D&G Buses

[northernrail2009]

Who could take over routes 3 and 10 in Macclesfield if D&G are giving them up?

 

[gazmark]

Who could take over routes 3 and 10 in Macclesfield if D&G are giving them up?

My money would be on High Peak taking them over

 

[323235]

D&G and High Peak are both owned by Centrebus though , so that would seem unlikely unless there is subsidy involved from Cheshire East Council.

 

[PaulWC]

D&G and High Peak are both owned by Centrebus though , so that would seem unlikely unless there is subsidy involved from Cheshire East Council.

Perhaps it's subsidy from Cheshire East that D&G are after.

 

[JKP]

Perhaps it's subsidy from Cheshire East that D&G are after.

Risky if Cheshire East put the routes out to tender, which given the registration I assume they will or have already done. Are there any other likely operators in the Macclesfield area?

 

[PaulWC]

Risky if Cheshire East put the routes out to tender, which given the registration I assume they will or have already done. Are there any other likely operators in the Macclesfield area?

Realistically, there's only High Peak who would be likely to take over. i'm sure we'll find out what's going on in the days to come. Maybe D&G are putting in a new registration for a cross town service to cover the 3 and 10 - D&G have always been keen on combining routes.

 

[SeanM1997]

Realistically, there's only High Peak who would be likely to take over. i'm sure we'll find out what's going on in the days to come. Maybe D&G are putting in a new registration for a cross town service to cover the 3 and 10 - D&G have always been keen on combining routes.

I hope you're right and they're not lost. But in May 2024, D&G did ask for support for the 3 and 10 (plus 85 in Crewe) so this may be an ongoing issue:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/withdrawal_of_nantwich_rural_bus/response/2756325/attach/2/26930825%20Response%20to%20FOI%20Nantwich%20Rurals%20Withdrawal%20Redacted.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2025 ==

Regarding routes 3 and 10 - an email from Susan Galway, Operations Administrator has appeared on Facebook reading:

Yes, these are Macclesfield locals (Weston and Billington). The registration will have been published that states they are being 'cancelled', however, they are not disappearing, just being re-registered.

 

[markymark2000]

Regarding routes 3 and 10 - an email from Susan Galway, Operations Administrator has appeared on Facebook reading:

Yes, these are Macclesfield locals (Weston and Billington). The registration will have been published that states they are being 'cancelled', however, they are not disappearing, just being re-registered.

Sure D&G did this with the Northwich 48s, when the tender was us, they cancelled it ready then registered when they won the tender.

 

[SeanM1997]

D&G to combine its Macclesfield routes 3 and 10 into a single, cross-town service from 1 September 2025:

Merger of bus routes confirmed in bid to improve 'cross-town accessibility'

Cheshire East Council has confirmed the merger of the 3 and 10 bus services

macclesfield.nub.news

 

[RELL6L]

D&G to combine its Macclesfield routes 3 and 10 into a single, cross-town service from 1 September 2025:

Merger of bus routes confirmed in bid to improve 'cross-town accessibility'

Cheshire East Council has confirmed the merger of the 3 and 10 bus services

macclesfield.nub.news

Which is really of no effect , except perhaps for fares, as they interwork anyway.

 

[PaulWC]

As I said above, D&G do like combining routes together. I'm intrigued that this is a "partnership" with the council and what that entails. D&G and the council collaborating on the promotion of the new service is interesting as well given D&G tend to do the bare minimum of promotion normally.

 

[markymark2000]

As I said above, D&G do like combining routes together. I'm intrigued that this is a "partnership" with the council and what that entails. D&G and the council collaborating on the promotion of the new service is interesting as well given D&G tend to do the bare minimum of promotion normally.

Probably being done as a way for D&G to siphon money out of the BSIP funds if it's all done 'in partnership'.

 

[PaulWC]

Probably being done as a way for D&G to siphon money out of the BSIP funds if it's all done 'in partnership'.

You could be right, especially given their previous 'request' for financial help with the 3 and 10.

 

[zuriblue]

D&G to combine its Macclesfield routes 3 and 10 into a single, cross-town service from 1 September 2025:

Merger of bus routes confirmed in bid to improve 'cross-town accessibility'

Cheshire East Council has confirmed the merger of the 3 and 10 bus services

macclesfield.nub.news

Back in the days of North Western (and subsequently Crosville) the Bollington bus always ran through Macc to Moss Rose Estate.

 

[Open top 80]

Back in the days of North Western (and subsequently Crosville) the Bollington bus always ran through Macc to Moss Rose Estate.

Yes they did as I have an old North Western timetable date 1969

 

[PaulWC]

Back in the days of North Western (and subsequently Crosville) the Bollington bus always ran through Macc to Moss Rose Estate.

