Robertj21a
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I'm sure there's another Midlands operator up for sale.
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First Group: General Discussion
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overthewater
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Midlands is a big place... D&G? Johnsons? travel de courcey? Would have to throw a dart in dartboard and hope for bullseye.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Astons of Kempsey.... I can see a large French based multinational....oh hang on, that happened before
These are hard times. There's one I am aware of but, as ever, these things can't be divulged. Also, I'm acutely aware of other nailed on deals that never happened.
Speculation is fun but, ever the killjoy, it doesn't really prove anything.
overthewater
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i just wish the pension problem with First could be resolved to allow the company to be sorted out once and for all.
Robertj21a
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I'm sure that First would agree with you !
More cuts coming for what's left in Manchester, from the next GM Transport Committee agenda:
81 withdrawn between Oldham and Derker
81A withdrawn with the Oldham-Holts section replaced by a new service 80
83 split at Oldham with the Sholver end reduced in frequency as a new service 82
180/184 reorganised to run hourly from Greenfield/Huddersfield to Oldham only, with a new service 84 covering Manchester to Grotton (still every 10 minutes) and Uppermill (3bph)
425 split at Oldham, Holts gets a frequency increase, Fitton Hill reduced to every 20 minutes.
The new 184 could probably be run from Huddersfield if Oldham is sold.
81 withdrawn between Oldham and Derker
81A withdrawn with the Oldham-Holts section replaced by a new service 80
83 split at Oldham with the Sholver end reduced in frequency as a new service 82
180/184 reorganised to run hourly from Greenfield/Huddersfield to Oldham only, with a new service 84 covering Manchester to Grotton (still every 10 minutes) and Uppermill (3bph)
425 split at Oldham, Holts gets a frequency increase, Fitton Hill reduced to every 20 minutes.
The new 184 could probably be run from Huddersfield if Oldham is sold.
Alexbus12
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Trying to make it attractive to a buyer it seems...Noticed in Routeone Abellio where commenting on franchsing plans in GM and reading it, I assume they're interested in entering the Manchester market.
buslad1988
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And as usual great up to date photographs used in local newspaper articles! Guess First should be grateful the buses are low floor atleast.
Alexbus12
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The bus they use in the Bolton news in Manchester is fab, an P plate dart that has been scrapped since around 2012 and on a route that no longer exists
Service 184 going back to running to Oldham, and not forming part of the main service frequency from Saddleworth into Oldham, is back to how it was when it was the 365. I think on this basis it would make sense to run it from Huddersfield regardless of if the depot is sold or not.
agreed with you there Huddersfield do have a load of B9s they could use
NorthernSpirit
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What I've read on the Travel West Yorkshire forum is that on Sunday's the new 84 runs to Huddersfield.
All sourced from the source mentioned here. The TfGM committee minutes.
It won’t be the first time the Sunday service is different. I remember back in the day it used to run via Diggle, when the main service didn’t. Then i remember at one time it was run by a GM independent on a Sunday and First Huddersfield during the week, which caused confusion on Good Friday when both services ran on top of each other.
40145 Panther
Member
Yes, that was SpeedwellBus. Their then state-of-the-art Optare Solos were able to traverse Old Station Turning with ease. Then again, in the Yorkshire Rider/Kingfisher era, the 365 was operated using minibuses on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
noddingdonkey
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Interesting to see what that does to through ticketing. West Yorkshire First tickets are valid to Manchester on the 184, presumably this will get cut back to Oldham?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
See the first of the vehicles for "Kingfisher" from Potteries to Uttoxeter. https://www.flickr.com/photos/34487875@N07/48831899367/in/photolist-2hp7fpr
Interestingly, there isn't even a discreet First logo
Interestingly, there isn't even a discreet First logo
freetoview33
Established Member
Just old crappy first seats!
