I cycled to work today. Thought i would come through park bridge and head up dean terrace. This building caught my eye i think it used to be a school or a church. Looked very picturesque anyway. The nasty brick path to ashton has been beaten down a little but it's still more of a bridle path that a cycle route. I was supposed to be in at 430am but managed to get a swap for a 7 - 3. Just in the middle of 5 hours on the 217 218. Lots of p t e time checkers around mossley and stalybridge today. They are the people sat at bus stops with a yellow hi vis jackets on that say survey. They will have a busy time up there as a saw one s50 being followed by 3 350. It's doing well. Anyway 1 trip on a 330 this afternoon so a pretty simple day.
looks like a preserved memorial building. I hope these pte workers are tallying the first buses...calm before the storm if thats the case lol
ReplyDeletethink some of the 350s are setting of late which is nothing new
ReplyDeletespeedwell should up the service to every 10 mins and hit firstbus right where it hurts
I agree above!
ReplyDeleteI was corrected a few weeks ago when i said i had seen two First 350's leave in front of a S50 and was told First had made no changes to the 350 timetable for a while but its pretty obvious that they are running 'Floaters'.
It looks to be the same on the S48, but in all honesty First could run every 2 minutes and it wouldn't make any difference. People are using the Speedwell service's becuase they are cheaper.
If i was Speedwell i wouldn't make any changes to the frequency of the Vaule services. What i would do is run evening and weekend S50's onto Oldham. That would hit them hard.
there is a really friendly lady driver on the S50 driving the 02 dart this week
ReplyDeletefirst are just plain greedy even stagecoach do not charge fares like that
when we had that heavy snow first refused to try and run the 350 the whole way but speedwell did turning left at Mossley stn and right at the royal geroge
I live in Mossley and some of the 350 drivers drive thinking they are at sliverstone race track the way they are going I will switch to speedwell full time all ready use either the train from Ashton or the 354 service
ReplyDeleteI think we can all be guilty of being heavy on the gas now and again. I did the 217 at 0738 from the hospital this morning and it was a busy busy trip. Had to drive with a swift but safe way of thinking lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's just natural behaviour from first, as they're losing alot of revenue from their pre-S50 customers whilst losing money to fund the 'floaters' buses, drivers, fuel etc in current service.
ReplyDeleteI do remember haering that this was going to be checked for reason, assuming thats under operation now, and if it turns out Firsts reasons are unjustified than they will be rollocked & fined in due course....relenquishing any of the floaters.
Speedwell have kept the numbers, times and operations the same so they have no problem, but I am expecting the free service to be terminated and become a charging service, mind you the pte may have not dealt with this and may not call it an issue.
The snow was really the 1st pinch for first since they lost out to alot of customers, all of which learnt about the S50's deal and the rest is history till the introduction of the S48, the transbuses and daysavers...
I'm wondering if Stagecoach and first are worried about the S48's full timetable looming around, as I know the standard single fare from Stalybridge to Ashton is £1.30...what will that do when people relaise that there's a frequent service thats even cheaper than both of the big'uns by a noticeable margin...
lets hope the S50 and 48 keep going with the fares they charge they will that should happen
ReplyDeletegood night to all
The stalybridge to Ashton punters who dont have mega riders are floating passengers anyway who get on the next bus that comes along. If they decide to get on a speedwell bus it wont matter. Most people with mega rider are through passengers who need stagecoach for the next trip.
ReplyDeleteI do not think they are aiming at Stagecoach just firstbus
ReplyDeleteOldham 100
ReplyDeletewhat is happening with bus 15381
I aint got a clue matey. I will ask on Friday when i am back in if ya like. Or give them a ring they will tell you. Prob up for sale.I have not seen a fleetlist since December. Sorry
ReplyDeleteThat's fair enough...best hope that the full ashton to manc route isn't ressurected lol
ReplyDeleteNah not till the Metrolink is finished but by then all buses will be cut if the critics get there way. however a prime example is the 135. People said the same. As soon as the trams started they needed bigger buses? How Odd!!!
ReplyDeletevery odd indeed...imagine the 216 as a bendy bus route, that would be so much fun lol
ReplyDeleteNah Enviro 500 would be more the way forward..
ReplyDeleteooh a triaxle service...cascade some of those ex-kenyan magic buses lol
ReplyDeleteShush now your making me sound like a bus spotter.... lol.
