(24/02/2017 20:17)Dentonian Wrote:  Unfortunately, bus company marketing people don't agree. Whether that is right or wrong is a matter of opinion, but the whole thing is undermined by putting either branded buses or any other sub-type on the wrong routes - or not on routes at all! Today, I travelled on the 76 (on branded 10048) and as with a previous mid morning weekday journey, it was obvious how poorly loaded the service is, with probably four full fare paying passengers on the whole journey to Oldham. Also, even with a diversion round the by-pass and the inevitable German-built saloon cutting across the front of the bus on Manchester Street, we still arrived on West Street two minutes early. I would say only 7 of the 10 branded buses was on the route, leaving five workings with standard Enviro400s. Actually, that wasn't the main example of what I was talking about. As some may know, crew reliefs for the 76 are done at Phillips Park Cemetery (just north of the Etihad). One was being effected as we passed in the opposite direction. And the "taxi" bus being used to get the driver to the unbranded 76 parked up was: 10475. The opposite side of the equation being when I got back to Piccadilly, the 2.03 (pm ie. still off-peak) 203 was standard Enviro400 19417. I'm sure the business plan for Hyde Road's MMCs wasn't to use them earning 0p a day on taxi buses, when the allocation of MMCs is insufficient to cover 201, 203, 250 & X50 in the first place.

I agree with the point about the 330; The child-like drawings look like they've been plajeurised from the Koln-Bonn Airport website, and the claim it runs every 30 minutes is a joke, as the advertised timetable varies considerably during the day, and is then undermined in practice - apparently because someone has totally c**ked up Traffic Light cycle timings in Bredbury and refuses to fix it. The only good thing about the service is that the drivers I've seen are able to keep professional and polite in their jobs, despite the often horrendous punctuality.

Someone mentioned that the use of branded 330s on other routes was down to being instructed to "spread the word" as part of the subsidy agreement. This might well be true, and I can see the point of said buses appearing on such as 216 & 236/7. Might be a "mixed message" on 347 though, given Denton used to have a direct bus to the Airport, and far more frequent connections to Stockport.

(25/02/2017 21:03)Dentonian Wrote:  Depends when you are referring to. It was common practice to retain a bus recently withdrawn from passenger service for the regular taxi shuttle between Whitelands Road and Ashton. Albeit in my day (GMT raher than GMB) it was a single decker. Ex NorthWestern Bristol RE 299 and then 320 iirc!

(27/02/2017 20:25)Dentonian Wrote:  42B is a Hyde Road service!

(27/02/2017 20:07)SF07 Wrote:  Looks like Hyde Road have got the new ticket machines installed on their vehicles ahead of the contactless payment launch.

(28/02/2017 11:10)Dentonian Wrote:  Poor choice of vehicle. Surely, they should stick to the route they are advertising. As for this idea of marketing the "brand" beyond the 330 route, I hardly see the point of including North Manchester at all - and certainly not until punctuality is sorted. I accept that the punctuality problems are largely outside Stagecoach's control, but nevertheless..........