City announce trial bus scheme for home games

yatesy94. said:
Yep does seem very strange if they're willing to come all the way from Macclesfield you think they'd want to service areas like Bolton, Westhoughton, Wigan, Leigh, Atherton etc...also odd not seeing Warrington on there.
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Could perhaps extend the Radcliffe route if demand is there but there’s also decent rail services from Bolton and Wigan to Manchester.

Maybe in the future, once the arena is opened, there’ll be a push to look at reopening Park station. It could probably handle the Southport to Stalybridge service which runs through Wigan and Bolton. Even better if the Liverpool to Newcastle service could stop there, that covers Leeds and York.
 
Luddite_Blue said:
And I hope the driver realises the destination's changed for the matchday buses...

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Ok the sad bastard I am I timed myself today to see how long it’s going to take to get to a Briscoe Lane. Bearing in mind the bus is due to leave 30 minutes after scheduled full time 90 mins. So today 10 mins of extra time, 5/6 mins to get to the bottom of SSL3, then a further 12/3 mins (and I walk fast ) to get to Briscoe Lane, so I might just make the return bus, FOC and disabled are going to be screwed, they need to have a word with the drivers and it must be 30 from final whistle otherwise loads will miss return journey.
 
I work as a bus driver and it costs a fortune to run one. New buses cost about £250,000. Hydrogen buses cost £500,000. Bus drivers are paid on average £15 per hour, insurance, tax, fuel, engineers to maintain them cost around £40 per hour, normal bus routes are subsidised by the transport commissioner if they run at a loss but I'd imagine these new routes are a private run thing or are a new initiative.
Anyhow these won't lose money as they'll all be full.
I don't think they would run on a route that already has good travel options to the stadium as that would be direct competition.

I don't think 17 routes means 17 buses. Their could be 5 buses per route or more on busier routes and less on quieter.

I think it's a good idea. It's not the cheapest option sure but I bet it beats walking for 15 minutes, getting a bus for 20 minutes, getting a train for 30 minutes, then walking another 15 minutes like some need to do to get to a match. Getting soaked in the rain or not getting on a bus because they're full.

I'm sure there will be teething problems but hopefully;
someone will take the bull by the horns and organise how many want to go on each bus/route;
organise pre paid tickets or gauge demand;
fans will respect others and turn up in plenty of time;
be nice to your driver (we don't control traffic or late running), there's a lot to think about when driving a 12 ton (when empty, 18 ton when full, 36 feet long bus).
I hope it all goes well for you blues who use it.
 
Alan Harper's Tash said:
It seems expensive to me. Aren't all bus fares supposed to be £2 in GM now?
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All bus fares are a maximum £2 for adults, or £1.70 for a short hop...up to 3 stops... (some kids fares are cheaper depending on the destination) as they are subsidised by the government until at least the end of June 2024. It may be extended.

This is a separate thing though I think. It's only on match days so not an everyday route.
I don't know if this is in collaboration with greater Manchester transport but to start this operation from scratch would cost a packet. I've posted a little before this post about costs. I forgot the garage where they will be parked, maintained, refuelled, cleaned, repaired and checked. Buses sometimes break down, drivers get ill, crashes happen, tow trucks have to be on standby, if someone is offering you a return ticket for £6 or £8 close to your home I'd say its a pretty good deal. Whereas if you have to walk a fair bit and get 2 buses for £4 it might suit you if you like exercise. Surely it's worth a trial anyhow.
 
Keepingthefaithsince1976 said:
All bus fares are a maximum £2 for adults, or £1.70 for a short hop...up to 3 stops... (some kids fares are cheaper depending on the destination) as they are subsidised by the government until at least the end of June 2024. It may be extended.

This is a separate thing though I think. It's only on match days so not an everyday route.
I don't know if this is in collaboration with greater Manchester transport but to start this operation from scratch would cost a packet. I've posted a little before this post about costs. I forgot the garage where they will be parked, maintained, refuelled, cleaned, repaired and checked. Buses sometimes break down, drivers get ill, crashes happen, tow trucks have to be on standby, if someone is offering you a return ticket for £6 or £8 close to your home I'd say its a pretty good deal. Whereas if you have to walk a fair bit and get 2 buses for £4 it might suit you if you like exercise. Surely it's worth a trial anyhow.
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I’m not against it and hope it helps people. It’ll be great for the FOCs that can use it for free.

I’ll definitely give it a go at some point this season to see what it’s like. It’s just twice the price of the tram for me, but with less walking and less potential aggro.

I’m fortunate to have a free parking spot near the stadium, but it’s not always available, so when it isn’t, I’ll try the bus.
 
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