Cheshire Bus News (was East Cheshire Bus News)

[pemma]

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

D&G introducing the ex-OneLink Solos and their two siblings to the 88 route, along with the more robust timetable helped to build up patronage on the 88 route. They worked well by providing a suitable number of seats without requiring vehicles which were so long that they were too difficult to maneuver around parked vehicles on some of the residential streets in Wilmslow or around the illegally parked taxis at Wilmslow station (a common problem when Arriva had the emergency contract and used Cadets and Commanders.)

You did at least get some brand new 66 reg Solos in Crewe.

 

[LOL The Irony]

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.

This makes me hate them more and more... If it's not s*** drivers blaming complaints on their country of origin rather than their awful driving skills it's giving us horrible buses. That Pacer to Altrincham is looking more and more tempting day by day...

 

[Danfilm007]

88? Reliable? I've only been commuting on it from Wilmslow to Knutsford for 2 weeks and I've only made it in at 9AM three times at most... IMO I prefer the seats in the Streetlites than the Solos as they have softer seats, but they rattle far too much for what they are.

 

[pemma]

88? Reliable? I've only been commuting on it from Wilmslow to Knutsford for 2 weeks and I've only made it in at 9AM three times at most... IMO I prefer the seats in the Streetlites than the Solos as they have softer seats, but they rattle far too much for what they are.

I've probably done around 50 return journeys on the 88 since D&G took it over and apart from one service being cancelled and 2 or 3 being around 15 minutes late, the others have been within 5 minutes of their scheduled time.

I've been on Streetlites on the 88 a few times and I've noticed each time they've been used the drivers drive slower than when they are driving the Solos. Drivers seem happy to drive the Solos at 30 in the 30 sections and at 60 in the 60 sections on the main roads, but with the Streetlites it seems they keep below 25 in the 30 sections and try to avoid going above 40 anywhere but despite that the ride quality is much worse.

When you're comparing the seating are you referring to the 13 reg Solo SRs which have black leather seats? If so I don't see how you can claim the Streetlites have softer seats - if you mean in comparison to the ex-Go Goodwins Solos, which aren't used on the 88 except in an emergency, then I suppose they are softer as those particular Solos have very firm seats.

 

[LOL The Irony]

When you're comparing the seating are you referring to the 13 reg Solo SRs which have black leather seats? If so I don't see how you can claim the Streetlites have softer seats - if you mean in comparison to the ex-Go Goodwins Solos, which aren't used on the 88 except in an emergency, then I suppose they are softer as those particular Solos have very firm seats.

Aren't some of the streetlites ex Go-Goodwins as well?

 

[pemma]

Aren't some of the streetlites ex Go-Goodwins as well?

No the Streetlites were all BakerBus vehicles and transferred to D&G along with most of the BakerBus operations when BakerBus ran in to financial difficulties. Here's one of them in Bakerbus livery: https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8104/8466321700_d873c1bfb7_b.jpg and the same one in D&G livery: https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8666/28739428720_c065aaae0c_b.jpg

The ex-Goodwins vehicles are Solos YJ60 KFE (in the rear of the above photo), YJ60 KFF, YJ60 KFG and Enviros YX11 CNE and X11 CNF - which all have the additional exterior lights and the air horns.

 

[Danfilm007]

I've probably done around 50 return journeys on the 88 since D&G took it over and apart from one service being cancelled and 2 or 3 being around 15 minutes late, the others have been within 5 minutes of their scheduled time.

I've been on Streetlites on the 88 a few times and I've noticed each time they've been used the drivers drive slower than when they are driving the Solos. Drivers seem happy to drive the Solos at 30 in the 30 sections and at 60 in the 60 sections on the main roads, but with the Streetlites it seems they keep below 25 in the 30 sections and try to avoid going above 40 anywhere but despite that the ride quality is much worse.