It was the introduction of Crosville's Mini Lynx network in Macc that ended the through service in 1987. Sundays continued as a through service til about 1988, but even through the 1990s and beyond, the Moss Rose and Bollington Sunday services were on the same contract and so run by the same company (PMT, Star Line, C-Line, Stevensons, Arriva) but as two services.

 

[Martin1988]

Didn't the 38 used to interwork with a Macclesfield service back when D&G initially ran it on Sundays?

 

[Shauny]

Didn't the 38 used to interwork with a Macclesfield service back when D&G initially ran it on Sundays?

Yes, the 5’s Weston & Upton Circular

 

[Martin1988]

Yes, the 5’s Weston & Upton Circular

Thanks for clarifying this. What happened to the Sunday journeys on the 5? Did they get withdrawn at the same time as those on 38?

 

[Baxenden Bank]

No mention of the changes previously mentioned by @SeanM1997 for the 30 June but Staffordshire County Council have uploaded the July service changes which include:

from 20 July
· Service 94 (Newcastle - Congleton) will have a revised route and timetable, no longer operating via Bradwell. Bradwell will be served by the new services 34 and 104.
· Services 94A / 94B will be cancelled. Service 94A will be replaced by the revised service 94 and service 94B will be replaced by new service 34.
· Service 34 will be operated by D&G Bus between Newcastle and Bradwell. This will be a Monday to Friday service replacing the cancelled 94B.
· Service 104 will be operated by D&G Bus between Newcastle, Bradwell, Chatterley Valley, Festival Park and Hanley, Monday to Saturday

from 21 July
D&G Bus service K (Keele - Chesterton) will have a revised timetable and some route revisions.

 

[SeanM1997]

Great to see further growth - if only the BSIP for The Potteries led to the 85 to have a Sunday service given Madeley is a large village with no public transport on Sundays

On a different note, it looks like the 317 will extend to Leighton Hospital on Saturdays from this Summer, as confirmed at Cheshire East's Transport Committee on 19 June

Agenda for Highways and Transport Committee on Thursday, 19th June, 2025, 6.00 pm | Cheshire East Council

moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk

Ms S Helliwell spoke in relation to Item 6 - Bus Service Improvement Plan - 2025/26 Delivery Programme. Ms Helliwell stated that at the September meeting of the Highways and Transport Committee she was informed by officers that the Council had received the S106 money from the developer and would be using that funding to provide a Saturday day service to Leighton so the timetable would mirror the Monday to Friday operation which would follow through to Leighton hospital. This would be built into the service specification for the 317 service.

Ms S Helliwell stated that this had not yet happened and that there was scope to include a Saturday service to Leighton through Alsager and Sandbach as that service was desperately needed as patients needed to get to Leighton hospital for appointments. Ms Helliwell asked that Alsager did not become the forgotten town and that as residents were being
encouraged to use public transport to address the climate emergency, she stated that this was an ideal opportunity to ensure the 317 bus did go the Leighton and do a full circuit of Alsager and Sandbach.
In response officers stated that a procurement process had been completed and confirmation had been received from the bus operator that the 317 service would start a Saturday service this summer with a commencement date to be confirmed

 

[Shauny]

Thanks for clarifying this. What happened to the Sunday journeys on the 5? Did they get withdrawn at the same time as those on 38?

The Sunday 5 & 38 both got suspended in late March 2020 due the the Covid pandemic, and then in June 2020 they quietly got withdrawn and never returned.

Obviously the Sunday 38 has since returned though but in a much more reduced frequency.

 

[SeanM1997]

The Sunday 5 & 38 both got suspended in late March 2020 due the the Covid pandemic, and then in June 2020 they quietly got withdrawn and never returned.

Obviously the Sunday 38 has since returned though but in a much more reduced frequency.

The problem with D&Gs Sunday services are they treat them in isolation so the timetable isn't consistent. Its good they factor in driver breaks but having a relief driver and allowing drivers between routes would allow a more consistent timetable - especially on the 8, 12 and 38 in Crewe.

One day I hope D&G return to 84X as the Crewe - Nantwich is at its lowest ever Sunday frequency

 

[semppec]

The problem with D&Gs Sunday services are they treat them in isolation so the timetable isn't consistent. Its good they factor in driver breaks but having a relief driver and allowing drivers between routes would allow a more consistent timetable - especially on the 8, 12 and 38 in Crewe.

One day I hope D&G return to 84X as the Crewe - Nantwich is at its lowest ever Sunday frequency

I wish the 37 ran a Sunday service as it is very crucial for people in Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich as on Sundays they are stranded. The 37 is one of the main routes here in Cheshire and it's a shame there is no sunday service planned for that route.

