Bus Company

[Gary]

I don't know why people are always quick to bash our local bus company. From what i can see they are doing their best in difficult times in a tough industry. https://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2019/10/07/warringtons-bus-company-best-in-britain/

Yes I know it is difficult to get a bus in the evenings and late at night in outlying areas of the town - but there are only so money losing routes any business can run. Thery have invested in cleaner more efficient buses and doing their best to keep prices down and make thinmgs cheaper with new technology. 

[grey_man]

I get the feeling a lot of the whinging will have been based on past experiences and frankly inadequate management. They certainly seem to be more forward looking and positive recently. More power to them.

[Latchford Locks]

Always clean and plenty of routes plus mostly on time.

I also have a app on my phone that tells me which stop I'm at and the next bus due called "UK bus checker"

I can't complain anyway as I have a bus pass and certainly would be lost without our bus routes from Town for shopping to Hospitals/GP/Dentist etc.

And Lymm Dam on warm summer days,

Plus popping in The Church Green before my return 🍺

No complaints from me 

[asperity]

I use the bus all the time. Obviously I wish there were routes existing that don't (e.g. Penketh to Warrrington Hospital direct) but I can work around that. And with Warrington's buses and Arriva I have 10 buses an hour into town weekdays. No complaints here.

[asperity]

1 hour ago, Gary said:

I don't know why people are always quick to bash our local bus company. From what i can see they are doing their best in difficult times in a tough industry. https://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2019/10/07/warringtons-bus-company-best-in-britain/

Yes I know it is difficult to get a bus in the evenings and late at night in outlying areas of the town - but there are only so money losing routes any business can run. Thery have invested in cleaner more efficient buses and doing their best to keep prices down and make thinmgs cheaper with new technology. 

You really need to give that sub-editor of yours a kick up the backside. His proof-reading is atrocious 🤣🤣.

[Davy51]

Warrington buses are much more inviting than their Arriva counterparts . The town really does deserve a comprehensive evening & late night bus service though, but the damage was done to public transport with deregulation during the nineties which made the goal of bus companies profits instead of service providers to all.

[Gary]

20 hours ago, asperity said:

You really need to give that sub-editor of yours a kick up the backside. His proof-reading is atrocious 🤣🤣.

I don't know what you ar etalking about? 😂

[Dizzy]

I've been on a couple of busses lately and I have to admit the new CAT busses to town are really nice and have little coat hooks, a pop out stand for balancing your mobile phone or table on, WIFI and even charging points.  I didn't really have any use for any of those just going from Stockton Heath Village to the Town Centre though but I'm sure some people probably would lol. 
But I still think it's way to expensive to travel by bus hence me not using them more often....sorry (negativity strikes)  Infact my return train ticket to Liverpool cost pretty much the same as my bus ride from SH to town and back.   I could have parked my car opposite the station for the whole day for less than the bus too (oops more negativity)
I will start using busses more though if they reduce the prices a bit from this neck of the woods like they have done for the other parts of Warrington... or when I get my bus pass.   

[Confused52]

The buses are expensive when looked at objectively. Those who travel long distances get a better deal than those taking shorter trips. This helps to get the average fare paid as high as possible sing the English National Concession Scheme reimbursement is a fixed percentage of the average single fare.

The increases have been necessary because of the reduction in subsidy from the council and the council pushing down the level of concession fare reimbursement. The evening services that used to be numbers with an E at the end are the only subsidies paid by the council. The service to Ashton, the evening service to Wigan and the evening service to Leigh are subsidised by Greater Manchester. Gary is right that the company, i.e. Warrington Borough Transport (yes, it is) do appear to operate at a lower level of viability than their non-council owned competitors. However the reduced fares are only ever targeted at those areas with low car ownership.

The problem mainly stems from the Council and their insistence on using the money they have only to benefit a small part of the population of the town, which does include the worst off. The bus company is doing the best it can with the reduced resources that the council has chosen to improve the lives of ordinary people whilst it spends larger amounts than the national average on those under 65 with social care needs.

(If you think this is being negative check the facts, the figures are in the public domain)

[Milky]

Yesterday, Monday I had the great pleasure of using a Warrington bus! Had to take my car in for repairs on Liverpool Rd, I decided to sample Warrington buses, read they were wonderful.

Strolled over to the Mad Hatter pub on Lovely Lane (wonder how it got its name), it was about half past four and waited for a bus and waited and waited, surely a bus runs from the hospital to Orford Rd or in that direction. A bus arrived and yes one kind of goes my way but not till the morning though, bus driver said I needed to go into the bus station. Looked up my options, I could buy a ticket direct to where I was going, no had to buy two tickets.

So walked to Winwick Rd, caught a bus from there, £2.80, sat in front of a guy who had to much to drink, insisted on shaking hands several times.

[asperity]

If you have a smart phone get an app called "UK bus checker". This gives the times of buses due at whatever location you're at and tells you their routes. It also allows you to plan your journey. If you're getting two or more buses on the same day get a Day Ticket which allows you as many bus journeys as you want on Warrington buses that day and will work out a lot cheaper than buying a ticket for each journey. Alternatively age sufficiently to be eligible for a bus pass.