ReplyDeleteheehee you can get away with it being a driver...im lucky enough to start studying transport management soon lol
ReplyDeleteAll the Mayne's Buses are up for sale i belive but there asking silly money for them.
ReplyDeleteI dont think Speedwell are aiming at First or Stagecoach in any way. Speedwell have realised there is a gap in the market and tried to fill it. If First provided a good service the S50 would never have taken off.
I like Speedwell and hope they stamp on First but the whole stopping the S50 to Manchester because of the roadworks line is a little untrue. The real reason is becuase Stagecoach already provide a good reliable service with decent fares and they could never have competed.
Hmm, some interesting discussion. I also hope Speedwell stamp on First and expand onto more of their routes.
ReplyDeleteRe Speedwell getting Plaxton Primos, I asked them this on their Facebook page and they said the Varios are coming to the end of their lives but they haven't made a decision as to what will replace them.
I saw speedwell R513 YWC today and it rattles bad underneath badly 514 everytime it goes over a bump the bus stopping sign comes on
ReplyDeletelike the white bus that speedwell have put on the S50
been looking at some photos of mark aims site of bus 5120 parked in front of Glossop depot not many of them still on the road first west yorkshire ran some of these one was ANA 169Y which was at the old Tameside depot
Yes i saw the Post on Speedwell's Facebook page earlier today. The Vario's are sounding a bit worse for ware, but there isn't really much to choose from. There only options are Solo's or Primo's unless they go for something bigger like Darts or Enviro's.
ReplyDeleteAt one point Speedwell had nearly an entire Fleet of New Solo's but i think most were leased.
they would need short solos for the 353/54 service as they have some tight turnings near uppermill
ReplyDeletewhat is the link for speedwells facebook page
the newer varios are use on the 343
taken from a fleet list I have there are 35 buses parked up at Charles st.
ReplyDeleteI get weekly reports and as yet the following are not confirmed withdrawn 20920/20925/20926/20933/20936/20950/20961/20974/20975/20978 and 20985 has anyone seen these stored and if so where at
Oldham100
ReplyDeletewhat has happened to the fleet lists from the website
The Stagecoach website was re-designed about 6 months ago and no space was given for regional fleetlists. Some Stagecoach divisions have set up allocation lists but Manchester hasn't yet. Out of interest above where do you get your reports from.
ReplyDeleteI could be wrong but the fleet numbers above look like Volvo B10M's. I was under the impression that the only Volvo B10M still active was the one at Ashton, with the exception of the trainers.
The fleetlists disapeared last year when the Stagecoach website was re-designed. Apparently no space was left for individual company's to display there allocation lists. I know when i have emailed Stagecoach in the past they are more than happy to send me an upto date list.
ReplyDeleteOut of interest above where do you get your weekly reports from?
The fleet numbers above look like Volvo B10M's. I was under the impression the only B10M left in semi active service was the one based at Ashton, with the exception of trainers.
Hi there I am a number of people who get weekly reports from a chap called Stephen Barton who does it for Psv circle if we see changes then we let him know and he puts it on the next report
ReplyDeletehe told me he does nor record withdrawls until they are seen parked up at any depot
thanks for repley about the fleet list I will do the same
the volvos I listed before are officially withdrawn taken form another list which also gives 20938 withdrawn so these lists are never dead on
ReplyDeleteNo infact someone once told me that as soon as a allocation list is published its normally already out of date.
ReplyDeleteIncidently recently a number of First Manchester vehicles were listed with the PSV Circle and also in Buses Magazine as being scrapped, yet weeks later it emerged they had been stored at Wigan and some even reapeared in service. Theres certainly never any definates.
I think the Volvo B10M at Ashton is the only one still 'Active'. The Volvo B10M at Ashton seems to waver between Withdrawn and Reserve. As it was seen in Ashton today i would say its in reserve at the moment. The Merc 709D [corrie bus] also seems to switch between reserve and withdrawn.
I know the first buses ie 10000 to 14 have gone from Wigan but could be back at Bolton in store
ReplyDeletenever trust these lists
I also nocited stockport use magic buses as school buses
also someone who I work with his father is a driver at Stockport
Stockport have about 6 Volvo Olympian Magic buses which are only used for schools.
ReplyDelete