Cannock Garage

[winston]

So based on Cannocks fleet /age/condition of half of it one could assume it haemorrhages money? 😆

No! It doesn't make Arriva much money.

[2206]

There are a lot of factors to where buses go that aren't obvious outside the industry. Performance of route is the main one, but ease of recruiting engineering staff can have an influence along with many other factors. You have to remember a new bus can cost around £1/4m so even if you were to run it for 17 years £15,000 of income each year will go just go to cover the purchase price before any running or staff costs are covered. Most operators won't write a bus down by £15,000 a year though, it will be biased with higher amounts on the early years, so they have to go where they make money

That's business! Cannock routes don't generate the revenue & profit that a high frequency urban routes do such as Derby / Leicester.

Comparing NXWM to Arriva Cannock is nothing like...

Not all areas can afford new buses. First Group in the main are back to putting new buses in their most profitable areas or where they receive funding.

NX do seem to put new buses on the most profitable routes as well.
Routes like the 9, X1, X2 and 50, in recent years have recieved multiple batches of new vehicles, whilst other routes don't get them.

Well that's daft.

The older buses will need replacing eventually, so why not put in new buses instead, instead of 'secondhand buses' from elsewhere within the group? (And start breaking down on a regular basis, according to many posts on here!)

How long should a 'new' bus work for it's first depot, before it's transferred elsewhere?

It's going to be a bit unfair if the same area keeps getting the new buses & the other areas get the 'cast offs'!


All areas should get equal new buses at some point.


NX puts new vehicles in each depot alongside the older vehicles.

They don't keep investing Platties in Birmingham garages & other garages only run older vehicles.

New Platties go in each depot when required.

(Apart from Pensnett, who had Central's Platties, but they had new vehicles as well!)

Pensnett will have a new batch in a few weeks time.
AG have never had any new Platinums either (also ex Central). WB and BY don't have any MMC either.

[Trident 4194]

NX do seem to put new buses on the most profitable routes as well.
Routes like the 9, X1, X2 and 50, in recent years have recieved multiple batches of new vehicles, whilst other routes don't get them.Pensnett will have a new batch in a few weeks time.
AG have never had any new Platinums either (also ex Central). WB and BY don't have any MMC either.

Meh over the years the patronage of the 9 has declined in my opinion. Now a frequency of every 10 mins during the day from every 7 mins back in 2012? I get that there are more routes from bearwood to city. Only at peak times and when colleges are open are when the bus is loaded fully

[Bob]

No! It doesn't make Arriva much money.

I wonder if they'll cut their losses...they dont seem to have much luck...they bought Chase bus service...look what happened their they screwed it up so much that theres ONE route left that they inherited with the business ( the 1) and look at the disaster that was Wednesfield. Cannock garage is the closest to the West Midlands area thet Midland and Chase ran in and its circling the plughole in the same way

[winston]

I wonder if they'll cut their losses...they dont seem to have much luck...they bought Chase bus service...look what happened their they screwed it up so much that theres ONE route left that they inherited with the business ( the 1) and look at the disaster that was Wednesfield. Cannock garage is the closest to the West Midlands area thet Midland and Chase ran in and its circling the plughole in the same way

Don't know, didn't BN say that Cannock depot provides other engineering functions for Arriva Midlands? As well as been an operational depot. It depends if someone is willing to make Arriva a sensible offer I guess, it's not likely to be closed down. I suspect Cannock might only be operating at or near break even. The only potential interested parties in Cannock I can see would be bolt on to NXWM (WA), Midland Classic or Diamond.

The same has happened with a lot of the routes that Rotala acquired when they bought Ludlows, Halesowen. The majority of their routes were their own commercial routes, the only ones left now are 002, 4H & 202.

Operating buses these days doesn't generate the revenue & profits these days, the whole industry is suffering declining passengers numbers and various cost pressures such as fuel / new vehicle investments / exhaust upgrades due to to clean air zones / driver shortages etc. Deutsche Bahn clearly bought Arriva for their European activities, they don't seem that interested in Arriva's UK ops, only certain ops have received new buses this year. Parent Deutsche Bahn have big debts, plus are losing their monopoly on German Rail to the likes of Abellio, NX Group & Go-Ahead Group.

[BusMan Greg]

It took the driver 5 minutes in lichfield to get the ticket machine to work. I suppose it's a good thing that arriva are getting ticketer machines

[Busman Jamie]

2704 appears to be working out of Cannock

[Bob]

Saw it struggling to get past Maccies in Cannock on Thursday, sounded absolutely on its last legs lol

[l.murphy123]

I suspect Cannock might only be operating at or near break even. The only potential interested parties in Cannock I can see would be bolt on to NXWM (WA), Midland Classic or Diamond.

Midland Classic and Diamond not interested in Cannock, at the moment at least, I've asked. NXWM most likely.

[winston]

Midland Classic and Diamond not interested in Cannock, at the moment at least, I've asked. NXWM most likely.

Asked who at Diamond?

There was an interview with Simon Dunn in Routeone recently, which confirmed that Rotala are on the lookout for acquisitions to continue expansion of the group and have a £50+ million war chest available to do so for the right acquisitions. Plus Diamond already have an outstation in Lichfield which came with Central Buses acquisition.
 
http://www.route-one.net/magazines/emag/routeone761/page_32.html

[Bob]

Would Diamond want Cannocks dying network though ? And based on Kidderminster/Redditch and whats happened there would they be even worse?

[l.murphy123]

Asked who at Diamond?

I asked Simon Dunn back in April/May

[Westy]

I asked Simon Dunn back in April/May

I asked Simon on his thread on Feb 25 2018 as well!

[l.murphy123]

I asked Simon on his thread on Feb 25 2018 as well!

What did he say?

[Westy]

What did he say?

It's still on there, if you look.