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Post by stevieinselby on Nov 23, 2010 20:35:33 GMT 1
Then there was the equally weird routing via the very edge of Knaresborough, presumably so as not to annoy H&D. Recall seeing an empty 120 (as it became) heading for home along the A59 in front of a packed H&D X54, which also is no more There was a good reason for calling at Knaresborough York Road and at St James Retail Park. First wanted the service to call at Knaresborough, to provide a link from there to LBA. But the town centre is notoriously congested, so if they had tried to run through the town they would have lost a load of time. By calling at the edge of the town, they could pick up passengers without the same time penalty. What happened to the York - Harrogate bus route ? I know H&D ditched it, but why did HCT ? HCT ditched it for the same reason that H&D did - it wasn't making any money. A combination of no subsidy, fares barely cheaper than the faster and more frequent train (which also offers evening and Sunday services) and a punitive rebate rate for the Old Biddy pass meant that not many passengers used it, and most of those that did were not paying; with the council only paying the operator half of the ticket price (assuming a return), the route just wasn't paying its way, even for a cut-price operator like HCT. |
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Post by tinrocket on Nov 27, 2010 9:32:51 GMT 1
I can see First's services going more the way of theirs in Greater Manchester where yes we have Overground routes every 10 mins during the day but going down to hourly evenings (especially outside Manchester, eg Bolton and Wigan) and often run by a different operator. One thing they do have there though is a good night bus service and it amazes me night services cannot be made to work in Leeds. I think Metro come in for criticism here for allowing the routes to decline as they did, towns/cities smaller than Leeds currently have more night buses, and they don't promote themselves as 24 hour cities!
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Nov 27, 2010 9:55:27 GMT 1
I can see First's services going more the way of theirs in Greater Manchester where yes we have Overground routes every 10 mins during the day but going down to hourly evenings (especially outside Manchester, eg Bolton and Wigan) and often run by a different operator. One thing they do have there though is a good night bus service and it amazes me night services cannot be made to work in Leeds. I think Metro come in for criticism here for allowing the routes to decline as they did, towns/cities smaller than Leeds currently have more night buses, and they don't promote themselves as 24 hour cities! Do GMPTE subsidise these services? But when it comes to the actual provision of night buses. Operating costs are going to be more through higher wages paid for night shifts. Taxis are more competitive in that they can wait closer to the venues and drop you off at your front door. If people are going home in a group, the taxi may cost less. Safety as well of your driving staff because of a small minority of passengers could cause trouble, increase in vandalism and having to battle through city centre streets which are swamped with taxis blocking the roads etc etc. |
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SF07
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Post by SF07 on Nov 27, 2010 12:09:47 GMT 1
GMPTE do subsidise some of the Nightbus services, all the services in Wigan and some in Manchester (8 on Fridays, 39, 203, 219, 256). As pointed out, the Manchester Nightbus network is quite good and is well-used and £2.50-£3 isn't bad of a price if you're travelling for a long part of the journey and live near the route. Although, there are good arguments for the taxi, as mentioned here. For small groups, using the Nightbus to their nearest town and getting taxis from there is more cheaper than getting a taxi straight from the city centre.
It would be nice if Leeds did have a Nightbus network again running to different areas of the city and maybe to some neighbouring towns and cities, such as Bradford and Wakefield, however, it's not likely that Metro will fund it, particularly in the current financial climate, and I can't see First, Arriva or Centrebus giving it a go commercially, even if it is just an hourly service running from the train station.
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Nov 27, 2010 21:36:36 GMT 1
Which kind of summarises what the problem is with First and has been for years.
The only way they would introduce a nightbus is if Metro funded it. They wouldn't in a million years risk it commercially.
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Post by northerner on Nov 27, 2010 21:56:18 GMT 1
Which kind of summarises what the problem is with First and has been for years. The only way they would introduce a nightbus is if Metro funded it. They wouldn't in a million years risk it commercially. It's not just First though - all operators rely on Metro funding suggesting its an industry wide issue and not just specific to First |
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Post by Craig on Nov 28, 2010 17:58:42 GMT 1
TM Travel have just started a small night bus network (3 routes) in Sheffield which as far as I know is being run commercially, so it is possible. I'm sure Leeds could sustain some form of night service beyond the 95 route.
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Post by jack97 on Nov 28, 2010 18:23:34 GMT 1
So, it'll probably be a case of a few services getting better frequencies then rather than expanding routes to unserved places, such as Rothwell or restoring routes like Wharefdale routes (650, 653 etc) or the X64 rothwell has number 9 ring road service |
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SF07
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Post by SF07 on Nov 29, 2010 23:55:13 GMT 1
So, it'll probably be a case of a few services getting better frequencies then rather than expanding routes to unserved places, such as Rothwell or restoring routes like Wharefdale routes (650, 653 etc) or the X64 rothwell has number 9 ring road service I mean from Leeds to Rothwell |
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