Greater Manchester Service Changes

[knutstransport]

RE: Greater Manchester Service Changes

(30/07/2021 08:23)KXW212 Wrote:  I doubt Manchester is somewhere any bus passenger would want to go from anywhere along the current 130 corridor. It just takes too long. East Didsbury was always the sensible place to terminate it with a host of onward connection facilities available, pass holder or not.

When the 130 went to Piccadilly Gardens there were pass holders who went to central Manchester, despite the long journey time. It showed up when Arriva changed the timetable so it was half-hourly Manchester to Colshaw Farm with alternate buses continuing to Manchester and then there were pensioners not wanting the Colshaw Farm bus because it didn't go to Manchester.

Same with the 387 - it was very slow from Wilmslow to Stockport compared to the train but pass holders used it because it meant a free journey and they weren't in a rush.

Quote:What is often forgotten is not everybody lives near a rail station, intermediate passengers do actually matter and not everyone is a commuter. The residents of Colshaw Farm are a case in point, where shoppers going to/from Handforth make the 130 fairly busy.

If anything the Cheshire East contracts ignore the commuters and favour the pass holders making shopping trips. Normally bus services are more frequent at peak times than at off-peak times but Cheshire East don't want to put on an extra vehicle at peak times to allow for heavier traffic and in many cases take a bus off a normal service in the morning peak as a cheap way of providing a school service.

There's people in Wilmslow who don't use the 88/130/T2 for shopping but instead use the pre-bookable Flexilink service because even when you provide a bus which goes quite close to someone's house it doesn't mean they can carry their shopping from the bus stop to their house. I understand anyone over 80 or with a disability is allowed to use that service, as well as anyone not living near a bus stop.

With Colshaw Farm being a large area of social housing there should be no doubt that it needs a bus service of some description.