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Yep - the seats could certainly have done with a retrim. Seems rather half-a***d
freetoview33
Established Member
Indeed what's the point in a nice new brand and paint job just to leave it rubbish inside
Robertj21a
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Painting a bus is fairly cheap, a refurb is much more expensive. First Potteries is barely profitable.
winston270twm
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Fair point, but if First work with that attitude, how are they ever likely to turn things around... punters see a bright bold liveried bus approaching and board only to find it's the same old faded / worn / dirty seats they've been sat on for years.....
Polished turd springs to mind....
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Don't think anyone would pretend they have a great reputation!
However, this is a marketing tool so don't see anything wrong in that. People don't seem to have any issue in marketing in other parts of their life.
EDIT: Agree with Winston on this. Besides, it's one of three vehicles so if they're going to do it, it would make sense.
They DID refurb the vehicles for the Salt Road (and for Nimrod, I think) so perhaps it might be done with new seat cushions. They won't have needed to for the Eclipses that arrived in Leicester - they were refurbished for Mendip Explorer a couple of years back.
cactustwirly
Established Member
The new eclipses in Leicester actually need an interior refurbishment, they still have the old purple seat covers
buslad1988
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Those eclipses have had refurbishments in the past few years. Local management preferred the original barbie moquette rather than the later style which fades very quickly and looks tatty far quicker.
Have to say IMO I agree with them.
freetoview33
Established Member
Not a big fan of eleather myself!
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
If you look closely, they have actually been refurbished with the earlier darker purple Barbie moquette of the early/mid 2000s (rather than their 2009 vintage); this was done in early 2017. They originally had the lighter, later, lilac moquette than doesn't last as well, as others have said.
winston270twm
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Not quite sure what to make of below article? Possible peace talks with Coast to allow for a change of Strategy re: First UK Bus?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/10/13/firstgroup-chairman-david-martin-attend-showdown-us/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/10/13/firstgroup-chairman-david-martin-attend-showdown-us/
FirstGroup chairman David Martin to attend showdown in US
David Martin will be hoping to convince investors that he has the right strategy in place to reinvigorate the company’s fortunes after months of disquiet
13 October 2019 • 7:00pm
The executive upon whom FirstGroup has pinned its turnaround hopes will fly to New York for a Hallowe'en showdown with warring US shareholders.
David Martin, the former Arriva chief who replaced ousted Wolfhart Hauser, is to meet investors at the end of a whistle-stop tour of the US on Oct 31, The Daily Telegraph understands.
In his first meeting with them since taking office in August, Mr Martin will be hoping to convince investors that he has the right team and strategy in place to reinvigorate the company’s fortunes after months of disquiet.
Coast Capital Management, the Wall Street activist and First’s biggest shareholder, will likely provide a stern test of Mr Martin’s resolve. The US fund mounted an orchestrated campaign to replace half of First’s board, sell operations and quit Britain’s railways.
Coast often cut a lonely voice in public, issuing a series of stinging attacks on both Mr Hauser and chief executive Matthew Gregory. Privately, however, The Telegraph understands many of First’s large institutional shareholders shared similar views.
David Martin replaced Wolfhart Hauser in August
When the boardroom coup was put to the vote, a majority of investors backed incumbent management. Nevertheless, with almost a third of investors voting against him, Mr Hauser stepped down.
A major gripe among investors on both sides of the Atlantic is a lack of experience in “surface transportation”.
Mr Martin was at one point a name put forward by Coast in its campaign against the board. His appointment goes some way to addressing such a perceived shortcoming, sources said.
Meanwhile, further details about the parlous state of the finances on one of First’s worst performing UK rail contracts, Transpennine Express, have been laid bare.
The link between Liverpool and Hull remains in the red, with First racking up a £1.9m pre-tax loss on £269m of revenue. Last year it took a £106m write-down to the value of the franchise. It has also been savaged by delays to a series of planned upgrades to tracks by Network Rail. The accounts disclosed that First “remains engaged with discussion” with the Government to be compensated for “contractual variations”.
However, the accounts reveal that instead of an expected £20m release from the contract write-down during the year to March, only £500,000 was utilised.
Coast declined to comment.