D&G Buses

[station_road]

The D&G service is now showing on bustimes.org - runs between Crewe and Nantwich every 30 minutes Mon-Sat daytimes, hourly evenings and Sunday daytimes starting from 23 April. Weekday services are 10 minutes before the Stagecoach service in both directions, Sunday services are sometimes 30 minutes apart but with the Stagecoach service every 90 minutes some depart at almost the same time.

Link to 84x timetable for example day - Mon 24 April

 

[SeanM1997]

The D&G service is now showing on bustimes.org - runs between Crewe and Nantwich every 30 minutes Mon-Sat daytimes, hourly evenings and Sunday daytimes starting from 23 April. Weekday services are 10 minutes before the Stagecoach service in both directions, Sunday services are sometimes 30 minutes apart but with the Stagecoach service every 90 minutes some depart at almost the same time.

Link to 84x timetable for example day - Mon 24 April

Interesting timetable - core weekdays is

Crewe-Nantwich
84 (Stagecoach) - xx:08
X84 (D&G) - xx:28
84 (Stagecoach) - xx:38 (to Chester)
X84 (D&G) - xx:58

Nantwich-Crewe
X84 (D&G) - xx:01
84 (Stagecoach) - xx:11 (from Chester)
X84 (D&G) - xx:31
84 (Stagecoach) - xx:41

 

[Danfilm007]

Interesting timetable - core weekdays is...

That's a bit random timing wise! You'd have thought a 15 min service between two operators could have been plausible

 

[daodao]

That's a bit random timing wise! You'd have thought a 15 min service between two operators could have been plausible

It's not a random pattern - each service is very 30 minute Mon-Sat daytime between Crewe and Nantwich, with the services running 10/20 minutes apart.

It's only on Sundays that the combination of hourly and 90 minute interval services will produce an odd pattern.

 

[northwichcat]

D&G seem to have moved vehicles around ahead of the changes.

The Streetlite WFs have been a regular site on the 88/89 since December but vehicle 58 returned to Crewe after running the Handforth Dean services yesterday and 55 was swapped for Solo 130.

Also 44 and 45 were swapped around in Macclesfield yesterday, so that an Orange 1 branded Solo that's been in Cheshire for months has returned to Stoke, with a red Solo taking its place.

It'll be interesting to see what's operated from Crewe and what's operted from Wincham.

How strange - I thought D&G were going to leave Stagecoach to run the 84.

I wonder if this means someone from higher up i.e. Centrebus management have got involved and want them to do something different.

 

[station_road]

There is also a new Crewe and Nantwich bus map available on the Cheshire East website, I haven't looked at other areas but assume they have been updated as well

Cheshire East Council - page with links to area bus maps

 

[SeanM1997]

There is also a new Crewe and Nantwich bus map available on the Cheshire East website, I haven't looked at other areas but assume they have been updated as well

Cheshire East Council - page with links to area bus maps

Does the 42 go via Dunwoody Way? I thought it now goes via West Street and then enters and leaves Morrisons

The 12 showing via Manor Way is very deceptive since that's 1 a day at around 7am!

 

[station_road]

Does the 42 go via Dunwoody Way? I thought it now goes via West Street and then enters and leaves Morrisons

You're right, the 42 is wrong on that map.

 

[itsonlyme]

Does the 42 go via Dunwoody Way? I thought it now goes via West Street and then enters and leaves Morrisons

The 12 showing via Manor Way is very deceptive since that's 1 a day at around 7am!

D & G's timetable still shows as West Street, but the maps are by the council.

 

[SeanM1997]

For those interested, please find the below Excel spreadsheet which shows the bus services in Crewe from tomorrow. D&G is by far and away the largest operator in Crewe offering up to 16 buses an hour across 8 routes (8, 12, 31, 37, 38, 42, 85 and X84). D&G will also operate its first Sunday service in Crewe since 2019 from tomorrow

 

[Shauny]

I made a similar sort of thing for Macclesfield Bus Station. The below pdf includes departures on a Monday-Friday & Sunday.

 

[43055]

Hopefully be of some use. I have created a combined 84, x84 timetable.

 

[itsonlyme]

Hopefully be of some use. I have created a combined 84, x84 timetable.

Many thanks 43055

 

[northwichcat]

Hopefully be of some use. I have created a combined 84, x84 timetable.

I notice there's two instances on Sundays where a D&G and a Stagecoach service depart Willaston, Colleys Lane at exactly the same time. What could possibly go wrong? It was bad enough when GHA Coaches ran Northwich to Warrington buses a few minutes ahead of the Network Warrington one.

 

[SeanM1997]

I notice there's two instances on Sundays where a D&G and a Stagecoach service depart Willaston, Colleys Lane at exactly the same time. What could possibly go wrong? It was bad enough when GHA Coaches ran Northwich to Warrington buses a few minutes ahead of the Network Warrington one.

