Halton Transport

[K853 MTJ]

RE: Halton Transport

(17/06/2012 17:17)Valandil Wrote:  

(17/06/2012 16:43)K853 MTJ Wrote:  26, arguably the 17A, 2 if it does indeed go to the hive as theres no way an SPD is going to turn around down there without doing a 3 point turn!

Warning: this post is 100% speculation, and of no actual use to anybody.

I guess you could probably get all the custom for the 2 onto smaller vehicles.
Due to being in a completely different part of the country, I'm not really sure what's going on with the retail park: is it finished yet, and the 26 serving there?
If that service would need to do a 3-point turn in the park too (which is really bad planning -- surely they could squeeze space for a turning circle!) then it would also have to be a mini, from what you suggest.
So then we'd need at least 5 vehicles: four on the 2, one on the 26.
And they'd surely need at least one backup vehicle too (like Warrington, which needs 5 Solos, but has 6, one being for backup).

On a related point, I wonder whether they'll still be doing the 14c, or having a proper service 2 on Sundays in future.

At peak times in may possibly be a squeeze, but an extra journey or two working off schools should cover it ok.
The 26 serves the new Tesco, with the 13 (Run by Widnes Commercial Motors) serving the hive. WCMs largest vehicle that has been used is an Optare Solo M880. Although its normally run by a Bluebird minibus. The layout down there is simple enough, a road going into the main park, with a car park to the left for Brewers Fayre and Premier Inn, and one to the right for everything else. To turn left or right you use a small roundabout (I say roundabout, its one of those slightly raised concrete things on the floor). Thats where the service turns around and parks up at the stop it passes on the right going towards the roundabout.
An SPD turning there is out of the question IMO, an MCV might just fit with a great deal of skill, praying and blind luck. The Bluebird turns around with ease, so an 8.8m Enviro would be able to negotiate it rather easily.

This is assuming that the minibuses go onto the 2. It may be a lot easier to get bigger buses around there in practice, having only seen it properly 2 or 3 times, its hard to gauge it properly relative to the bus itself.
The 17A doesn't need an SPD really, and the 26 still uses bus 20 (Although an SPD is commonplace on there now).
Personally, I'd say a 9.8m Enviro would be just about perfect seeing as this is the smallest length available with a decent 6 cylinder engine!