Evil Sid Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 seems we are to get a bus war in warrington as GHA coaches start to operate in the area. http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2015/05/01/new-bus-wars/ from a rival publication. a driver at GHA Coaches, pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm after the incident in which a Network Warrington driver sustained facial injuries at Northwich bus station In October another driver at GHA, who was employed despite wearing a tag, was jailed for four months for punching a motorist 10 times. seems like war could be the right description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Think we've been here before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Typical council allowing companies from outside the town in to take business from local companies..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Typical council allowing companies from outside the town in to take business from local companies..... Dont think the council have any say in the matter - any body can apparently set up a bus operation and register a service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 probably because they don't want to find anything they can do.... Surely when it is forcing a local lad (Dave fairbrother) into a situation where he has to offer free travel then there is a problem that our councillors; elected by the people of Warrington to fight for the interests of the people of Warrington should deal with other wise if he is forced out of business by an outside of the town company, it will be Warrington that is left to pay for those left out of work here, not Wrexham... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 probably because they don't want to find anything they can do.... Surely when it is forcing a local lad (Dave fairbrother) into a situation where he has to offer free travel then there is a problem that our councillors; elected by the people of Warrington to fight for the interests of the people of Warrington should deal with other wise if he is forced out of business by an outside of the town company, it will be Warrington that is left to pay for those left out of work here, not Wrexham... Local councils were not responsible for bus de-regulation Baz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Local councils were not responsible for bus de-regulation Baz I am aware of that Gary.... but this council do little or nothing to promote the use of local business....despite all the nonsense they may try and portray with their Warrington & Co. stuff.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Is the fact that a supplier to the Council is local and employs local people even a factor when determining who gets the contracts? It's easy to stand there and say you support Warrington businesses but if you don't use them they go under, as several have after having been dropped by WBC for out of town suppliers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 I'm not suggesting that being local should be the only determining factor when handing out contracts, just a consideration with a weighting towards them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeborn John Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Considering the money that WBC has put into Network Warrington to keep it afloat, and on the grounds that there'll be an even bigger bail out needed if the incomers cherry pick what profit there is, I feel we've all got a dog in this fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 How much has Network Warrington cost us as taxpayers John? Any idea? Also perhaps one of our resident Councillors could tell us how much councillors are paid for being on the Network Warrington board? I remember one of them a while back commented in the local newspaper bemoaning the fact that they all get free bus travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeborn John Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 All hush hush I'm afraid, WBC was rather coy at the time over the exact amount of the six figure sum which was voted for use in bailing out Network Warrington two years ago, the matter being so commercially sensitive that the taxpayers were required to keep their beaks out. Someone who knew what they were doing could probably have a dig into the WBC budget figures for 2012/13 and come up with something, I expect that those hundreds of thousands of pounds would leave a paper trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 I'm not ignoring all the previous comments but why would a third bus company want to set up against two others on the same routes? Wouldn't it make more sense for the new company to set up an alternative low cost service on one of the other routes directly competing with Network Warrington.I'm not surprised Mr Fairbrother is rather peeved as his £1 To Town sounds great and I only wish he ran one from Stockton Heath to town as I'd use it as would many others round here. Network Warrington's fares to town from here are a complete rip off hence the reason I never use busses (cheaper to use my car and pay £1 to park in the old Market car park.. well until it gets knocked down anyway).I never knew anyone could just set up a bus company either and I too thought it had to be approved by the local authority ie WBC. Shows how much I know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 Best outcome would be for public transport in town to be under council ownership in order to provide a public service at a cost that will encourage motorists off the towns congested roads....the clue is in the term public service.A privatised company will only provide a service to cater for its shareholders & company profits with little concern for the public it is supposed to serve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 Seems we as a town already subsidise or fund Network Warrington to some degree, how much was a closely guarded council secret it appears. If WBC is offering free or low cost loans to one bus company, should it not, in order to be fair and unbiased, be offering the same to Fairbrothers? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeborn John Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 It should be borne in mind that WBC do actually own Network Warrington, lock, stock and barrel as far as I'm aware, hence the bail out in 2013. My original point being that if NW suffer crippling losses in a trade war, Joe 'Taxpayer' Muggins will get hit in the pocket again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 But I am sure that Network Warrington is a private company and should not be receiving preferential treatment from Council funding by way of secret amounts of loans at low or zero interest. It is supposed to be a fair competition after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 meanwhile, the massive recent price hikes are making the Warrington Network bus service too expensive. A fiver from Callands to town and back isn't going to persuade anyone to leave the car and get the bus. Pretty soon the only people able to justify catching the bus will be concessionary and free users. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Parish Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Network Warrington has repaid the "bail-out" (i.e. loan). Interesting that the press picked up on the loan in the council agendas but not its repayment. Anyone can register a bus service. Stagecoach started with two buses. The council can pay a company to run a few early morning or evening services on their daytime commercial routes but other "socially-necessary" services have to be tendered. Coachways got the Burtonwood/Westbrook 33 route contract but went bust, Tanseys took over, but they relinquished it recently at short notice so NW has been asked to take it over. One hopes the good people of Dallam and Bewsey (and those going to the hospital) will avoid an out-of-town company (even without the drivers' convictions). Councillors who are directors on municipal bus company boards are not paid for being directors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 I've seen a few new "old" buses knocking about, which prompts me to ask, what maintainance standards are they subject to? Presumably MOT ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 I'd love to go on one of the old busses Fairbrothers are running at the moment. Where do they run from and what times anyone know?Of course they would need an MOT Obs, and tax and insurance too so stop worrying and get on one and relive your more youthful days 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 I'd love to go on one of the old busses Fairbrothers are running at the moment. Where do they run from and what times anyone know? Of course they would need an MOT Obs, and tax and insurance too so stop worrying and get on one and relive your more youthful days Obs was born 65 years old Dizzy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Network Warrington has repaid the "bail-out" (i.e. loan). Interesting that the press picked up on the loan in the council agendas but not its repayment. How much was the loan Steve? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Sorry Diz, they just look like wrecks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted May 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 I'd love to go on one of the old busses Fairbrothers are running at the moment. Where do they run from and what times anyone know? as far as i know dizz they use it on the dallam warrington bus station run between 10 am and 2 pm on a saturday. think that is also the free bus he was on about putting on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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