Cheshire East proposed funding cuts

[knutstransport]

RE: Cheshire East proposed funding cuts

(15/07/2017 20:08)Dentonian Wrote:  I would have thought the 88 was of far more value to East Cheshire than of Trafford, so 33% cost to GM tax-payers seems a bit steep.

I was making the point about how much of the route is in Greater Manchester, not how much of the funding should be from TfGM. It was recently reported the current 5/35 funding from TfGM is around 8% (which probably does relate to the amount of the route in GM) but Warrington Council wanted them to increase it to around 40% and something between the two has been agreed on.

You could argue the benefits are both ways e.g. someone unemployed in Altrincham who doesn't have a car might get a job in Wilmslow - so someone in Greater Manchester benefits but then the business in Cheshire benefits from having a greater pool of potential employees to choose from.

Quote:Presumably, the cap (mentioned later) is partly there in case East Cheshire decide to award based on percieved VFM rather than just price.

From what's been reported the overall 88 subsidy is a high fixed amount but almost all of the fare revenue goes back to the council, which isn't normally the way Cheshire East award contracts for 'higher usage' subsided contracts and is very different to the type of contract GHA had for the 88 route.

Quote:I would agree with you regarding 88/288, though it would probably need the 88 being reduced to hourly, intertiming with the 288 to give a straight 30 minute service on common stretches of route. Presumably your point about fare differentials only applies to single fares, as an AnyBus DaySaver costs £5.60 max, and as TFGM fares are based on "standard" commercial fares, I would have thought the 288 would cost at least £2.80 single from Hale Barns to Alty, never mind the Airport.

I posted some fare comparisons earlier. I'm not sure if MCT have a fixed single fare for the 288 or whether it would be cheaper for Hale Barnes to Altrincham than Manchester Airport to Altrincham. I was surprised when I got on a 288 bus at the Airport and asked for Altrincham for the driver to say £2.20!

I'm not sure how fare increases have affected people in GM but in Cheshire increased fares have resulted in shoppers walking in to town and getting the bus back (when they've got shopping), rather than getting the bus both ways.

Quote:There might be other complications, as I've heard that Arriva are further reducing services in Trafford/South Manchester from September, and this could impact on existing tenders in the area (which may or may not involve 288).

I think the Arriva 288 Sunday evening service is really a left over as they already had a contract to run Sunday evening services between the Airport and Altrincham when they decided it was no longer commercially viable to run them at other times. Hopefully the MCT 288 contract ends at the same time as the Arriva contract so any future contract can have one consistent operator.