New bus route 501

[tonyspeke]

Arriva are to start a dedicated shuttle service from South Liverpool Parkway to LJLA from 27th July.

Route 501 will operate 6 days a week, Monday to Saturday, except bank holidays.

Buses leave Parkway every 20 minutes from 0651 to 1851 with departures from the airport from 0707 to 1907.

The 86A will resume a stopping service. I have lobbied for some time for this, as it has been very annoying not being able to catch the 86A at Speke Church.

[Deleted]

Unfortunately, not such good news for the airport as the 86A is to be reduced from every 10 minutes to every 20 to the city centre. Thereby, losing 3 buses per hour on this route alone.

I know its very popular with some of the older guys on this forum but I have to say once again these cuts are a direct result of the introduction of free travel for concessionaires being extended to the whole of England. Someone has to pay for this and with no extra money being made available from Central Government these cuts are inevitable.

So what were seeing now is more people wanting to use buses but less buses being available to use. Just look at the services that have disappeared from the airport alone in the last year and its not stopping here, there are more to come.

Steve

[Deleted]

Its not an excuse. Look at who the bus company's main users are; the elderly, infirm, young, and low waged.

We had a perfectly adequate system before whereby, pensioners and the infirm were allowed to travel free within their Local Authority area. Anyone wishing to travel outside this area had to pay. Suddenly, the Government passed legislation forcing the bus company's to provide free travel right across England, yet refused to provide funding for it. This has meant the bus company's have had to foot the bill which has ran into tens of £m.

Look also at where people travel from to get to the airport and the concessionaires amoungst them are now traveling free whereas before they had to pay. This is also a double whammy for Merseyside bus company's in that Merseytravel used to pay half the cost of child fares as they wanted them to travel at a reduced rate in their area. This too has stopped and cost local bus company's £m in lost revenue which again they had to absorb.

This on top of high fuel prices, most buses only average 5 miles per gallon and the Volvo B10's even less at 2.9mpg. So you can imagine the problems this is causing. It now costs £1.60 just to get on a bus a price that many low waged people are finding hard to pay so a fare increase is out of the question the only other way of reducing cost is to cut services and that is exactly what is happening.

Steve

[tonyspeke]

The 86A route is only reduced from 6 an hour to 5 an hour, every 12 minutes.

[Deleted]

Tony. You are quite correct the 86A is to be reduced to a 12 minute service in July. This is to allow for the school holiday period. However, the cuts in services take effect in September when it will be reduced to a 20 minute frequency.

[Deleted]

Sorry to bring this old chestnut up again but I was reading today that Transport for London (TFL), the only body to have received a Government subsidy toward the cost of free travel has had this withdrawn. The Government had set aside £55m for (TFL) but has now told them that they will receive just £5m. Therefore, TFL are now faced with;

1, cutting services - as the rest of England are having to do,

2, increasing fares or,

3, increasing taxes by £18 for each and every council tax payer in London

Lets hope the cuts due to hit the Liverpool area in September are enough to redress this issue.

Unfortunately, there is another Government initiative in the pipe line - that of free travel for all school children. Lets hope for the airports sake they actually subsidise this one.

[andyh]

I think we're in danger of drifting into a discussion on the viability of public transport in general rather than the original topic of the thread (not unique, I know). Perhaps someone would like to open a thread in the Non Aviation Discussion part of the site? It might actually make quite an interesting topic for debate....

[RICEY]

the 2 buses are now fully painted up like the 500 route buses. they are the 2 that were on it until it was reduced. starts on monday

[tonyspeke]

The new schedules starting on Sunday see more 86A buses to the airport.

The day-time frequency reverts to every ten mintes after being every 12 through the quieter Summer period.

Evening frequency is every 15 minutes, up from every 20 for the 86A. However there will be no normal 86 buses just to Garston in the evening.

All 86A buses will now travel through Garston village en-route to the airport, rather than route down Horrocks Avenue.

[Deleted]

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Managed to get a photo of one of these trouble causing 501's. ;D



Well at least the 86A's new 20 minute daytime frequency has forced more people on to the 80A's and has the advantage of passengers now being able to access all stops between South Park Way and the Airport- so not all bad news.

[RICEY]

what time were you at the airport ste as i was there round 12 and there was 501 in then. i got off a cadet on 500

[Deleted]

I was at the airport five times yesterday. If you arrived about 1200 you just missed me by about 20 minutes. However, the picture was taken just as it arrived there at 1340. It's of Commander 2601 one of two in 501 markings, the other being 2602, both of which formerly carried 500 markings before being repainted into standard Arriva livery, only to be painted back again a few months later for the 501 contract.

Its unusual for a Cadet to be on the 500 are you sure it wasn't a Commander?

Steve

[RICEY]

nope it was one of the ex runcorn ones witht he horrid green interior. was shocked when it pulled up.

[Deleted]

Conjures up visions of third world transportation, with people sitting on the roof and hanging from the sides. A little small for the route but better than nothing I suppose.

[RICEY]

it was barely full so wasnt too bad. about 10 people all together.