Stagecoach Merseyside Cheshire and South Lancashire

[Danfilm007]

Speaking of Stagecoach! I spotted 2 of the new Solos in service yesterday near Broughton Heath P&R. 1 was on service and 1 was a staff bus

 

[CN12 AWU]

Speaking of Stagecoach! I spotted 2 of the new Solos in service yesterday near Broughton Heath P&R. 1 was on service and 1 was a staff bus

There tracking on bus times

 

[darylyates17]

Does anyone know what’s happened to 11622? last 23/73 plate I require at Rock Ferry

 

[gka472l]

Does anyone know what’s happened to 11622? last 23/73 plate I require at Rock Ferry

Suffered damage recently in a controlled explosion in Chester (the bomb scare at Chester a few weeks back), damage isn't too severe from what I've seen on the pic I was sent....

 

[darylyates17]

Suffered damage recently in a controlled explosion in Chester (the bomb scare at Chester a few weeks back), damage isn't too severe from what I've seen on the pic I was sent....

Ah yes I forgot about that had a feeling it was away for repairs.

 

[martinsh]

Solo 48194 (YJ74CXL) was on the Crewe - Nantwich shorts of the 84 today

 

[MasterSpenny]

Enviro 400 MMC 10565 has been repainted into the Metro livery. Photo (not mine): https://imgur.com/a/2ihZZtC

 

[martinsh]

Solo 48194 (YJ74CXL) was on the Crewe - Nantwich shorts of the 84 today

This now appears to be a regular Solo turn. Have seen CXH/K on it as well

 

[Danfilm007]

This now appears to be a regular Solo turn. Have seen CXH/K on it as well

Seems a reasonable use, Arriva used to use their Solo SRs from time to time, as did D&G!

 

[CN12 AWU]

When the X1/1 gets made frequent in January Chester depot will have 2 bus workings on the service like they used to when it was the 1/2

I believe from sources elsewhere/other forums Chester plan to use 2 of there Scania E400's on there workings

 

[paddyb6]

This now appears to be a regular Solo turn. Have seen CXH/K on it as well

Won't be for much longer - new 6/6A service from Jan, replacing 6/E7 will be allocated 48192-4, although substitutions will occur from time to time.

 

[33117]

Solo SR 48193 has appeared on the 84 shorts this week as has a park & ride big MMC.

Which is unusual as I've not very often seen them stray off their P&R duties.

 

[SeanM1997]

Does Stagecoach Cheshire & Merseyside have any buses coming from Greater Manchester now that Metroline have taken over the GM depots?

The 84 could do with deckers on every journey so hopefully some have moved over to allow that to happen

 

[M60lad]

The 84 could do with some reliable vehicles, not to sure who's idea it was to send one of the ex London E200s out on 84 longs yesterday but 36318 broke down on its way to Crewe on 09:07 Chester-Crewe service which meant a gap of 2 hours yesterday morning as this was meant to have operated the 10:38 Crewe-Chester service.

In fact looking at Bus Times there seems to have been a few bus changes on this duty yesterday for some reason, at first it was swapped for 15584 before it was swapped again for E300 27888 both swaps occurring while operating 13:07 Chester-Crewe service

 

[childwallblues]

Credit to Merseyside Dennis Dart
Ex Stagecoach Manchester 12023/31/43 and 19293 are in store at Gillmoss.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

That's interesting as currently 6 interworks with the short 2's and E7's

Any timetable for this service as Ledsham is a big extension to the current 6

See new timetable

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/Merseyside/2025/MCSL%20Changes%2019.1.25/Service%206%2C6A%20-%2019.1.25.pdf

and route maps

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/RouteMaps/Merseyside/Ellesmere_Port_Network_Map-WEB%2019.1.25.pdf

It isn't a huge extension into the new Redrow estate. Presumably passengers will still be allowed to use the Little Sutton/Ledsham/Great Sutton end of the 6 & 6A as a circular service alternating in direction?

 

[CN12 AWU]

Just seen a post on Facebook in one of the Stagecoach Groups from a Aberdare driver saying that 28711 plus 1 other Scania E300 is transferring to Preston this morning

 

[childwallblues]

Just seen a post on Facebook in one of the Stagecoach Groups from a Aberdare driver saying that 28711 plus 1 other Scania E300 is transferring to Preston this morning

According to the Bustimes fleetlist 28709/10 are coming to MCSL as well.

