I have seen the future: it is yellow and BEE awful.
If you were given the chance to create the future model for combined health and social care services in this country and made a total shambles; when you managed to get your Police Authority put into special measures; when you cleansed the homeless and poor from the city centre to make way for shiny new tower blocks built by your developer chums, what would you do next? Answer: you would take a financially viable transport network away from the operators, ‘nationalise’ it and place the financial burden on the electorate.
But, let’s start with two bus journeys that spearheaded quality contracts which the bus industry in this country should have developed. In both cases the routes feature Stagecoach, Arriva and Merseytravel. Route 472 from Heswall arrived in the form of a Gold livery Scania from Stagecoach for a one hour journey via the Mersey Tunnel to Liverpool, always exciting from the top deck front seat. A quick walk around the corner into Queens Square, Liverpool for the 10 service to St. Helens, not the 10A as this takes an additional 15 minutes. The big question is: will this be my first ‘yellow’ sighting? Merseytravel have a small fleet of hydrogen deckers allegedly working route 10, but no luck. Never mind, the 10 takes 60 minutes to reach St. Helens so every chance of spotting one on route, but no luck, and the same on the return journey. Perhaps these futurist buses were no more than a click and paste PR stunt by the local mayor. What is it with Labour mayors and the colour yellow? Red I could understand, but not yellow. Did central office make a bulk purchase of paint years ago and now has a warehouse full of tins, enough to paint 20,000 buses yellow?
Hatton's SN66 WLA. Alexander Dennis E20D B29F.
Arriving in St. Helens, once a bastion of small independent operators, it is now left to Hatton’s and Huyton to elevate the sea of aquamarine that dominates the bus station. Time for a cup of tea, 90p in the café at the end of the bus station before boarding Arriva 320 which departs every 30 minutes and takes 49 minutes to Wigan. No sooner are we underway than it’s time to enjoy an extended visit to New Boston, as we fight our way through a set of temporary traffic lights, just 100 yards from the still functioning traffic lights at the junction. Pavement battles ensue as vehicles go off-road and many one and two finger salutes exchanged. Eventually, progress is made before a slow procession through Platt Bridge with plenty of time to admire the local scrapyard specialising in buses. Several ex-Stagecoach Merc’s and a couple of body frames, now unrecognisable, stand proud as a glorious landmark for visitors. But no time to ponder, we must ‘gird our loins’ for we are about to enter Burnhamland.
Suddenly, they are upon us, BEEs in front, turning from the left, turning from the right, and without warning coming up behind. The interior of our little Arriva DAF/Wright is enveloped in a yellow hue of double-decker BEEs. Hunting in packs they are out to intimidate, blocking out the view of the historic and scenic wonder that is Wigan Pier. But then, with their modernish glass and steel hive in view they suddenly peel off left to deposit their recently acquired nectar (passengers) in their laire. Whilst we make a circumnavigation of the town centre before entering the bus station via the lower end. Entering this bastion of milk and honey offers little reward. No sign of a queen bee offering assistance to would be passengers, no chance of using the loo until security extricate the little old lady and her wheeled shopping bag from the turnstile. Time to venture out of the bus station as Wigan town centre has some historic buildings displaying its former wealth from the cotton trade and the former market hall is now undergoing a huge redevelopment.
Diamond NW MX20 KXD. Wright Streetdeck H45/29F.
No time for loitering, I can hear the diesel buzzing of a swarm of BEEs calling me back towards the hive. There are two swarms, the largest being Go Ahead NW, with a motley selection of worker bees from nationwide: the older members of the swarm are double-deckers, many having had surgery to their bodies, whilst the youngsters are single-deckers and many newly delivered. The smaller of the two swarms is the Diamond NW, recognisable by the Wright Streetdecks, some still fledglings with blue plumes yet to mature into full yellow BEEs. Many of the Go Ahead swarm appear to be twins, coming in and out together and displaying the same route number, safety in numbers from any predators who are still loitering (Stagecoach and Arriva). The beekeepers, a dishevelled bunch with no common uniform, sit on the retaining wall of the hive creating great plumes of smoke. Presumably they subdue the swarm whilst it briefly buzzes in and out, or perhaps the king bee Burnham is about to visit to extract more honey (money) from his unsuspecting acolytes. Anyway, time to move on before I (like the local electorate) get stung,
Go Ahead SK73 CRJ. Alexander Dennis E20D MMC B37F.
Back in the hive, this time for the other Arriva route that goes between Wigan and St. Helens, the hourly 352 via Orrell and Billinge. A lovely run across the hills with expansive views. It is obviously too windy for the swarm as there is not a hint of yellow in sight. Finally, time for a rerun back to Heswall. The 10 from St. Helens is soon full as the local college is in and it’s time for home. We soon start playing leapfrog with two 10A’s and a 10B all the way back to Liverpool and all well loaded. It never ceases to amaze me how far students are prepared to travel for their education, and there is me thinking everybody under 20 had an environmental conscience. That’s a story for another day, time to buzz off home.
Go Ahead NW SN14 TUJ. Alexander Dennis E40D H45/30F.
The stats. (Source: public documents)
TfGM
£400 million government funding to TfGM since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
£18 million 8th June 2023 to ensure the stability and reliability of the transport network.
The above is in addition to £1.07 billion funding through City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, £39.7 million for active travel schemes and £19.87 million through Levelling Up Funds for transport.
A fixed sum of £13 million of Bus Service Operators Grant plus (BSOG+) 2023/4 and again in 2024/25.
A further £8.8 billion was announced for a second round of CRSTS 2 for 5 years from 2027.
Franchising will be funded from a combination of the approved capital budgets of c£86m, and the approved revenue budgets of c£134.5 million, associated with the transition to bus franchising; and from net revenues generated from bus franchising for the period beyond transition.
BEE Network tranche 1.
Commenced September 2023.
188 routes in phase one.
Timetable changes on 44 bus services.
50 (BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV) electric buses.
Estimated revenue totalling £400m will accrue over seven years.
Diamond sold 134 buses to TfGM and the depot for £30.41m.
2023/24 Bus franchising budget £15.9m.
Cost of purchasing Stagecoach Wigan depot unknown.
Many official TfGM documents redacted.
Diamond NW MX21 ASV. Wright Streetdeck H45/29F.
