northwichcat
Veteran Member
Their Northwich area map pdf is already out-of-date, as they changed the route number for Rudheath to Weaverham and split Chester to Rudheath into separate journeys (albeit with the same vehicle).
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D&G Buses
- Thread starter SeanM1997
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Their Northwich area map pdf is already out-of-date, as they changed the route number for Rudheath to Weaverham and split Chester to Rudheath into separate journeys (albeit with the same vehicle).
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Or maybe renumber services like the old Crosville system eg E Macclesfield, K Crewe
markymark2000
Established Member
Or we could look at the amount of buses which run dead from Crewe for the 31/37 route. Quite a few dead between Crewe and Winsford which could run in service as a 31 instead. Or a few to Sandbach/Congleton which could run as an X38 (Congleton as normal to Sandbach then direct to Crewe avoiding Haslington)
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northwichcat
Veteran Member
Do they? The vehicles that run the 31/37 one day, either go back on it the next or go on one of the other Crewe services the next e.g. the 38 or 85. The vehicle for one return working seems to be a vehicle that's worked the 70/72/73 earlier in the day. There even seems to a vehicle from Crewe working a 06:05 Northwich to Crewe.
markymark2000
Established Member
Typo sorry. Winsford, not Wincham.
D&G have requested to vary their 12 Leighton Hospital - Crewe - Shavington route from 23 July 2023. Anyone know what is planned?
D&G have requested to vary their 37 Northwich - Winsford - Sandbach - Crewe route from 23 July 2023
Also routes 31, 42 and 71/72/73
Wonder what this means to the Crewe depot
D&G have requested to vary their 37 Northwich - Winsford - Sandbach - Crewe route from 23 July 2023
Also routes 31, 42 and 71/72/73
Wonder what this means to the Crewe depot
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northwichcat
Veteran Member
That many timetable amendements at short notice suggests it's something to do with a road closure or similar.
D&G changes from 23 July 2023:
12 Shavington - Crewe - Leighton Hospital
31 Crewe - Winsford - Northwich
37 Crewe - Sandbach - Winsford - Northwich
42 Crewe - Middlewich - Congleton
71/72/73 Nantwich - Wrenbury - Audlem
260/261/262 Sale Town Services
12 Shavington - Crewe - Leighton Hospital
31 Crewe - Winsford - Northwich
37 Crewe - Sandbach - Winsford - Northwich
42 Crewe - Middlewich - Congleton
71/72/73 Nantwich - Wrenbury - Audlem
260/261/262 Sale Town Services
daodao
Established Member
Services 31 and 42 now also have temporary diversions for the next few months due to road closures near Leighton Hospital, in particular closure of Flowers Lane.
The TfGM website also shows changes to service 375; it will be renumbered 385 but still be run by D&G.
northwichcat
Veteran Member
TfGM website doesn't seem to mention anything about the 260/261/262 being withdrawn. I presume D&G are awaiting their revised registration to be accepted before making an announcement about the 385
The new 385 is an increase in commitment on what D&G took on with the 375 after Little Gem's demise. Their current "temporary" service is running with one bus, with a timetable that suggests they have one driver on it - first bus is at 0911 and everything's wrapped up by 1722, plus there's a break in service presumably for the driver to have their lunch.
The new 385 will start 0732, last bus finishing at 1914, and a frequency that will require two vehicles.
The new 385 will start 0732, last bus finishing at 1914, and a frequency that will require two vehicles.
northwichcat
Veteran Member
D&G took on the 375 on an emergency basis at very short notice. No operators submitted a bid for the original tender, so TfGM had to look at alternative options. Now it's on a proper tender, with time to prepare and D&G now have the benefit of having the former Arriva outstation at Macclesfield.
From TfGM website:
northwichcat
Veteran Member
If the 88 is no longer going to run via Morley Green, I hope D&G shave some time off the Altrincham to Wilmslow leg. If not, the buses will be arriving 15 minutes early!
I don't know why TfGM would publicise the 312.
I don't know why TfGM would publicise the 312.
daodao
Established Member
The TfGM website has been updated with a number of additional changes from 23rd July 2023, including withdrawal of routes 260/1/2 and others affecting D&G (see post 193 of this this thread).
Route 312 runs along Stanley Road, which is within Greater Manchester.
northwichcat
Veteran Member
It looks like D&G have decided to stop running vehicles empty between Macclesfield and Wincham. From 23 July on weekdays there'll be a 06:22 Knutsford to Macclesfield and 18:45 Macclesfield to Knutsford. Both will run via Seven Sisters Lane but won't serve Over Peover or Ollerton. Given the 18:45 has been added, I don't know why they haven't pushed the 18:15 earlier.
88/89 through journeys are no longer advertised. It looks like the timing amendments would allow one vehicle to be used on the 89 and 188 and three to be used on the 88.
New timetables
88: https://dgbus.co.uk/assets/88,188_2023-07-23.pdf
89: https://dgbus.co.uk/assets/89_2023-07-23.pdf
88/89 through journeys are no longer advertised. It looks like the timing amendments would allow one vehicle to be used on the 89 and 188 and three to be used on the 88.