 

[Martin1988]

The Sunday 5 & 38 both got suspended in late March 2020 due the the Covid pandemic, and then in June 2020 they quietly got withdrawn and never returned.

Obviously the Sunday 38 has since returned though but in a much more reduced frequency.

Thanks for clarifying this. I really disagreed with the way operators used Covid as an excuse to withdraw some services.

Are there any services in Cheshire East that are actually commercially viable for any operator on a Sunday or is it simply the case that funding is needed and if its not available than there is no service?

I seem to remember that Pre-Covid the 38 was hourly on a Sunday and possibly ran commercially and presumably the 5 was the same? I vaguely remember something about the 85 being funded on Sundays (not by Cheshire East but some sort of funding grant) and D&G having a short lived attempt at running the 12 commercially before withdrawing it.

 

[SeanM1997]

Service Updates | D&G Bus

www.dgbus.co.uk

Services 94, 94A and 94B will be changing from 21st July 2025.

The changes are being made following a contract award from Staffordshire County Council.

The routes and times are revised, with the service being split into three parts as follows:



Service 34 (Newcastle - Bradwell, Riceyman Road)

Service 34 will replace service 94B, operating via the same route but at different times.

https://www.dgbus.co.uk/media/5305/34_2025-07-21.pdf

Service 94 (Newcastle - Tunstall - Biddulph - Congleton)

Service 94 will no longer serve Bradwell, with all journeys now operating via Wolstanton to provide a faster route in and out of Newcastle. Buses have been timed to connect at Congleton with service 38 to and from Macclesfield.

https://www.dgbus.co.uk/media/5306/94_2025-07-21.pdf

Service 104 (Newcastle - Bradwell - Tunstall - Burslem - Hanley)

Service 104 will operate from Newcastle to Bradwell via Hempstalls Lane, replacing service 94. Buses will then continue to Chatterley Valley (Genesis Centre), Sandyford, Tunstall, Burslem, Festival Park and Hanley. Buses will run every hour, Monday to Saturday.

https://www.dgbus.co.uk/media/5307/104_2025-07-21.pdf

Service K will be changing from 21st July 2025.

The changes are being made to improve reliability of the service.

Buses will serve Crackley Bank (south of the Cedar Road junction) instead of Holly Road and Birch House Road in Crackley, and at Keele will operate in a loop via the Science Park, University campus and Keele Village.

https://www.dgbus.co.uk/media/5308/k_2025-07-21.pdf

 

[PaulWC]

Are there any services in Cheshire East that are actually commercially viable for any operator on a Sunday or is it simply the case that funding is needed and if its not available than there is no service?

As far as I know, the 103 Crewe to Hanley is fully commercial, so is probably the only commercial service on a Sunday.

 

[SeanM1997]

As far as I know, the 103 Crewe to Hanley is fully commercial, so is probably the only commercial service on a Sunday.

Cheshire East Sunday services:

Commercial:
103 - First Potteries: Crewe - Hanley

Subsidised:
58 - High Peak: Macclesfield - Buxton - Funded by Derbyshire Councils
84 - Stagecoach: Crewe - Chester - Funded by Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester Councils

BSIP (Cheshire East):
12 - D&G: Leighton Hospital - Crewe - Rope
38 - D&G: Crewe - Macclesfield
130 - High Peak: Macclesfield - Wilmslow - Handforth Dean

Section 106 Contributions:
8 - D&G: Wistaston Green - Crewe - Sydney - Funded by Stoneley Park development

 

[daodao]

Cheshire East Sunday services:

Commercial:
103 - First Potteries: Crewe - Hanley

Subsidised:
58 - High Peak: Macclesfield - Buxton - Funded by Derbyshire Councils
84 - Stagecoach: Crewe - Chester - Funded by Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester Councils

BSIP (Cheshire East):
12 - D&G: Leighton Hospital - Crewe - Rope
38 - D&G: Crewe - Macclesfield
130 - High Peak: Macclesfield - Wilmslow - Handforth Dean

Section 106 Contributions:
8 - D&G: Wistaston Green - Crewe - Sydney - Funded by Stoneley Park development

High Peak 199 from Buxton to Manchester Airport via Disley is at least partly "commercial" even on Sundays.

 

[mangad]

High Peak 199 from Buxton to Manchester Airport via Disley is at least partly "commercial" even on Sundays.

I think it's fully commercial now. Prior to the Bee Network the TfGM timetable had many references to TfGM funding, but that's not there in the latest timetable. Sure I read on these forums somewhere that TfGM can't directly fund non-franchised services any more.