.
Leedsbusman
Member
How would giving the same service a different number at night simplify things?
TheSmiths82
Member
To be fair in case of the 86 I think it is needs it, I am pretty sure it is listed as such on the timetables, but not on the blinds. The 86(N) turns off when it gets to Chorlton and heads towards Sale where as the day service terminates half a mile further into Chorlton. It also doesn't pick up passengers on the return trip so it is only a one way service. E.g getting people out of the city centre, but not into it. So for about 1/3 of its route, the 86N is different.
Such as when they always used to forget that “System One Travel” was a thingThere are times when I wonder if a severe outbreak of extreme naivety has affected the "Bee for Burnham" press network....
Hardly hidden. Clearly mentioned in this Manchester Evening News article in a quote from the Transport Commissioner.
Greater Manchester's first night buses will launch on two routes this weekend
The days of relying on a taxi home after midnight are over for 135,000 people
Difference is this is a pilot for massive night bus extension for proper 24/7 routes - not night buses that only run to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. I mean, I remember seeing timetables for night buses 20 years ago and GM Buses basically had a disclaimer on them saying they may not even run if they couldn't get the drivers!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
London removed the N prefix where the night route mirrored a daytime route. N prefixes are only used where the route is night time only. E.g. there is a night bus that basically follows the southern section of the Northern Line
On bus stops 24 hour services are clearly marked on the flag.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Incidentally, I think when you compare London to Manchester you see how poor our evening services are - not just night buses.
I used to live in London and the "daytime" routes would start between 5 and 6am and finish between midnight and 1am. Even in a Sunday. Frequencies would still be pretty good during the evening. 10-12 minute frequencies after 10pm are common for services outside of central London. and they would often be very well used.
Greater Manchester needs to not just think of night buses but ensure the "day" package is great too.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Final tranche of school contracts going to Diamond and Go North West.
Manchester bus franchising final tranche school services awarded - routeone
Diamond Bus North West and Go North West will run school services awarded under the third tranche of bus franchising in Greater Manchester.
www.route-one.net
Which means the end (for now) of Belle Vue in the schools market - although they've got other interests. Do Stotts have anything outside buses and school services? Or is this company founded in 1963 about to wind down?
Surprised Belle Vue didn't get anything given they're a big company in the South Manchester schools market. But that assumes they even bid.
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StagecoachBus1
Member
Is it known yet again which schools have gone to which operator - curious as neither companies have depots based near a large proportion of the schools.Final tranche of school contracts going to Diamond and Go North West.
Manchester bus franchising final tranche school services awarded - routeone
Diamond Bus North West and Go North West will run school services awarded under the third tranche of bus franchising in Greater Manchester.
Which means the end (for now) of Belle Vue in the schools market - although they've got other interests. Do Stotts have anything outside buses and school services? Or is this company founded in 1963 about to wind down?
Surprised Belle Vue didn't get anything given they're a big company in the South Manchester schools market. But that assumes they even bid.
It is, sadly, the end of Stotts. The tour business they used to run closed down years ago.
Go North West are opening a Denton depot in January and as Denton is right next to the M60 they'll have no problem serving the Tranche 3 area.
Presumably Diamond will serve from Eccles, also close to the motorway network and that depot has been used by Diamond (and prior to that, Little Gem) as a base for services in Tameside and Stockport.
The fact that Manchester franchising has almost entirely wiped out small hard working family businesses in favour of large multi national fat cat organisations (as many on the left would call them) is pretty controversial really, especially as it’s all be done by a Labour mayor. I’m surprised more of a stink hasn’t been created.
Man of Kent
Member
- Joined
- 5 Jul 2018
- Messages
- 734
It's been noticed by the Competition and Markets Authority, who as a statutory consultee on franchising proposals, have given advice to other authorities intending to franchise, to make provision for Small and Medium Enterprises.
By my reckoning, current operators of Tranche 3 schools are as follows:Hardly hidden. Clearly mentioned in this Manchester Evening News article in a quote from the Transport Commissioner.