New timetables
88: https://dgbus.co.uk/assets/88,188_2023-07-23.pdf
89: https://dgbus.co.uk/assets/89_2023-07-23.pdf
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markymark2000
Established Member
Even better news, the 88 will no longer take 6 weeks to do the end to end journey. Up to 20 minutes taken off a full trip on the 88. Certainly long overdue.
The 89 look like it could run just interworking with the 188 Mon-Fri and standalone on Saturdays.
With First Potteries cutting 6 Crewe - Leighton Hospital from 3 September 2023 (*not announced by First but notice to Cheshire East given), I wonder if D&G will alter their 12 and 31 routes, do the 31 via Mablins Lane and 12 via Bradfield Road - otherwise Bradfield Road going from 3 to 1 an hour. I hope D&G look at adding another hourly service along the route - if they don't then the number of services in Crewe has been drastically cut over the years
northwichcat
Veteran Member
D&G registered the 12 and 31 routes before they knew First were going to run a 6. If First have decided a commercial 6 isn't viable, then an uplifted 12 might not be commercially viable either. It's not just Crewe that has seen big cut backs - D&G only run 1 service an hour between Northwich and Weaverham, when pre-COVID Arriva ran 4. It's a similar story with local services around Winsford, Macclesfield, Wilmslow and Knutsford as well.
Martin1988
Member
- Joined
- 17 Jul 2012
- Messages
- 908
Without going off topic is it possible the 6 isn't considered commercially viable by First Potteries as presumably having to run to and from Crewe and their depot increases the operating costs whereas D&G are based in Crewe so presumably less dead mileage?
Lewisham2221
Established Member
No, First service 6 interworks with service 3, so there is no dead mileage specific to service 6. It's just not a particularly busy route, not consistently anyway.
markymark2000
Established Member
I know that there are reliability issues on the 6, it's also not always running due to late running on the 3, they instruct drivers to cut the 6 so they can run the 3 back on time to Hanley and so the traffic commissioner wouldn't be happy seeing such unreliability. Perhaps that's another reason for it being cut. That could mean it is viable but its too unreliable and not worth the additional costs to make it viable (that cost would be having the 6 running standalone and having to use shut cars to get drivers to Crewe).
I do think that D&G should up the 12 to every 20 minutes. It was always busy post COVID on half hourly. Now all of the routes around it have dropped off and so passengers will all want D&G. Depends what resources D&G have though.
I do think that D&G should up the 12 to every 20 minutes. It was always busy post COVID on half hourly. Now all of the routes around it have dropped off and so passengers will all want D&G. Depends what resources D&G have though.
This is true in north and south Crewe - Brookhouse Circular gone so Brookhouse down from 4 to 2 an hour, now First Potteries going so Underwood Lane down from 4 to 2 an hour. 85 is only at hourly in West Crewe, Broad Street/North Street only has an hourly service - both were half-hourly until 2020 and the latter half-hourly until April 2023. Demand is down but not halved - it is something Cheshire East should be doing more of to encourage bus use - but not much movement as yet
Additionally, with some routes moving out of Crewe to Wincham and Macclesfield, there is more capacity for buses in Crewe now to increase services if D&G wanted to - hopefully they'll look into it or be encouraged to
323235
Established Member
I’ve been asking TfGM for sometime to provide a bus service from Offerton Fold to Hazel Grove and happily they’ve obliged from right outside my doorstep.
Martin1988
Member
- Joined
- 17 Jul 2012
- Messages
- 908
Thanks for this useful info
GusB
Established Member
If anyone wishes to discuss any service that isn't operated by D&G, please feel free to use the appropriate thread and refrain from dragging this one off-topic. Thanks 
northwichcat
Veteran Member
I'm sure Crewe still has more work than prior to the Arriva depot closures. What D&G did as a short term measure until they acquired the Macclesfield outstation might not be sustainable long term. It's easy to not approve driver annual leave for a busy period or to schedule MOTs and servicing around it, but those would only be short term measures.
82 (3 vehicles) transferred back to Wincham from Crewe but the Bunbury-John Deanes service, the Handforth Dean Free Bus and the 312 (2 vehicles) went in the opposite direction. Wincham has also lost the 130 to Macclesfield (3 vehicles) but gained the Weaverham bus (1 vehicle) and the Sale locals (1 vehicle). So at the moment the number of vehicles needed at Wincham is the same as pre-Arriva closures. Maybe there could be a change at the end of July given D&G won't have the Sale locals anymore or the John Deanes service over the summer.
If there's a commercial service operating, what the council can do is limited. They could looking at integrated ticketing but given the £2 fare cap is currently in place I don't that'll be high on their agenda.
D&G varying their 445 route (school days only Hanchurch-Madeley from 4 September 2023 - https://www.vehicle-operator-licens...registered-local-bus-services/details/612817/
dgbus.co.uk
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northwichcat
Veteran Member
Despite the new 88/89 timetable making it possible for services to not interwork, it seems they are still interworking. The change seems to be that through ticketing is no longer promoted. Presumably you'll now need 2 x £2 singles to get from Northwich to Wilmslow (or a £6 day ticket), opposed to being able to make a single journey for £2.