10818 SN66VCA has been repainted in Merseyside Metro livery.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Not the greatest of starts for the 6/6A in Ellesmere Port. There are new sections of route and half the buses now go the opposite way around the former clockwise Little Sutton/Great Sutton loop.

There is a major shortage of bus stops on the new sections and along the anti-clockwise loop. They haven't even put "Both directions" stickers up. And buses from Ledsham GV are not only showing the wrong route number, they are showing the destination as Ellesmere Port rather than Rivacre.

I have been in contact with Stagecoach and they tell me that drivers have been instructed to stop opposite bus stops on the clockwise loop. However they also tell me that the route can no longer be used as a circular even though it is timetabled as such. Because of the extension from Little Sutton to Ledsham, passengers wishing to stay on board for the return journey must buy a second ticket (see maps & timetables above).

I have also been in touch with the local council and they are going to go out and have a look at the bus stop situation in the next few days and see what might be done.

I was the only passenger on the 1751 from Ledsham last night and I was picked up opposite a stop on the other side of the road.

 

[markymark2000]

Not the greatest of starts for the 6/6A in Ellesmere Port. There are new sections of route and half the buses now go the opposite way around the former clockwise Little Sutton/Great Sutton loop.

There is a major shortage of bus stops on the new sections and along the anti-clockwise loop. They haven't even put "Both directions" stickers up. And buses from Ledsham GV are not only showing the wrong route number, they are showing the destination as Ellesmere Port rather than Rivacre.

I have been in contact with Stagecoach and they tell me that drivers have been instructed to stop opposite bus stops on the clockwise loop. However they also tell me that the route can no longer be used as a circular even though it is timetabled as such. Because of the extension from Little Sutton to Ledsham, passengers wishing to stay on board for the return journey must buy a second ticket (see maps & timetables above).

I have also been in touch with the local council and they are going to go out and have a look at the bus stop situation in the next few days and see what might be done.

I was the only passenger on the 1751 from Ledsham last night and I was picked up opposite a stop on the other side of the road.

If the 6/6A were more frequent I'd understand the logic that people shouldn't be needing to travel 'through' Ledsham, but not when they are both hourly. You've essentially cut the service frequency for both Parklands and Great Sutton by not permitting 'through' trips. What is funny though is that Stagecoach Website if you plan a journey, it tells you bus changes number and to remain on the bus, as seen here:

(Photo shows an extract of Stagecoach website)

The other absolute mess that they have caused is despite the PDF timetable, they have set up the actual route on duty boards and open data so it's Ledsham-Eport, Eport-Rivacre-Eport, Eport-Ledsham and so it comes under 3 trips. This is why destination boards aren't showing the full trip. It's also causing massive issues for journey planners suggesting people can't travel through Eport when they can.

The basic idea isn't all bad (and if you wanted to throw more money at it, I think you'd get a decent return on investment putting an extra bus on and extending from Ledsham GV to Hooton). Most people from Ledsham and the estates this side of Ellesmere Port will go to Hooton for the train because of frequency and reliability. A proper train link bus here could really do good things. I know it was in the original Section 106 document for the development that funding would be made available for a bus from Ledsham GV to Hooton but they seem to have changed their mind.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

The information I had on ticketing was a little second hand in that I was put through to a lady in Scotland to whom I had to explain everything through in detail. She then phoned the local garage while I was on hold and then relayed their message back.

I guess the question is academic for those travelling with bus passes.

There has been talk of a new station at railway station at Ledsham for quite a while but nothing seems to come of it. Whether a bus to Hooton would help, I'm not sure. The Garden Village is a high car ownership area and Hooton car park costs just £1.30 a day and extracts significant numbers of passengers from Little Sutton, Overpool, Ellesmere Port (and Neston).

 

[markymark2000]

There has been talk of a new station at railway station at Ledsham for quite a while but nothing seems to come of it. Whether a bus to Hooton would help, I'm not sure. The Garden Village is a high car ownership area and Hooton car park costs just £1.30 a day and extracts significant numbers of passengers from Little Sutton, Overpool, Ellesmere Port (and Neston).

I'm not surprised the Garden Village has high car ownership, it's taken this long to get a bus in the development. Plus the dilly dallying from Stagecoach endlessly messing with the frequency of the 6 wouldn't help as people want a reliable bus service. And if the bus doesn't link to where people want to go, of course people will find alternative transport. The 6 never did, and still doesn't really link to any of the train stations very well.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'm not surprised the Garden Village has high car ownership, it's taken this long to get a bus in the development. Plus the dilly dallying from Stagecoach endlessly messing with the frequency of the 6 wouldn't help as people want a reliable bus service. And if the bus doesn't link to where people want to go, of course people will find alternative transport. The 6 never did, and still doesn't really link to any of the train stations very well.

