About time there was some competition in Cannock??

[Bob]

Does anyone else think its wrong that arriva are allowed to now have a complete monopoly in Cannock? The state of the buses is already bad and can surely only get worse? Why do garages like Tamworth get lots of investment and Telford at least maintain their older buses to a high standard yet Cannock are consistently poor? Surely there should be at least an element of competition on key routes???

[sconehead85]

bob- As an outsider I have been doing some research, and the answer is NO.

Cannocks population is 30,000 and is simply too small to sustain two commercial operators.
The town is surrounded by Cannock Chase - green belt and the nearest towns and cities only Wolverhampton and Walsall MIGHT sustain a second operator (Nat Ex WM) but other towns such as Lichfield, Rugeley and Stafford have only villages and green belt between them.

The only hope is perhaps in tendered service provision.  Forget bus wars- they are only short lived affairs.  A small time competitor is only likely to provide poor quality vehicles of the type you complain about as regards to Arriva.

Lo siento, Roberto!  Grass and trees are pretty but they dont pay bus fares!

sconehead85

[Bob]

Rubbish! We used to have the Green Bus Service, West Midlands Travel operated most services to Walsall ( midland reds X31 used to go through Walsall in the 90s), Chase Bus Services and others!

[Bob]

The Cannock to Walsall and Cannock to Wolverhampton services in particular could do with some competition. If NXWM competed with Arriva to Walsall theyd prob win

[Westy]

The Cannock to Walsall and Cannock to Wolverhampton services in particular could do with some competition. If NXWM competed with Arriva to Walsall theyd prob win

Could NX be a**ed thesedays?

As far as Walsall to Cannock, dont look like it currently!

Between Walsall & Bloxwich, which route would they use?

Bloxwich Road or Somerfield Road?

[Bob]

They would prob go through leamore

[arrifirststage]

More competition in Cannock...............you have answered your own question,if it were worth it would NX have withdrawn,and Green Bus found it so lucrative that the Company folded.
Bus companies exist not to provide competition for it's own sake but to make a profit.Cannock has been tried and found to be unsuccessful.

[Kevin]

There must have been some call for more than one operator before, otherwise NX and TWM before wouldn't have operated the 950/1/2/3 and 351 for so long

[Bob]

Green bus didnt bloody fold there licence was revoked, chase got pushed out by arriva registering on their Walsall service and obviously Midland have been took over. Nx should do to arriva what they did to chase theyd wipe the floor with them if they competed on the 1 ! And also provide links to other bits of WM £3.90 or £6 for a daysaver? I know which id use

[Discodave]

It has been since midland red days fares differed between wm and the staffs area.  Wm fares are set by the PTE hense all single fares cost the same NX moved out of the shires as non of it was making money regardless of passenger loads and buses used plus they never charged cross border fares like they should have, also NX did a 350 service which followed the 1 route and only ran on peaks so did not make much money otherwise it would still be on today.

[Bob]

Been on the X96 today on an R reg merc and a refurbedd T reg on the way back, interiors of both were in better nick than the Arriva route 1 branded buses and despite the R reg sounding rough it still didnt sound as bad as the 1 buses

[Solo1]

Wasn't there a operator who ran 1 bus think he had a leyland
National

[Bob]

Yes used to operate the 19 to Wimblebury in a nbc green National

[Solo1]

thats the the one with the ley nat what was the operaor called

[Bob]

Dont know cant remember