When you're comparing the seating are you referring to the 13 reg Solo SRs which have black leather seats? If so I don't see how you can claim the Streetlites have softer seats - if you mean in comparison to the ex-Go Goodwins Solos, which aren't used on the 88 except in an emergency, then I suppose they are softer as those particular Solos have very firm seats.

Good to hear your experiences have been better, although what times have you travelled on them? Unfortunately, most of the journeys I have been on have been around 9 minutes late, with 1 a few weeks ago being nearly 40 mins late! There's been a few that have run within a few minutes on time, but they've been too far apart sadly.

The Streetlites do have a more jarring ride, although I've never understood (beyond lightness) why they vibrate so much. In terms of seats, I feel the seats on the Streetlites are deeper cushioned and to me feels more secure and comfortable - the 13 plate Solos feel nice, but quite plasticy and not 'moulding' to me when I sit in it. (It's interesting how we're discussing seats on buses, not something I ever imagined I'd discuss!)

How come the Go Goodwins vehicles have the extra lights and horns on them? Is it just an aesthetic thing, or do they have a reason for it?

 

[pemma]

Good to hear your experiences have been better, although what times have you travelled on them? Unfortunately, most of the journeys I have been on have been around 9 minutes late, with 1 a few weeks ago being nearly 40 mins late! There's been a few that have run within a few minutes on time, but they've been too far apart sadly.

A variety of services - anything from the 08:35 leaving Knutsford to the 15:05 leaving Knutsford and various return times. I've found the ones around driver changeover times the least reliable.

The Streetlites do have a more jarring ride, although I've never understood (beyond lightness) why they vibrate so much. In terms of seats, I feel the seats on the Streetlites are deeper cushioned and to me feels more secure and comfortable - the 13 plate Solos feel nice, but quite plasticy and not 'moulding' to me when I sit in it. (It's interesting how we're discussing seats on buses, not something I ever imagined I'd discuss!)

To me the Streetlite seats look like they'll be more comfortable than they actually turn out to be and while the leg room is inconsistent depending where you sit overall they seem to have less leg room. The SRs have always smelt fresher to me - presumably the fabric on the Streetlite seats isn't that easy to clean. The interiors are also much darker on the Streetlies than the Solo SRs - I think not having a transparent window behind the driver is one reason but the LED lighting on the SRs is the other reason.

I think the Streetlite is Wrightbus' first attempt, while the Solo SR is Optare's Solo Mk II - so less rattly, smoother running engine and more fuel efficient.

While it's not well promoted 5 of the 6 13 reg Solo SRs have free wi-fi available - if you connect to the network Cheshire East Free Wi-fi (not another one that appears called D&G Free Wi-fi.) I get the impression the wi-fi broke on YJ13 HNF and D&G aren't bothered about fixing it. Although, if they reappear on the 88 route then it should be noted there's a no signal section through Chorley and Great Warford.

How come the Go Goodwins vehicles have the extra lights and horns on them? Is it just an aesthetic thing, or do they have a reason for it?

The horns are louder than the standard horns fitted to Solos/Enviro 200s. I'm not sure if the reason for the extra strips of lights is to make the bus look more fancy or whether they thought it might be safer if the bus is more illuminated.

 

[Deafdoggie]

D&G didn't actually take a lot of the BakerBus fleet, however, Bakers did lease the streetlites, and D&G like to own their buses. But as Bakers had no need for them, and the lease could not be cancelled, they made D&G take them on as part of the deal. I am not sure if D&G have subsequently purchased them outright. But they were always cheap buses.

 

[pemma]

D&G didn't actually take a lot of the BakerBus fleet, however, Bakers did lease the streetlites, and D&G like to own their buses. But as Bakers had no need for them, and the lease could not be cancelled, they made D&G take them on as part of the deal. I am not sure if D&G have subsequently purchased them outright. But they were always cheap buses.

