Battleground Revisited

Now that Chesterbus is well and truly under the First umbrella, First is not content to let things in Chester slide. Faced with competition from Arriva on its most lucrative Chester to Blacon and Chester to Saughall via Blacon services, First is fighting back.

First’s introduced a fleet of SLFs that match Arriva’s, in all but age. First’s are significantly older than Arriva’s brand new kit but the upgrade will be immediately noticeable for most former Chesterbus passengers more used to ancient step entrance double decks. Yet, as the image demonstrates, that’s not to say that double decks are consigned to history. Fewer buses in proportion have Chesterbus sub-branding than at the point of take-over but all drafted in stock is legally lettered as Chester City Transport and not First Potteries.

Next, First has addressed frequency. The Blacons operate as clockwise and anti-clockwise circulars. Chesterbus used to operate every 15 minutes on each loop.

What First has done from 23 September 2007 is double that frequency. At every 7/8 minutes, it moves ahead by offering a more frequent service to Blacon than Arriva’s every 10. First has also ensured that there are departures spaced at about every four minutes from Chester. This maximises the opportunities in Chester for those travelling to the points along the route where a passenger could get either of the services. Arriva, on the other hand, has chosen to send the clockwise and anti-clockwise buses out together. From Chester, this mean that six times an hour at precisely the same time an Arriva bus will depart clockwise and depart anti-clockwise. This does give better spacing in Blacon, though.

Chesterbus’ and then First’s fares were initially lower than Arriva’s but both offer the same £1 per single passenger trip.

First’s response at Saughall has been to *reduce* the service from four to three per hour, while protecting the most lucrative portion of the Saughall route—the Saxon Way part of Blacon—by matching Arriva’s 10 minute service. Thus, Arriva provides a bus every 10 minutes Chester-Blacon Saxon Way-Saughall, whereas First offers every 10 to Saxon Way only, and every 20 thereafter. The dramatic increase in buses to Saughall, upon Arriva’s competition, has been a cause of concern to some local residents.

And after Christmas, Arriva withdrew its every 10-minute competitive service from Chester to Piper’s Ash (First remaining at every 15 minutes, as Chesterbus). The buses saved have been deployed outside Chester. The Piper’s Ash service only began in early September. Does such a move signal a halt to what were understood as Arriva's plans to expand further in Chester?

So, what’s the verdict? Omnibuses’ Northern Corespondent comments that there are still too many buses with too few passengers but that there is an evident growth in the market overall. Some departures are definitely busier than they once were and this in spite of many more buses.

At the busiest point along the route (Blacon Avenue/Shelley Road), it’s impossible *not* to see a bus, either arriving or disappearing, in one direction or another.

With buses operating on a turn-up-and-go basis, there’s no need for timetables. Says Omnibuses Northern Corespondent, “The lack of a need for timetables was amply demonstrated when last I made two return tips from and to Blacon. All passengers bar a solitary one ran for the bus. Whereas in the old days they might’ve had to plan their arrival at a bus stop, or at least wait a while for a bus, it was clear that passengers had effectively thrown the timetable away.”

i Additional information and photo from Omnibuses’ Northern Correspondent.