Greater Manchester Service Changes

[Mikeonthebuses]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes
Are services are such mess now with countless changes and it Like the the 181/182 service changes that was purposed in April but didn't go ahead but TFGM Changed the stops and removed the service from the timetable on the curtailed section of the 181 but the 181 is still running a normal route with no change.

I'm honestly think they should stream line the services to profitable and main routes and start DRT Demand Response Transport in the areas difficult to route fixed services and have flexiable bus service it whould help so many people around Greater Manchester with a poor service.

[Mayneway]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(06/08/2020 19:59)Mikeonthebuses Wrote:  Are services are such mess now with countless changes and it Like the the 181/182 service changes that was purposed in April but didn't go ahead but TFGM Changed the stops and removed the service from the timetable on the curtailed section of the 181 but the 181 is still running a normal route with no change.

I'm honestly think they should stream line the services to profitable and main routes and start DRT Demand Response Transport in the areas difficult to route fixed services and have flexiable bus service it whould help so many people around Greater Manchester with a poor service.

Seen it happen in Ashton last August/September. First pulled out and Stagecoach stepped in and replaced daytime services commercially but TFGM decided to rehig the evening circulars that worked well as they were and most impotantly carried punters that needed them. They instated an evening 396 that they didn’t advertise and carried fresh air - and still does! They instated a Sunday 339 around Crowhill, Again carried fresh air. I think this is what they want so they can eventually axe the services and save the subsidy.

[Redmikey]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes
Changes are not advertised at all to the general public. Yes adverts are placed on the buses and a Twitter feed but do most people know about these changes?
For example I wonder how many people in Heald Green know that they have a new direct bus to Manchester or a different route to Stockport via Bramhall.

[knutstransport]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(06/08/2020 21:51)Redmikey Wrote:  Changes are not advertised at all to the general public. Yes adverts are placed on the buses and a Twitter feed but do most people know about these changes?
For example I wonder how many people in Heald Green know that they have a new direct bus to Manchester or a different route to Stockport via Bramhall.

It's similar in Cheshire. If you're an occasional bus user without Internet access then you need to go and look at the times on the bus stop or find a library which has copies of timetables and in the case of the library if the council hasn't yet sent them copies of the new timetable, a librarian prints one off from the Internet on request.

The local newspapers need to do a better job of writing up significant changes to any form of public transport. Producing one is easy journalism and something people will find useful, unlike some of the stories they print which sound like they belong on the Jeremy Kyle show not in a newspaper.

[knutstransport]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(06/08/2020 19:59)Mikeonthebuses Wrote:  start DRT Demand Response Transport in the areas difficult to route fixed services and have flexiable bus service it whould help so many people around Greater Manchester with a poor service.

I think any new DRT service shouldn't stop at the PTE boundary. Many people need to make journeys which cross the boundary opposed to being taken to somewhere further away which is within the same council area. As an example, Little Bollington which lost its bus as a result of the 289 service going - if you need a bus to go shopping you probably want one to Altrincham just down the road, opposed to Knutsford or Wilmslow within the same borough.

[Mayneway]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(06/08/2020 21:51)Redmikey Wrote:  Changes are not advertised at all to the general public. Yes adverts are placed on the buses and a Twitter feed but do most people know about these changes?
For example I wonder how many people in Heald Green know that they have a new direct bus to Manchester or a different route to Stockport via Bramhall.

They don’t place adverts on twitter or social media they post a link to upcoming service changes where you have to read through them all to find out exactly what’s what. So new services are introduced, it gets a tiny mention in the service changes section of website and they put up a timetable in the bus station, so unless you fall across the bus on the stand your never going to know this new subsidised service exists.

[gilbert]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(07/08/2020 09:40)knutstransport Wrote:  It's similar in Cheshire. If you're an occasional bus user without Internet access then you need to go and look at the times on the bus stop or find a library which has copies of timetables and in the case of the library if the council hasn't yet sent them copies of the new timetable, a librarian prints one off from the Internet on request.

The local newspapers need to do a better job of writing up significant changes to any form of public transport. Producing one is easy journalism and something people will find useful, unlike some of the stories they print which sound like they belong on the Jeremy Kyle show not in a newspaper.

It's no good looking at the bus stops for timetables because the TfGM ''spokesman'' told me that they don't do them anymore so the public has got no chance. So,having told the public to only use buses if essential,they are now cutting services because not enough people are/were using them and changing routes with absolutely no publicity or reason.

Really.heads should roll for this utter shambles.

[Bevan Price]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(07/08/2020 09:40)knutstransport Wrote:  It's similar in Cheshire. If you're an occasional bus user without Internet access then you need to go and look at the times on the bus stop or find a library which has copies of timetables and in the case of the library if the council hasn't yet sent them copies of the new timetable, a librarian prints one off from the Internet on request.

The local newspapers need to do a better job of writing up significant changes to any form of public transport. Producing one is easy journalism and something people will find useful, unlike some of the stories they print which sound like they belong on the Jeremy Kyle show not in a newspaper.

I think you will find that most local newspapers no longer have many journalists. Almost the only way to get all the changes into local newspapers is likely to be by someone paying to insert an advert. Only "controversial" changes or bus company collapses are likely to be reported.

[EDB325]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(07/08/2020 19:54)Bevan Price Wrote:  I think you will find that most local newspapers no longer have many journalists. Almost the only way to get all the changes into local newspapers is likely to be by someone paying to insert an advert. Only "controversial" changes or bus company collapses are likely to be reported.

I also think you'll find that most "local" newspapers are anything but ! The "Sale and Altrincham Messenger" is produced in Bolton for example, and most of the content has little relevance to my location.

[knutstransport]

RE: Greater Manchester service changes

(08/08/2020 09:13)EDB325 Wrote:  I also think you'll find that most "local" newspapers are anything but ! The "Sale and Altrincham Messenger" is produced in Bolton for example, and most of the content has little relevance to my location.

The local 'Guardians' sold in Cheshire are all prepared in Warrington and printed in Glasgow but I would have thought public transport timetables are an easy thing for a non-journalist who isn't local to do. They can easily copy and paste the list of changes from a website, then all they need to do is give it a title, a brief introduction and find a photo of a bus. OK they might find a photo of a bus carrying a livery for a company who no longer exist or a photo of a bus which was withdrawn 5 years ago but at least the wording would be useful accurate information.