First Manchester

[Wright Eclipse]

RE: First Manchester

(21/08/2017 05:15)M60lad Wrote:  Instead of replacing these bendy buses from other buses from First subsidies why haven't they replaced them with newer or even new vehicles, maybe this is just a short term measure while new buses are sourced and ordered but it just seems a shame that while other Firstgroup subsidies have got new buses recently the only new buses First Manchester got were the ones for Vantage routes.

While I know First Manchester haven't got a bad fleet at the moment it just would be nice for them to get some newer vehicles to replace some of the older fleet especially on tendered work.

I Think New buses are off the table for most of Firsts operations,apart from the main key areas that have actully made decent profit (think last years profits for Manchester was around £400,000? - that would buy maybe 3 new buses) plus when it comes to deciding what areas are to get new buses,i dont think Manchesters case would be much good for 2 points

- not the highest profts (First are most likely just happy its making some sort of profit but still)
- The key parts of the network that do earn decent money,they could end up loosing thanks to Franchising.

(21/08/2017 15:10)Dentonian Wrote:  It depends what you class as "bad". Up to 59 buses in the fleet will be too old for TFGM tenders by the end of next week (c. 10%). Outside FiM there are very few buses in GM over 15 years old (as of 1/9/17) unless used exclusively on "closed" contracts. Apart from the Presidents at Rusholme (actually, the oldest of the lot) all these 59 and a few more single-deckers besides are fitted with flanneled "bum perches" instead of proper cushioned seats, and barely 40% of the fleet as a whole is less that 8 years old. Investment has only come in fits and starts, and even when an attempt was made to invest significantly in 2012 with 100 Enviro400s, nine were immediately diverted to Plymouth and a further handful have left recently. Similarly, Streetlites from the following year.

Bristol & Leeds are both due most of this years vehicle orders (Think Bristols are slowly starting to be delivered,with Leeds first batch due around autumn) so,depending on what needs to be replaced in their own fleets we could be looking at a large amount of Geminis being moved to different ops,it could end up with Manchester gaining a large ammount of either 2004/5 B7TL or 2007/8/9 B9TLs,what would at least be a decent stop-gap for the next few years whilst this whole franchising debate continues.