First Group Speculation

[cumbria0902150]

RE: Rock Ferry & Stagecoach Speculation
Lead drivers will have been out route assessing, checking loadings etc of which will then allow Stagecoach to roughly calculate their own projected route figures. The route figures would allow Stagecoach to see where changes need to be made for the financial sustainability of the services, for in the event Stagecoach do take over the Rock Ferry services. Direct figures from First themselves would not be as useful for Stagecoach, as the two companies have rather different financial systems in place, which means they are not directly comparable. Such information would be a lot more important in the event of First completely pulling out of the area, for Stagecoach to take over their routes, as opposed to a buy-out, as Stagecoach would only register replacement routes for the ones that are deemed financially viable to operate. (Note that a route not profitable with First could be profitable with Stagecoach, depending on differences in the financial strategies, and costs involved in operations).