All change again - as new bus routes announced

by Lisa Reeves

Friday 9^th February 2018

Fri 9^th Feb 2018

D&G's hourly 130 service which commenced on Monday 29th January will be changed on April 1st.

Instead of travelling from Macclesfield to Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and on to Handforth Dean (from Monday to Saturday) the 130 service will change from 1st April 2018 so buses will operate to Manchester Airport via Styal instead of Colshaw Farm and Handforth Dean.

A new service 88A will operate on Mondays to Fridays between Knutsford, Wilmslow and Colshaw Farm. The first bus will leave Wheelock Close at 7.12am stopping at Barlow Road, Lacey Green and Bank Square before proceeding to Knolls Green, Bucklow Avenue in Mobberley and terminating at Knutsford Bus Station at 7.57am. Then from 8.42am there will be an hourly 88A service with the last bus leaving Colshaw Farm at 5.47pm.

From 1st April 2018 the 130 will be an hourly (ish) service from Macclesfield Bus Station stopping at Macclesfield College, Macclesfield Hospital, Alderley Park, Alderley Edge, Bank Square Wilmslow and Hollin Lane in Styal before terminating at Manchester Airport.

Chris Almond, Bus Network Manager at D&G Bus Ltd, said "Service 130 is being re-routed to Manchester Airport to retain a direct service for Wilmslow and Styal and to offer new connections from Macclesfield and Alderley Edge."

He added "Service 88A will replace service 130 between Colshaw Farm and Wilmslow, extending to Knutsford to retain a 30 minutes frequency between Knutsford and Wilmslow with service 88. Service 88A will also operate via Lacey Green
where there is currently no service.

"Additionally, the new service 88 offers direct journeys between Wilmslow and Northwich."

All of the new timetables are available on the D&G Bus website.

Tags:: 130 Bus Service, 88A Bus Service, D&G Bus

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Sally Hoare

Friday 9^th February 2018 at 12:37 pm

Will the 88 no longer go to Altrincham?

Elaine Kinghorn

Friday 9^th February 2018 at 12:57 pm

So i take it there will be no service from colshaw farm to Wilmslow or Macclesfield hospital. Basically you would have to go into Wilmslow for a bus to the hospital.its people who don't drive or the elderly i feel sorry for. I recently relied on the bus to the hospital when i went in as a day case for an operation and couldn't drive.

David Hoyle

Friday 9^th February 2018 at 1:47 pm

Changing on April 1st. Are they trying to fool us.

Jane Shaw

Friday 9^th February 2018 at 5:04 pm

So what happens to all those who've just discovered they can get to Handforth Dean from Wilmslow. There have even been people coming from Macclesfield

Ade Whitaker

Friday 9^th February 2018 at 7:50 pm

The bus industry seems to be a law unto itself. Isn't there some kind of central (government?) body that works out what routes are required and then the private companies bid to operate them? Isn't it confusing to have 2 separate 130 services which travel completely different routes? Hopefully the original Arriva 130 service is unaffected?

Gemma Evans

Saturday 10^th February 2018 at 9:09 am

In response to Ade bus services are the responsibility of local council but Cheshire East Council are cancelling contracts left, right and centre to save money and it's up to operators to decide whether to provide replacement services on a commercial basis or to leave areas with no bus services at all. Commercial bus services have to be approved by a regional traffic commissioner and operators have to give a minimum of 8 weeks notice before they start a new service, stop running an existing service or to make timing or route changes. The D&G 130 service does follow the same route as the Arriva 130 between Macclesfield and Wilmslow, even if after Wilmslow they go in separate directions.

Saying that, Cheshire East Council's actions are similar to those of other councils up and down the country, the government has cut income tax for high earners and also cut inheritance tax and have reduced budgets for local services to compensate for bringing in less tax. So while Cheshire East Council could do with a major shake up, bus services around the country will continue to be a mess until either the government change their policies or they are voted out.

In response to Elaine, Arriva will continue to provide an hourly service from Colshaw Farm to Macclesfield Hospital and in response to Sally the 88 will continue to serve Altrincham but the services via Waters, Altrincham Road will be withdrawn.

DELETED ACCOUNT

Saturday 10^th February 2018 at 12:02 pm

Thanks Gemma, as I understand it the D@G 130 is going to be replaced by the 88A but this will not go to Colshaw. What you are saying is that the Arriva 130 will continue to the hospital, - will it continue on to Handforth in the other direction and will it maintain a weekend service? Will either of them be operating in the evening?

Vince Chadwick

Saturday 10^th February 2018 at 2:50 pm

D&G timetables can be seen here:

http://dgbus.co.uk/buses-in-cheshire.html

It can be seen that though the 88 Wilmslow to Altrincham will continue, it will be hourly instead of half hourly. Also, certain Wilmslow - Knutsford 88s will work onward to Macclesfield and return, and some will continue from Knutsford to Northwich and return as service 89.

Some of these services are subsidised, some not. Cheshire East council have published timetables showing only services which will get a council subsidy:

http://bit.ly/2Cb0HO7

Since this Cheshire East timetable does not show un-subsidised bus services, it's not a lot of use for journey planning!

Dave Cash

Saturday 10^th February 2018 at 11:35 pm

I predict not many Cheshire residents will use bus services until the timetable has 'bedded in'.
Neither CEC nor D&G have addressed the problem of bus transits at each bus stop on that route without access to a mobile ph one.
The solution is inexpensive and not 'rocket science'.

Russell Young

Sunday 11^th February 2018 at 1:23 pm

All the timetables for services to be run by D&G from 1 April are on their website.
So it's pretty clear what they are running, when they are running it and where the routes are going.

What Is missing is the new timetable for the Arriva 130. No sign of that anywhere yet.

If the there is indeed to be continuation of the hourly through Macc - Wilmslow- Manchester service as one poster has said, perhaps they would like to share it ?

Sunday 11^th February 2018 at 3:41 pm

In response to Russell Young. The Sunday 130 services are being withdrawn at the start of April due to the Cheshire East subsidy cuts. The Mon-Sat 130 services operated by Arriva are commercial so there is no reason they will change. The current Mon-Sat timetable will continue until Arriva say otherwise. Unlike with trains there aren't fixed timetable change dates.

In response to Dave Cash. D&G do not have a mobile app which allows live tracking and the one time I phoned them due to a bus not turning up, the woman at the other end wasn't able to give any usual information, so with D&G bus services everyone is in the same boat if they are delayed or cancelled, mobile phone or not. Arriva do have live tracking which can be accessed via a mobile phone but it's not 100% reliable.

Sunday 11^th February 2018 at 11:41 pm

Russell, time tables are only available on-line.
Until rel printed timetables are displayed at each bus stop, many pot bus users will rely on hope rather than expectation.

Monday 12^th February 2018 at 10:23 am

Printed timetables will likely be available from libraries in Cheshire East and travel centres in Greater Manchester in the next few weeks, while notices about changes will be put on board buses. Those at bus stops will likely be changed the weekend before the new timetables start.

Pete Taylor

Wednesday 14^th February 2018 at 7:50 am

Could it be time for a total re-think on the numbering system? I don’t even pretend to understand it; is there any logic in having two (or is it three) different services with the same number?

Malcolm Elliott

Wednesday 14^th February 2018 at 11:59 pm

A picture paints a thousand words.
Show the routes in different colours on a MAP.
Yawn.