Greater Manchester's first night buses will launch on two routes this weekend
The days of relying on a taxi home after midnight are over for 135,000 peoplewww.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Difference is this is a pilot for massive night bus extension for proper 24/7 routes - not night buses that only run to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. I mean, I remember seeing timetables for night buses 20 years ago and GM Buses basically had a disclaimer on them saying they may not even run if they couldn't get the drivers!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
London removed the N prefix where the night route mirrored a daytime route. N prefixes are only used where the route is night time only. E.g. there is a night bus that basically follows the southern section of the Northern Line
On bus stops 24 hour services are clearly marked on the flag.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Incidentally, I think when you compare London to Manchester you see how poor our evening services are - not just night buses.
I used to live in London and the "daytime" routes would start between 5 and 6am and finish between midnight and 1am. Even in a Sunday. Frequencies would still be pretty good during the evening. 10-12 minute frequencies after 10pm are common for services outside of central London. and they would often be very well used.
Greater Manchester needs to not just think of night buses but ensure the "day" package is great too.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Final tranche of school contracts going to Diamond and Go North West.
Manchester bus franchising final tranche school services awarded - routeone
Diamond Bus North West and Go North West will run school services awarded under the third tranche of bus franchising in Greater Manchester.
Which means the end (for now) of Belle Vue in the schools market - although they've got other interests. Do Stotts have anything outside buses and school services? Or is this company founded in 1963 about to wind down?
Surprised Belle Vue didn't get anything given they're a big company in the South Manchester schools market. But that assumes they even bid.
Belle Vue (30)
First Manchester (12)
Stagecoach Manchester (24)
Stotts (13)
Ashcrofts (1)
Atlantic Travel (3)
Bullocks Coaches (1)
Diamond North West (1)
Olympia Travel (1)
Swans (3)
No. of services is approximately in brackets
Citibus
Member
I think the services are outside the Bee Network, but Swans have won all the Salford College work at the expense of Chesters Coaches who have subsequently decided to call it a day.
Metroline and Stagecoach retain some school services which are part of the large bus franchises operating out of Ashton, Hyde Rd, Stockport and Sharston depots
Edinburgh (Lothian Buses) has an extensive network 7 days a week with an N prefix. Routes and stopping patterns vary from daytime pattern a little but it's mainly to indicate that higher fares apply and young/old persons passes aren't valid.
But would many small companies be interested in franchise (London had Sullivans and now Transport UK)
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
Despite a number of complaints being made, the 368 bus service is still being described as Stockport-Edgeley-Cheadle Hulme-Manchester Airport. No mention being made that virtually every bus terminates at Wythenshawe bus station and serving Heald Green. I think there are only two very early morning services that serve Manchester Airport. Some years ago, the 369 bus service that did have all its services using that same route description terminating at Manchester Airport was withdrawn from service.
The published pdf timetable shows 368 Stockport — Cheadle Hulme — Wythenshawe — Manchester Airport/Wythenshawe Hospital
https://assets.ctfassets.net/nv7y93idf4jq/71JLlO5uqrhPzS3SJqPgyg/264540a2522187e14c289e419bfa678b/368_24-SC-0116.pdf
Just a question about the hopper fare coming in January where you can pay once and transfer to another bus within an hour. Where I live there are Arriva & Warrington Borough buses. Will the hopper be valid on these? If not it disadvantages those who live near the GM Boundary surely?
You'll want to talk to TfGM as they don't spell out all the intricate details aren't in the press release. However frankly I'd be amazed if Hopper fares are valid on anything other than Bee Network services - and cross-boundary service run from outside the Greater Manchester boundary won't be a Bee Network bus. In London you can't use a Hopper fare if you switch to a non-TfL service at (say) Kingston-upon-Thames after all.
Yes you could say it puts those on the boundary at a disadvantage, but let's be honest, these things happen at boundaries. (And I say this living not far from the county border myself.)
Thanks for that... I'm not well up on how it works (or doesn't) in London.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
I am sure what I reported was on some part of the website, perhaps in the item sections that ask you to type in a bus number.
Has there been any update about free travel for the carers of disabled people who can’t travel on their own? (Presumably an addition to the c+ passes) In the booklet we got through the door before the mayoral election Andy Burnham promised to bring this in if he won.