Both are allocated Stand 6 at Crewe Bus Station so can't see that working. Stagecoach has subsidies from both Cheshire East and Cheshire West Council for Sunday services and do serve Chester which will be the main centre, so although D&G are two minutes ahead for 3-4/8 journeys between Crewe and Nantwich, the Stagecoach service will serve a different clientele

Will be interesting how things develop on this corridor. D&G have the advantage of being the largest operator in both Crewe and Nantwich, meaning those with day/week tickets or require connections (ie North Crewe - South Cheshire College) may choose D&G as more choice

Stagecoach however is the sole option for Chester services, so those in Nantwich may see it as more beneficial to get a ticket with Stagecoach as has greater choice east and west rather than D&G

This will probably get nasty in the end but at least the weekday/Saturday are spaced at 10/20 minute intervals and not 2/28 or something which will help customers - whom are used to 20 minute gaps on the 84 route as thats what Arriva do at the moment

 

[northwichcat]

Both are allocated Stand 6 at Crewe Bus Station so can't see that working.

That was something we also had for with Northwich to Warrington. GHA's services to Warrington via Lostock were timetabled to depart from the same stand as Network Warrington's to Warrington via Anderton. GHA purposely didn't depart on time in an attempt to get all the Warrington passengers and to just leave passengers for the villages for Network Warrington. One day a Network Warrington driver got off his bus and told the GHA driver to move on, as he should have departed, and the response of the GHA driver led to the police being called.

 

[SeanM1997]

First D&G X84 is at Crewe Bus Station, lining up alongside Stagecoach's 84

 

[northwichcat]

First D&G X84 is at Crewe Bus Station, lining up alongside Stagecoach's 84

It'd be interesting to know if the 84X is getting any passengers and if they are paying. If the registration hasn't been accepted then they can't take fares, while if it has then people are paying to travel on D&G when they can travel on Stagecoach for free.

 

[SeanM1997]

It'd be interesting to know if the 84X is getting any passengers and if they are paying. If the registration hasn't been accepted then they can't take fares, while if it has then people are paying to travel on D&G when they can travel on Stagecoach for free.

X84 left late so is now behind the Stagecoach service - so who knows what the plan is here. I can't see many people using it today, but maybe on the return from Nantwich given its in the sweet spot between Stagecoach services and some people will need to travel at those times or don't know about the free travel

 

[Martin1988]

I'm struggling to see why D&G have opted to run a Sunday service between Crewe and Nantwich which duplicates a service run by Stagecoach but don't want to operate routes like the 38 and 85 commercially?

Are D&G trying to go head to head with Stagecoach or is the Crewe to Nantwich route one that genuinely has commercial potential?

 

[SeanM1997]

Crewe - Nantwich is a fairly densely populated corridor so they may see a market for more than Stagecoach's service. Stagecoach are subsidised and offering free travel this week so doubt D&G are picking up too many passengers

But I would have thought a service every 90 minutes of Nantwich - Crewe - Leighton Hospital would have worked better. Even the 38 which used to operate commercially on Sundays could probably do okay on a 90 minute frequency

 

[sonic2009]

D&G would pick more revenue up if they ran to the hospital I think on a Sunday.

 

[trainmania100]

D&G? Is that Dolce and Gabbana?

 

[northwichcat]

D&G? Is that Dolce and Gabbana?

It was founded by David and Gareth and they claimed they hadn't heard of Dolce and Gabbana when they set up the bus company.

 

[markymark2000]

I don't think it's normal D&G style but could they be doing a GHA. Upset that they didn't win the tender so are instead running commercially over the tendered route so that the tenders get cut back as tenders can't compete with commercial routes.

Doing this could, in a few months, if unchanged, lead to the early evening and Sunday Stagecoach buses running only Nantwich to Chester and passengers then have to change and pay again on D&G to continue to Crewe.

D&G would pick more revenue up if they ran to the hospital I think on a Sunday.

If the hospital was that busy, it would have been served by now. The hospital hasn't had a Sunday bus in a while for a reason. Clearly low demand.

 

[northwichcat]

I don't think it's normal D&G style but could they be doing a GHA. Upset that they didn't win the tender so are instead running commercially over the tendered route so that the tenders get cut back as tenders can't compete with commercial routes.

Generally operators haven't objected to contracted services part duplicating their commercial service. If it the 84 is deemed to compete with the 84X one solution could be to make certain stops pick up only or set down only, rather than Chester services not running through to Crewe.

 

[sonic2009]

I don't think it's normal D&G style but could they be doing a GHA. Upset that they didn't win the tender so are instead running commercially over the tendered route so that the tenders get cut back as tenders can't compete with commercial routes.

Doing this could, in a few months, if unchanged, lead to the early evening and Sunday Stagecoach buses running only Nantwich to Chester and passengers then have to change and pay again on D&G to continue to Crewe.



If the hospital was that busy, it would have been served by now. The hospital hasn't had a Sunday bus in a while for a reason. Clearly low demand.

There were plans to introduce a service to the hospital on Sundays but then Covid hit. I'm sure there is some demand but without a bus service to see the demand, then how can this be judged?

 

[northwichcat]

There were plans to introduce a service to the hospital on Sundays but then Covid hit. I'm sure there is some demand but without a bus service to see the demand, then how can this be judged?

Was that not the X30 Northwich to Crewe contract that D&G won but it never started, and then post-COVID the funds were used to retain other services instead?

 

[sonic2009]

Was that not the X30 Northwich to Crewe contract that D&G won but it never started, and then post-COVID the funds were used to retain other services instead?

Yes that's correct.

 

[Shauny]

It'd be interesting to know if the 84X is getting any passengers and if they are paying. If the registration hasn't been accepted then they can't take fares, while if it has then people are paying to travel on D&G when they can travel on Stagecoach for free.

The X84 is indeed free for the first week.