asperity Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 A 24 hour strike by the drivers today. Arriva must be laughing all the way to the bank. The service is getting worse and worse. I don't know how they work out the schedules but last Tuesday, just after 5PM, I saw the 29,30,31 and 32 in line astern going through Sankey Bridges. They must have left the bus station within seconds of each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianR Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 Why not let Arriva / Stagecoach et al into Warrington and provide a bit of competition? The monopoly situation is not serving the customers at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 They did once, and they finished up on the profitable routes only - but that's what you get with privatisation I guess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 What Obs says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 They did once, and they finished up on the profitable routes only - but that's what you get with privatisation I guess! and now we have a service that is so expensive to travel on; nobody bothers outside the rush hours..... and no Sunday evening service. It is a shambles and needs to be sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 So privatised companies are cheaper then - now where's that gas and electric bill?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted September 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 The whole network needs to be reorganised so that we don't have all the busses converging on the town centre with several services covering the same part of a route. As my example above, 4 busses in line astern. Ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 One of the problems for any transport company, is the dissipated nature of development in Warrington. Much easier if popular venues were sited on main routes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted September 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 I notice there are some yellow busses (I don't know who runs them) running to Dallam and Orford into the bus station. The Dallam bus is advertising a fare of £1 which I would guess is at least half what Network Warrington charge, although I can't help but notice that NW have a bus every 15 to 20 minutes to Dallam, having been stood at the stop opposite the Town Hall waiting for a bus to Penketh (which, on occasion, hasn't stopped because it was full!!) on many an occasion. NW busses run on time when the driver feels like it. The electronic timetables are a joke, those that are actually working, showing what time the bus is scheduled to arrive rather than when it's actually expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 Perhaps you should complain to the Bus Company Asp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted September 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 And you think they would take any notice? I've complained to NW about things in the past but the service doesn't get better. I'm not complaining about the staff, or the vehicles. The drivers for the most part are friendly and polite, although some do treat the passengers as an inconvenience. It's the whole layout that seems to be wrong. And the most annoying part is how the whole of the town is supposed to shut down at 5PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted September 14, 2013 Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 I notice there are some yellow busses (I don't know who runs them) running to Dallam and Orford into the bus station. The Dallam bus is advertising a fare of £1 which I would guess is at least half what Network Warrington charge, From the hospital it costs £1.50 to the bus station and the same back. The yellow buses charge £1.00 from any stop on the route from dallam to the bus station and £1.00 back. Only time you can get it cheaper is using a bus pass, (after 9.30 free before 9.30 half fare) which the yellow buses will not accept as far as I know. One of the reasons I use my car to go to town is the fact that even if i go on my own it is still cheaper than getting the bus there and back, even after i have factored in tax insurance, wear and tear etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted September 14, 2013 Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 and now we have a service that is so expensive to travel on; nobody bothers outside the rush hours..... and no Sunday evening service. It is a shambles and needs to be sorted. You would think that a town that wants to be seen as a thriving evening & weekend entertainment hub would insist on having a bus service that can get revellers in & out of town ,instead of just relying on taxis . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffee Posted September 14, 2013 Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 Does anyone but pensioners and teens use buses anymore? A bit off topic but Warrington needs a link to Manchester and Liverpool airport! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted September 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 You can get a train to Manchester Airport, and Liverpool South Parkway is close to Liverpool Airport. A taxi to either one is less than £25 in any case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tg Posted September 14, 2013 Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 Back to the topic of the strikes, could someone please tell me why having your pay frozen for the first time in 16 years is good reason to have not just one, but SEVEN 24 hour strikes? As a passenger, I have zero sympathy with the drivers at all, especially as I had to make alternative arrangements to get to work yesterday thanks to the no show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted September 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 Well the strikes aren't going to get them a pay increase and will have lost them some regular custom making the situation worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffee Posted September 14, 2013 Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 Back to the topic of the strikes, could someone please tell me why having your pay frozen for the first time in 16 years is good reason to have not just one, but SEVEN 24 hour strikes? As a passenger, I have zero sympathy with the drivers at all, especially as I had to make alternative arrangements to get to work yesterday thanks to the no show How about having your pay frozen If these in control want pay freezes they should freezer price of fuel, food, rates... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffee Posted September 14, 2013 Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 You can get a train to Manchester Airport, and Liverpool South Parkway is close to Liverpool Airport. A taxi to either one is less than £25 in any case. Can you get a train to Manchester Airport? I do not believe you can from Warrington you need to change in Manchester. South Parkway is not that close, it is 3 miles, you can't walk it with all your luggage eaily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted September 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 If you've got all that luggage you aren't going to go by bus are you? And what's wrong with changing trains in Manchester? If you travel by train it is a common ocurrence to have to change! You can get a taxi from Liverpool South Parkway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted September 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2013 How about having your pay frozen That is another argument, but a lot of people (including me!) have had their pay frozen for a lot longer than 12 months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 Direct trains to Manchester Airport can be boarded in in Earlestown or Newton but the service is not a full 24 hour one so is not suitable for some flights. One of my neighbours uses it regularly & he says it takes about 45 minutes. Talking about the buses though ,& it is more or less impossible to talk about providing a good public service & a profitable enterprise in the same breath.To provide a good service on the buses the company has to cater for the needs of its customers in terms of availability of a comprehensive network at reasonable prices in order to get customers to use buses instead of cars. Some of the districts need to be linked as well by circular routes instead of it being assumed that everyone wants to go just into town. To get a service that suits the public though ,the clock would have to turned back to it being a council run service with the ability to provide services on less profitable routes as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 well the council are quite happy to lose hundreds of thousands of pounds on the parking service; why not the buses and give the public a service they would actually use? Who knows; it may even get to be popular again to travel by bus and might start making money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 Sounds like subsidising public transport Baz - are you a convert now ?!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffee Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 If you've got all that luggage you aren't going to go by bus are you? And what's wrong with changing trains in Manchester? If you travel by train it is a common ocurrence to have to change! You can get a taxi from Liverpool South Parkway. The parking companies use buses to get you from your car to the terminals, with all that luggage, so there is no problem with using buses. As for changing, yes you can get to many places by changing including siberia, but you need to change and that is the problem. That is another argument, but a lot of people (including me!) have had their pay frozen for a lot longer than 12 months! Seems your happy with that, does not mean others have to be. Talking about the buses though ,& it is more or less impossible to talk about providing a good public service & a profitable enterprise in the same breath.To provide a good service on the buses the company has to cater for the needs of its customers in terms of availability of a comprehensive network at reasonable prices in order to get customers to use buses instead of cars. Some of the districts need to be linked as well by circular routes instead of it being assumed that everyone wants to go just into town. To get a service that suits the public though ,the clock would have to turned back to it being a council run service with the ability to provide services on less profitable routes as well. The problem is that many of the estates built in the last 40 years does not allow for buses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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