According to one report at the time D&G took 9 vehicles and 16 drivers, with Bakers having 40 vehicles. However, I'm not sure if all those 40 vehicles were being used by Guideissue t/a Bakerbus or whether some were used by Bakers Travel, which was unaffected.

 

[Deafdoggie]

7 of the 9 were Streetlites! the 40 were all Bakerbus buses. All the Bakers coaches remained in Biddulph

 

[pemma]

7 of the 9 were Streetlites! the 40 were all Bakerbus buses. All the Bakers coaches remained in Biddulph

They only appear to have 6 Streetlites and 8 former Bakerbus vehicles in the fleet - a Cadet and a Solo in addition to the 6 Streetlites.

 

[pemma]

Mikro Coaches will be running a Mon-Fri only 32 service between January and March.

 

[pemma]

The 13:35 Knutsford-Altrincham 88 service left 25 minutes late today and was rammed. I actually wondered whether it was the 14:05 leaving early because the driver decided it was full but it was the delayed 13:35.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Will D&G order new buses for the E1 & E2 or dig around in their fleet?

 

[pemma]

Will D&G order new buses for the E1 & E2 or dig around in their fleet?

Surely that it'll depend on what the outcome of the contract awards are - if D&G win all the contracts they might need more buses, if they don't win any they might off load a number of vehicles.

The 88 was usually one of the routes which got the most interest from bidders but I'm not sure if tagging on the Knutsford-Northwich part of the 289 might make it less appealing to operators based in Greater Manchester. Although, it sounds like Howards/Springfield are interested in the E contract, which isn't surprising considering they run the 27, 200 and 289 currently with cutback versions of 2 of those routes being merged in to the E route and 1 of those routes going altogether.

 

[martinsh]

Mikro Coaches will be running a Mon-Fri only 32 service between January and March.

Hardly surprising, since it runs past their depot !

 

[LOL The Irony]

Surely that it'll depend on what the outcome of the contract awards are - if D&G win all the contracts they might need more buses, if they don't win any they might off load a number of vehicles.

The 88 was usually one of the routes which got the most interest from bidders but I'm not sure if tagging on the Knutsford-Northwich part of the 289 might make it less appealing to operators based in Greater Manchester. Although, it sounds like Howards/Springfield are interested in the E contract, which isn't surprising considering they run the 27, 200 and 289 currently with cutback versions of 2 of those routes being merged in to the E route and 1 of those routes going altogether.

They'll win at least most things and they don't have sufficent buses that have the required 38(?) seats.
On the Howards front, the council could give one of the E's to one company and one to the other and make them have a shared ticket in the central section (Altrincham-Knutsford).

 

[pemma]

They'll win at least most things and they don't have sufficent buses that have the required 38(?) seats.
On the Howards front, the council could give one of the E's to one company and one to the other and make them have a shared ticket in the central section (Altrincham-Knutsford).

Integrated ticketing on buses in Cheshire East? That's as likely as a Labour controlled council. I don't think bidding for just the E1 or E2 part will be an option.

They'll be a lot of changes to D&G routes in the foreseeable future given Staffordshire council are also cutting back on bus subsides. At Crewe currently they have 5 vehicles with 39 seats or more (the Cadets, the Commander and the Centro), while they have 15 at Adderley Green (12 x large Enviro 200s and 3 x Metrocities.) As they have 7 x 35 seaters and 2 x 36 seaters at Crewe they might be able to swap them for slightly larger Adderley Green vehicles without any issues. Although, if they were to run a couple of extra services using a 5th vehicle then it would probably mean they wouldn't need to use 39 seaters on all services.

 

[pemma]

D&G have registered a new Macclesfield-Wilmslow-Handforth Dean Mon-Sat service starting at the end of the month - presumably an hourly service to plug the gaps left by Arriva cutting the 130 from half-hourly to hourly.

I wonder if the decision to not want to run the 32 service anymore and the decision to replace the Solo SRs with Streetlites on the 88 route relate to this - 5 of the 13 reg SRs have working wifi and they all have leather seats so they have some the features of Arriva Sapphire buses.

