Meeting at St Columba’s with First to discuss the 51 bus
On Friday night over 60 residents gathered at St. Columba’s church to put their questions to representatives from First, provider of Crosspool’s 51 bus service.
Almost 30 questions were taken from the floor and answered by First’s commercial manager Adam Timewell and business manager John Eardley.
What is being done to improve the 51 bus route? Download the meeting minutes (PDF, 97KB)
Issues and comments that were covered include:
the impact of the tramline repairs and Charnock roadworks on the service
changes can be expected in September, including a full fleet of new double decker buses on the 51 route; exploring the possibility of splitting the route so buses from this end turn round at the markets then come back; improving punctuality with particular problems regarding accessibility on West Street (outbound);
concerns about the safety of passengers boarding the bus on Mappin Street
a named Route Manager for the 51 is to be introduced by the spring
attempts to solve the problem of bunching buses, which is acknowledged as a management rather than timetabling issue
whether other companies could also run buses on the route, like the 52 service
Adam and John have agreed to attend the next Crosspool Forum Open Meeting on 31 July to report back on their progress.
Bus operator First has confirmed that current discount fares will ‘continue indefinitely’ on the 51 bus running from Lodge Moor to Charnock via town.
The promotional fares, which were launched last June, mean that a single journey from Crosspool to town costs £1.60, compared to the previous price of £1.95. The original announcement indicated that the discount fares might only run until March 2011.
Bus operator First has announced that the current discount fares on the 51 bus running from Lodge Moor to Charnock via town are to continue until at least March 2011.
The promotional fares, which were launched last June, mean that a single journey from Crosspool to town costs £1.60, compared to the previous price of £1.95.
The operator says that the 51 has seen encouraging growth in passenger number and the price reductions continue the company’s strategy of using promotions to stimulate passenger growth.
The promotional prices for route 51 are:
Most single fares reduced
‘Local hop’ single fares from 85p
Maximum single fare £1.95
Route 51: discounted fares have stimulated growth in passenger numbers