Stagecoach Merseyside Cheshire and South Lancashire

[northwichcat]

Surprised it doesn't serve the industrial estate or railway station

D&G are rerouting their 37 service to serve Wharton and their 31 service to serve Glebe Green. The Railway Station already is served by the 37. So the Council-supported Stagecoach W7 is aimed at serving the streets with no replacement service, hence serving a similar route to the X31 in North West Winsford.

As the 37 is commercial, the council have to be careful to try and avoid the contracted service from competing with it.

The Industrial Estate won't have a bus service but that is not the populated area which requires a service.

A council can contract a bus service for work, healthcare, shopping and education needs.

Winsford will now have its longer distance routes with 1 operator and local service with another - which may impact connections as will require two separate tickets for the first time in numerous years

It might be a shock for some passengers that the Stagecoach day ticket fare will be £2 but the D&G single fare will be £2. Although, given the limited hours of the W7, you won't get far by making a connection if you want to return the same day. You can rule out getting buses from Over to get to the station for a day trip to Liverpool.

 

[GusB]

From the horse's mouth:

ServiceUpdatesArticle

www.stagecoachbus.com

New Winsford town service W7 from Monday 24th April 2023.



Stagecoach is pleased to have been awarded the contract by Cheshire West & Chester Council to operate a new local service in Winsford town from Monday 24th April 2023.

This service partially replaces sections of the former Arriva services 7A/7C and provides links from the town centre to Over, St. Johns and Glebe Green.

Buses will operate Monday to Friday only, between approx.. 9.40 am and 2pm on a circular route.



All fares on this service will be £2.00. You can purchase a £2.00 ticket from your driver, which can be kept and used all day. Use cash or contactless.

Concession tickets accepted as normal. No other Stagecoach tickets will be accepted for travel on this service.

 

[childwallblues]

Ex JPT ST59JPT 27624 was out in service from Gillmoss yesterday.

 

[SeanM1997]

With D&G filing to load a new X84 route, this will run in competition with Stagecoach's new 84 Chester - Nantwich - Crewe service (between Nantwich - Crewe). The X84 is in front of the the 84 by 2-10 minutes and will be at a higher frequency on Sundays. Both services are supposed to use the same stand at Crewe Bus Station so can't see that working out

Do we think Stagecoach will maintain the Nantwich - Crewe Shuttle long term or may retreat to just the Chester - Nantwich - Crewe section?

 

[northwichcat]

Do we think Stagecoach will maintain the Nantwich - Crewe Shuttle long term or may retreat to just the Chester - Nantwich - Crewe section?

I think Stagecoach will make any decisions based on commercial data. If they make a profit on the shorts, they'll keep them. If they see an opportunity to get more passengers on the shorts by retiming their services, they'll do that.

 

[childwallblues]

Quack 77 reports that Enviro 300s 27292/94/ 99/300 are transferring from Gillmoss to Chester. Looks like these are the extra buses required to operate the 84.

Quack77 - All operators recent changes list

buslists.uk

 

[SeanM1997]

There appears to be 2 Stagecoach buses heading towards Crewe right now - not sure the reason given the frequency is only every 90 minutes on a Sunday:

Map – Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire

bustimes.org

It's route learning - out of service (recently was in Willaston which is not served on Sundays)

 

[sonic2009]

10575 SN16 0TM has appeared in Nantwich on bustimes.org this morning - will this be running on the 84 shorts Nantwich-Crewe-Nantwich until needed back on schools?

 

[SeanM1997]

I believe that will replace one of the single dockers during the day, a single moves to Winsford for the daytime locals, then moves back in afternoon with double decker back to Tarporley High

 

[northwichcat]

I can't see anything tracking on a W7 service but I can see an Enviro 400 tracking on the 84.

