394 bus service

[My login is Henrietta]

Following some further discussions, the arrangement have now been completely confirmed for the revised service, along with an extension until the end of April for the current Saturday service - time table attached below.

Thanks for the timetable, Anthony

[AnthonyMck]

Following some further discussions, the arrangement have now been completely confirmed for the revised service, along with an extension until the end of April for the current Saturday service - time table attached below.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[CllrGeoffAbell]

The offer being considered is a 2-hourly Mon-Fri subsidised service.  (This means the operator using a single bus with an annual amount of money from both GM and Derbyshire, rather than the 2 as at present.)  I am pushing hard to get this.  And I have had more emails on this subject than any other.  Happy to have more!

Absolutely, this is better than nothing.  And nothing was a possibility in these cash-strapped times.  (When are they ever going to end?)

[My login is Henrietta]

I have just got back from the TfGM bus committee. They are happy with subsidising the service at our end.

However, there is still some issues with the operator, so it is not yet a done deal as I'd thought.

I'll tell everyone what I can when I can.

In the meanwhile it was great seeing the 310 signatures on the online part of our petition, proving people en masse still have an impact.  And of course we were not alone - @marplerambler and other parties contributed too.

I was told yesterday afternoon by another user (obviously not officially) that the service is to be saved for Monday to Friday but only as a two hourly service and the Saturday service scrapped. Oh, big deal but better than nothing, I suppose.

Bravo to all who signed.

[marplerambler]

In the meanwhile it was great seeing the 310 signatures on the online part of our petition, proving people en masse still have an impact.  And of course we were not alone - @marplerambler and other parties contributed too.

My tally is 350+ online signatures at 38 degrees 'Save Our 394' petition and 60+ signatures from people who were standing at the bus stops when I was putting up notices.

[CllrGeoffAbell]

I have just got back from the TfGM bus committee. They are happy with subsidising the service at our end.

However, there is still some issues with the operator, so it is not yet a done deal as I'd thought.

I'll tell everyone what I can when I can.

In the meanwhile it was great seeing the 310 signatures on the online part of our petition, proving people en masse still have an impact.  And of course we were not alone - @marplerambler and other parties contributed too.

[John Ellis]

Ok. That works out at about £39 per return journey according to my calculations.

If the nation can afford an 11% hike in MPs' pay, total refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster and the cost of renewing Trident, it can probably just about manage to keep a drastically reduced 394 bus service running Mondays to Fridays only. And in terms of the public good and of value for money, keeping the bus is arguably a better use of those "scarce resources" they keep banging on about!

Perhaps folks have woken up to the fact they must use it or lose it. All the times I've seen it it in recent months - both before & after the threat of withdrawal - at two different points on the route - it's been very quiet

I use the 394 frequently, and the fact is that, while I've never seen it "packed to the rafters", sometimes it's reasonably full and sometimes it's nearly empty. Usage varies quite a bit - as an instance, I travel regularly from Hazel Grove to Marple and back once a week at the same times, and sometimes the bus has eight or nine passengers and at other times only a couple.

[Condate]

Just above £60,000 per year, according to Cllr Anthony McKeown.

Ok. That works out at about £39 per return journey according to my calculations.

[corium]

Perhaps folks have woken up to the fact they must use it or lose it. All the times I've seen it it in recent months - both before & after the threat of withdrawal - at two different points on the route - it's been very quiet

[mikes]

Saw the 13:10 go past earlier and it full to the rafters.  Clearly the service is being used.

[JohnBates]

I understand that as well as final TfGM approval there are a few details still to be finalised with contracts.  Therefore, hopefully, service is saved but it is not certain till everything signed.

Thanks to all for the work put in.

[wheels]

Many thanks for all you efforts Geoff, just shows what Lib Dems ( Marple   ) and Labour  ( Glossop) can achieve when working together with the community.

[CllrGeoffAbell]

Thanks to all across Marple who signed all petitions here.  I think this was the best we could expect but it is a reduced service.  I also thank officers in DCC and TfGM who helped keep the service alive.  TfGM will confirm their arrangements tomorrow.

[John Ellis]

Do we know how much this is all costing us?

Just above £60,000 per year, according to Cllr Anthony McKeown. The cost to be shared between Derbyshire County Council and Transport for Greater Manchester according to the proportion of the route running through each of their areas. And - if I read him correctly - partially mitigated by the abandonment of the 394's Saturday service, and by a significant reduction of the subsidized Sunday service on route 202 between Glossop and Hyde.

[Condate]

Do we know how much this is all costing us?