I don't think that's the main reason. It's more to do with the market the developers are going for. Yeah, there's some 2 bed, shared ownership homes (to tick the affordable homes bit) but otherwise, you're talking about 3, 4 or 5 bed homes with double garages and double driveways going for >£400k. They're going to have a lot of cars!

Doesn't excuse the poor way in which the timetable and through working is or isn't shown, but even if it were, it's not shouting prime bus clientele territory.

 

[markymark2000]

I don't think that's the main reason. It's more to do with the market the developers are going for. Yeah, there's some 2 bed, shared ownership homes (to tick the affordable homes bit) but otherwise, you're talking about 3, 4 or 5 bed homes with double garages and double driveways going for >£400k. They're going to have a lot of cars!

Doesn't excuse the poor way in which the timetable and through working is or isn't shown, but even if it were, it's not shouting prime bus clientele territory.

You are looking purely at Ledsham GV and ignoring the rest of the areas which these changes affect.
Great Sutton and Little Sutton are decent areas for bus usage and any changes to the 6 has an effect on these areas.
Because of the service changes (and silly situation with the fares), Stagecoach have severed any Great Sutton - Little Sutton links (no one is going to pay twice to make this journey, it'd be cheaper driving or getting a taxi). It also means that areas which did have decent bus usage have no had cuts to the frequency.
It didn't have to be this way and it IS affecting areas which were using the buses.

Similarly, any Hooton link would benefit and have decent patronage from both these areas as well as likely some usage from Ledsham GV.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

You are looking purely at Ledsham GV and ignoring the rest of the areas which these changes affect.
Great Sutton and Little Sutton are decent areas for bus usage and any changes to the 6 has an effect on these areas.
Because of the service changes (and silly situation with the fares), Stagecoach have severed any Great Sutton - Little Sutton links (no one is going to pay twice to make this journey, it'd be cheaper driving or getting a taxi). It also means that areas which did have decent bus usage have no had cuts to the frequency.
It didn't have to be this way and it IS affecting areas which were using the buses.

Similarly, any Hooton link would benefit and have decent patronage from both these areas as well as likely some usage from Ledsham GV.

I was commenting purely on Ledsham Garden Village because that’s what you were commenting on…

I'm not surprised the Garden Village has high car ownership, it's taken this long to get a bus in the development

 

[childwallblues]

According to Bustimes ex South Wales Scania E300 28709-11 YN64FYA/B/C are in service at Preston.
ADL E300 27256/57 SN65OCU/V are now in service at Chester.

According to Bustimes.org a further Scania E300 from South Wales at Preston is 28642 CN12AWR.

 

[CN12 AWU]

Has anyone heard if true that some newer buses are due into Chester

I been informed talks there is talks of newer buses coming to Chester for there 1/X1 (E400MMC) and newer singles (E200MMCs) for 2 and 84

Does anyone happen to know if any truth in this? I know a few people on here have contacts in Merseyside

 

[Old Yard Dog]

There is a major ongoing incident in Ellesmere Port centre. This has led to road closures which means Ellesmere Port "Bus Station" (in effect 3 stops on either side of the road) is only accessible from the west end. And having just passed through, it would appear that the only services calling are those with smaller buses capable of performing a U-turn. Thus having just "done" the single decker Stagecoach 26 from Chester for the first time ever, I was able to change on to the 23 Aintree coaches midi-bus to Neston while other passengers were waiting bemused for the 1, X1 or 2 to appear. It wasn't clear whether the 6/6A was calling or not.

What was disappointing was the complete lack of information on the Stagecoach app, and the live times at the bus stops, all of which suggested that services were running normally.

 

[markymark2000]

What was disappointing was the complete lack of information on the Stagecoach app,

The app I think only alerts if a 'service update' thing is posted, this tends to only be for pre planned diversions and changes. And the stop level departure boards would be too much hassle for a depot to go through every journey and cancel 1 stop from every trip (if they can even initiate cancellations just for a single stop).

and the live times at the bus stops, all of which suggested that services were running normally.

That is in the hands of Cheshire West council. I'm sure these can be updated live so not sure why they weren't updated.

 

[JasonL]

So I heard that 2 Scania E300s have been brought over from Yorkshire to replace the aging MAN 300s at Gillmoss. How many Scania's are being brought to replace the MANs?