Excel’s Airport by Coach service X2 between Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport is preparing for take-off. You can now book tickets online for the official start date of Friday 1st May 2009.
X2 will operate hourly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and, unlike 0400-2300 Arriva North West’s 700 which it replaces, is extended to Liverpool city centre and also serves Manchester airport and Warrington. Local journeys are available and the X2 will offer an alternative to rail & the two return National Express coach journeys between Warrington and Liverpool. It’s possible that the early hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings may well prove popular in both directions for club-related city to city travel.
Suburb to airport travel has recently proved a rich seam ripe for bus exploitation, whether commercially or under contract. Witness the increase in service associated with Bournemouth International. Liverpool John Lennon’s growth, however, has in recent years been phenomenal, outstripping most other provincial airports. This is so much so that when the Selwyn’s operated Merseytravel PTE limited stop Flightlink 500 from Liverpool city centre fell due in 2005, Arriva chose to take it over commercially. There are apparently no plans to withdraw the 500 in the light of the X2.
At about the same time, Arriva benefited from a Kickstart-like bid to increase the 89 from St Helens to John Lennon to every 20 minutes, with new vehicles complete with extra onboard luggage stowage.
Since then, of course, we are in deep recession. The 700 was never as popular as the 500. What the X2 offers that the 700 bus service doesn’t is a higher profile, the luxury of a coach, plus online booking. Nevertheless, the number of international trips and holidays is predicted to fall further this summer. This will affect bus operations. As evidence of this, there’s the York air link service 787. Launched in February 2007 from York to Leeds Bradford International, First’s service will finish after last operation on 25 April 2009.
The X2 is perhaps on safer ground, with its huge Manchester/Warrington/Widnes catchment. Let's hope no continental coves mistakes it for Stagecoach's X2, recently the beneficiary of Enviro 400s, or else they'll end up in Preston...
Arriva acquired Excel & Manchester sister Flight Delay Services in April 2008, ceding them to Tellings Golden Miller, itself purchased by Arriva five months beforehand.
Additional information by Northern Correspondent
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Ready for Take-off
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
On a side note, isn't it funny how some bus operators like to number airport services to resemble Boeing aircraft? In West Yorkshire there's the 737, 747 and 757 (as well as the soon to be withdrawn 787 to York).
I've seen similarly numbered services in other areas too.
You'd have thought with two major cities, two airports and two large towns along the route, the route has a fair chance of succeeding. I do wonder whether it might be a little *too* limited-stop to live up to its full potential though - a couple of additional suburban stops would reduce route flexibility but offer more travel opportunities over the town/city centre stops.
I admit I'm only a casual observer but I just wonder why the 500 isn't doing so well at the moment. Recession has something to do with it, I'm sure.
When it was operated by Selwyns, it had its own special livery and stood out and it was obvious that the 500 was something different.
Now, the Arriva 500 is sort of anonymous and people perhaps just don't "see" it any more
This is just too expensive at £10 return. Terravision offer liverpool airport to Manchester for £6 return. Only worth it if getting the x2 to somewhere else on the route
the 500 prob not too busy because the 82a does the same journey for £1.60, the 500 was £7 last I checked.
I believe that the X2 has now been withdrawn. Can anyone confirm?
Yes, the X2 has been withdrawn
Post a Comment