 

[SeanM1997]

Issues with Stagecoach this afternoon? Looks like no Crewe-Nantwich shuttle operating since c.1pm (according to Bus Times)

 

[northwichcat]

Issues with Stagecoach this afternoon? Looks like no Crewe-Nantwich shuttle operating since c.1pm (according to Bus Times)

SN65 0EU appears to be on it: https://bustimes.org/vehicles/scmy-27299

 

[SeanM1997]

SN65 0EU appears to be on it: https://bustimes.org/vehicles/scmy-27299

Thanks! Used it this afternoon - c. 12 people travelled between Crewe and Nantwich, with 3-4 getting off at Willaston. We passed by an 84 within Willaston (this was about 1520 so schools just out) and that service was standing room only. Hard to tell if thats normal for the 84 when schools are out or if people are using it because its free this week. Regardless, nice to see people using the bus instead of the car

Willaston Village is an obstacle course for a bus - so many parked cars and a slalom to maneuver. Its no wonder D&G's 84X skips the village but perhaps Stagecoach will do well at just a half-hourly service there

 

[Pub]

Re 84 Crewe Chester service. With free travel, I just noticed 2 services, the 0924 and 1124, going through Alpraham towards Chester with standing passengers. It has 13 miles to go before it reaches Chester. Both were single deckers - Enviro 300 I think (not an expert). I hope this does not put off regular passengers. No doubt will see next week when fares are charged.

 

[northwichcat]

Re 84 Crewe Chester service. With free travel, I just noticed 2 services, the 0924 and 1124, going through Alpraham towards Chester with standing passengers. It has 13 miles to go before it reaches Chester. Both were single deckers - Enviro 300 I think (not an expert). I hope this does not put off regular passengers. No doubt will see next week when fares are charged.

The tracking seems to indicate all the vehicles on the Stagecoach 84 today are Enviro 300s

Vehicles – 84 - Chester - Nantwich - Crewe – bustimes.org

I notice the first bus you referred to got seemed to get delayed by 9 minutes in Tarporley, despite being 3 minutes ahead of schedule. Maybe that was down to the crowding issue?

Vehicles – 84 - Chester - Nantwich - Crewe – bustimes.org

 

[185]

There was a good reason Arriva put deckers on this, especially on Saturdays & the peaks. A squat little E300 hardly does Stagecoach's reputation well ...made far worse by switching the farebox off.

 

[PaulWC]

I was on the 10:07 from Chester to Crewe and can confirm that before it set off from Chester, it had arrived in pretty full with what looked like a large group of 15 or 20 people travelling together. The bus I was on was fairly full but emptied at Nantwich, although I did notice when we were waiting at Nantwich Bus Station, the 11:03 departure back to Chester was full with people already standing!!! The return journey on the 14:38 from Crewe was a similar story - a quarter full from Crewe but a large loading at Nantwich and nearly full by the time we reached Chester.

 

[SeanM1997]

Re 84 Crewe Chester service. With free travel, I just noticed 2 services, the 0924 and 1124, going through Alpraham towards Chester with standing passengers. It has 13 miles to go before it reaches Chester. Both were single deckers - Enviro 300 I think (not an expert). I hope this does not put off regular passengers. No doubt will see next week when fares are charged.

I hope it's not a one off and this new service is busy when fares are required from tomorrow. If so, it would be a good dilemma for Stagecoach whether to stick a decker on the route or make the route half hourly to replace the Crewe - Nantwich shuttle

 

[M60lad]

Surely Stagecoach have got spare deckers on Saturdays that they don't need for Schools that if 84 was to prove to be a busy service on Saturdays that they could put on ther. For example, I don't think they need a decker on 2 on Saturdays so that would free one up to go on 84s.

Have Chester Depot got enough deckers that on a Saturday could be used on 84s?

 

[SeanM1997]

I think Stagecoach are attacking back at D&G on Crewe - Nantwich. Hopefully this encourages further bus use though

ServiceUpdatesArticle

www.stagecoachbus.com

"Service 84 - New Boomerang ticket offer introduced between Crewe & Nantwich.