 

[LOL The Irony]

D&G have registered a new Macclesfield-Wilmslow-Handforth Dean Mon-Sat service starting at the end of the month - presumably an hourly service to plug the gaps left by Arriva cutting the 130 from half-hourly to hourly.

I wonder if the decision to not want to run the 32 service anymore and the decision to replace the Solo SRs with Streetlites on the 88 route relate to this - 5 of the 13 reg SRs have working wifi and they all have leather seats so they have some the features of Arriva Sapphire buses.

It all makes sense now... But what happens when the E whatever starts in April?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

D&G have registered a new Macclesfield-Wilmslow-Handforth Dean Mon-Sat service starting at the end of the month - presumably an hourly service to plug the gaps left by Arriva cutting the 130 from half-hourly to hourly.

Will this service terminate at the same stop as that currently used as the Handforth Dean terminal stop on the 312 Stockport to Handforth Dean service?

 

[pemma]

Will this service terminate at the same stop as that currently used as the Handforth Dean terminal stop on the 312 Stockport to Handforth Dean service?

The timetable hasn't been made available yet but presumably it will given Handforth Dean doesn't exactly have a lot of bus routes serving it.

 

[pemma]

D&G 130 bus timetable: http://www.dgbus.co.uk/assets/130_2018-01-29.pdf

 

[LOL The Irony]

D&G 130 bus timetable: http://www.dgbus.co.uk/assets/130_2018-01-29.pdf

So it's the 130 if TfGM stopped funding it . But on a serious note, what happens in April?

 

[Dentonian]

So it's the 130 if TfGM stopped funding it . But on a serious note, what happens in April?

What's the relevance of TFGM "funding", when you are talking about a commercial replacement for a commercial service, involving journeys running entirely outside GM?

 

[LOL The Irony]

What's the relevance of TFGM "funding", when you are talking about a commercial replacement for a commercial service, involving journeys running entirely outside GM?

read it again...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

D&G 130 bus timetable: http://www.dgbus.co.uk/assets/130_2018-01-29.pdf

So the Handforth Dean internal roads will be served in the same way that the 312 Stockport to Handforth Dean services are now routed.

 

[pemma]

So it's the 130 if TfGM stopped funding it . But on a serious note, what happens in April?

Neither TfGM or Cheshire East provide any funding for Mon-Sat 130 services, while both TfGM and Cheshire East provide funding for the Sun 130 service. Cheshire East are withdrawing funding for the Sun service at the end of the financial year, so the 130 Sunday service if TfGM withdraw the funding will be no service at all.

I'm not sure why you think it should change in April. If the 130 is profitable and punctual then I see no reason why they won't continue to run it. If not then they might revise the timetable or cancel the service but they will have to give 56 days notice to the Traffic Commissioner. With contracted services operators can change at shorter notice if the local authority supports the change, like what happened when GHA collapsed and new services started running within a few days of GHA ceasing operations.

 

[Dentonian]

Neither TfGM or Cheshire East provide any funding for Mon-Sat 130 services, while both TfGM and Cheshire East provide funding for the Sun 130 service. Cheshire East are withdrawing funding for the Sun service at the end of the financial year, so the 130 Sunday service if TfGM withdraw the funding will be no service at all.

I'm not sure why you think it should change in April. If the 130 is profitable and punctual then I see no reason why they won't continue to run it. If not then they might revise the timetable or cancel the service but they will have to give 56 days notice to the Traffic Commissioner. With contracted services operators can change at shorter notice if the local authority supports the change, like what happened when GHA collapsed and new services started running within a few days of GHA ceasing operations.

AFAIK, the Sunday tender is subsidised solely by CEC. Even if it isn't, I would very much doubt TFGM could justify a replacement given the remaining public transport options available, even on a Sunday, to GM Council tax payers.