Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(12/01/2015 09:30)Owl Wrote:  Just seen 22186 on the 118. I wonder if Middleton's spate of RTAs last week has delayed their departure.

Quite possibly although as Dentonian has mentioned, there are a handful of former Middleton vehicles in reserve at Wigan.
22186 SHOULD mainly see use on the 118 but would think it's days are limited.

[joe_alker]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
Can someone please explain why the 168/169 have an annoying tendency towards none appearing for upwards of half an hour, and 3 appearing at once, but despite 50+ people waiting at the bus stop, only one then lets people board?

[jimbo]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
Simple; when one gets late it picks up passengers that normally would have got the last one; other one catches up; both get delayed again; 3rd catches up then one pulls over at bus stop other two are late and think; great I can get going; they go and then hopefully the two that went catch up time and only one is delayed

[R971XVM]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
I highly doubt there would be 50+ people waiting at the bus stop for a 168/9... and if there's one bus already pulled over allowing passengers on there's no point in the two behind pulling in at the same time. That always got my goat when passengers try to flag the same numbered bus down even though one has pulled up.

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
As I regular user of the 168/169 I would say the problem of grouping, mainly towards Ashton can be blaimed on roadworks, schools and parked cars but I see the main problem being the driver changeovers at belle Vue.

Bus 1 is on time and goes straight through with no changeover. Bus two running a few mins late pulls into belle Vue so drivers can change over. This all depends on drivers but it can take between 5 and 10 mins for the bus to set off again at which point bus 3 is right behind. Bus 1 hasn't got too far ahead as it's picking up the masses from the stops ahead - hence why you often get the buses in twos or threes.

Carnt really comment on journeys the other way as I rarely travel beyond Droylsden but outbound journeys from Ashton were effected on Saturday afternoon by a dumped Firsr Solo on the stand infront in the bus station meaning drivers on Ashton circs had to load behind it hindering 168/169's from setting off on time.

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
Just to add when I spoke to someone from Stagecoach about this very issue they hinted that changeovers may in future switch Ashton to improve reliability - this fitting in with the rumour of the 168/169 moving to Ashton as the 219 has done.

I don't use the 219 much these days but I'm told reliability has improved a great deal and you often used to get 219s com into Ashton in twos or threes when run by HE but it dosen't seem to happen now.

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester

(12/01/2015 21:58)Dentonian Wrote:  How things change. Hyde Road used to be the premier depot, often called upon to help other depots out. Now its losing work. What I can't understand (and surely, this goes on at other depots), is why crew reliefs take so long nowadays. Time was that a bus pulled up outside HE depot, driver got off, relief driver got on. Pleasentries and any intelligence was quickly exchanged; machine code keyed in, and off we went; 30 seconds max. But in the last year or so, it has taken drivers three minutes or more to get the machine to work. Not only that, but "in my day", peak hour reliefs were frowned on, but now virtually every 203 & 205 passing the depot from 1540 to 1620 seems to change drivers.

3 minutes is ambitious Dentonian. It takes the drivers 3/4 minutes to sign into ticket machine then another couple of minutes to fill in defect card, plus getting the seat and steering wheel into the correct position. Then there's the drivers who insist on re-positioning the external mirror above the door.

I've been on 169's that are already 5 mins late where the driver taking over has insisted on finishing his fag before even boarding the bus!

[John I]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
192 branded hybrid 12213 on 16:25 X5 from Sale today.

[Owl]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
Despite rumours of it's demise 16949 still seems to be hanging in there - I saw it on the 80 at about 4.00 yesterday. That suggests it is not being used on the Salford University contract, so perhaps the 25th will see it's demise.

[M60lad]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester
There are a couple of problems with 168/9 route that end up with them running late/bunching:

1> On route from Ashton it can take upto 5mins or more sometimes to turn right out of Greenside Lane onto Market Street as the drivers can be waiting sometimes of upto about 3 cycles of lights before getting through, I've actually seen this myself

2> 168s also tend to run late as they have to cope with traffic in/around Longsight and up A6 to Levenshulme meaning sometimes by the time they get Levenshulme their meeting up with 16

3> As always has been said both routes have got a number of Schools on their respective routes and this can sometimes can lead to inconsiderate parking meaning buses can't get past as easily as they normaly would.

Also sometimes getting round Gorton especially on journies towards Ashton can be problematic with traffic leading to services losing time there, as you can see 168/9 route is littered with problems that end up with late running