28 Apr 2023 to 31 May 2023

We are pleased to advise customers travelling between Crewe and Nantwich that from Monday 1st May we will introduce our NEW ‘Boomerang’ deal!

Customers can get a free return journey for any single ticket purchased, that’s a maximum of just £2 return between Crewe and Nantwich and any points in between. Under 19’s are even cheaper at just £1.30."

 

[northwichcat]

I think Stagecoach are attacking back at D&G on Crewe - Nantwich. Hopefully this encourages further bus use though

"Service 84 - New Boomerang ticket offer introduced between Crewe & Nantwich.
28 Apr 2023 to 31 May 2023

We are pleased to advise customers travelling between Crewe and Nantwich that from Monday 1st May we will introduce our NEW ‘Boomerang’ deal!

Customers can get a free return journey for any single ticket purchased, that’s a maximum of just £2 return between Crewe and Nantwich and any points in between. Under 19’s are even cheaper at just £1.30."

ServiceUpdatesArticle

www.stagecoachbus.com

It would have been simpler to just say get a return for the price of a single (no more than £2).

 

[SeanM1997]

Also being mentioned on the Crewe Bus Users Facebook Group that Stagecoach are suggested to be doing an 84 livery - if anyone knows anymore about?

 

[markymark2000]

It would have been simpler to just say get a return for the price of a single (no more than £2).

It's an MCSL thing. They did the same in Bolton on the 125

Bolton Boomerang on the 125

www.stagecoachbus.com

Bolton Boomerang on the 125
Johnson Fold to Bolton Town Centre and back for just £2.
...
You can take advantage of our new cheaper "Bolton Boomerang" return fare, which offers great value for money at just £2. Get there and back for the price of a single.

 

[northwichcat]

Surely Stagecoach have got spare deckers on Saturdays that they don't need for Schools that if 84 was to prove to be a busy service on Saturdays that they could put on ther. For example, I don't think they need a decker on 2 on Saturdays so that would free one up to go on 84s.

Have Chester Depot got enough deckers that on a Saturday could be used on 84s?

Well it seems yesterday, apart from the first Crewe to Chester, that the Chesters were Enviro 400s, with a Enviro 300 running the Nantwich to Crewe shuttle.

 

[Danfilm007]

Well it seems yesterday, apart from the first Crewe to Chester, that the Chesters were Enviro 400s, with a Enviro 300 running the Nantwich to Crewe shuttle.

That seems like a good sign for loadings!

 

[SeanM1997]

I was shocked that the 1438 Crewe - Chester had c.25 people on between Crewe & Nantwich. Middle of the day on a weekday and outside of peak school/college hours, I wasn't expecting anywhere near this number

Even the 1535 Nantwich - Crewe had c.15 people leaving Nantwich and that's just the shuttle bus between the two

Wonder if D&G are even causing a dent or if the route is just so popular both can survive

 

[childwallblues]

According to the Buses Fleet List website Enviro 300 27888-90 PE13LTJ/K/N have gone from Preston to Chester and 27298-300 SN65OET/U/V have gone from Chester to Preston.

Gillmoss loaned 15227/29 15303 from Preston and 10613 11270/71 from Manchester for Eurovision shuttle duties.

 

[SeanM1997]

Does anyone know how the 84 is performing?

Double decker on the Crewe - Chester at weekends shows the route must be doing at least okay

 

[robrymond]

Whenever I've driven past one it has seemed fairly full, more so than when Arriva had the route.

 

[childwallblues]

Does anyone know how the 84 is performing?

Double decker on the Crewe - Chester at weekends shows the route must be doing at least okay

Chester currently has MMC 10573-77 which I think are currently there for schools but obviously available for the 84 when not on schools duties.
There will be further deckers becoming available within the group when Route 10A St Helens to Liverpool and Route 125 Preston-Bolton get the new buses ordered for them.