394 Service will continue to operate.

[marplerambler]

Bowers Buses took over the 394 service for an emergency period to March following the collapse of Speedwell Buses in January. I have just been informed by Bowers that the subsidy provided by Derbyshire County Council will continue and that the company will continue to operate the service with no change to the timetable. Two new/newer vehicles will soon replace the two old buses which currently operate this route. I was also told that Bowers will merge with TrentBarton to form a new High Peak Bus Company in April.
With a bit of luck the new company may just think about the timing for passengers coming from Marple/Hawk Green who want to travel to Disley and Buxton. The 394 arrives at the Horse Shoe Inn at one minute past the hour, the 199 departs two minutes earlier at one minute to the hour. It is usually the case that the 199 is a couple of minutes late so a connection can be made but it is frustrating to be on or getting off the 394 and see the 199 speeding through the A6 traffic lights towards Buxton.
I think the Trent buses are considerably superior to Stagecoach Manchester (particularly because the drivers are so courteous, the seats are less cramped and the buses always seem clean because the seats and floors are not littered with free newspapers). If the service on the new High Peak 394 bus is up to the standards of the 199 passengers from Marple are in for a treat.

[Heritage]

I'd echo that and would urge people to consider patronising the 394 as a leisure pursuit if nothing else!! It's really nice to get the bus out over towards Glossop somewhere and walk back through field and forest. So many communities now would give anything to have access to a bus service which rolls through the countryside like the 394. Given a sunny day, it's a cheap and healthy way to appreciate the wonderful scenery we live within.

[Dave]

The 199 goes through to the airport, so it's probably regarded by Trent as a cut above other services ;-)

[marplerambler]

TrentBarton can justifiably argue that they are a cut above the rest because they have won the bus industry's 'Operator of the Year' award on a number of occasions in recent years. when they haven't won it they have been in contention. The award is based upon its entire operations and not just the 199 service.

[My login is Henrietta]

I'd echo that and would urge people to consider patronising the 394 as a leisure pursuit if nothing else!! It's really nice to get the bus out over towards Glossop somewhere and walk back through field and forest. So many communities now would give anything to have access to a bus service which rolls through the countryside like the 394. Given a sunny day, it's a cheap and healthy way to appreciate the wonderful scenery we live within.

It's an excellent service for me as I live on the bus route in Marple and keep my horse in Charlesworth - also on the bus route - and I have my old biddies bus pass. However, I have one proviso. The Monday - Saturday return service finishes with the bus which goes through Charlesworth around 5.30pm and there isn't a service on Sunday, which isn't very helpful to people visiting Stepping Hill patients and means I still have to use the car to go up to do evening stables at 9pm

I make the journey twice or three times a day in each direction and it appears that the subsidy is based on the number of passengers using the bus. I have to scan my pass on Bowers' buses which was never done on the old Speedwell days - possibly a contribution to their demise.

[Heritage]

Henrietta - How much are Bowers charging on the 394 for the horse? Speedwell would let horses on for double fare, which I always thought was overly generous bearing in mind their sheer tonnage and space occupied. It was especially tricky if there were already a couple of prams onboard....and the stink was sometimes overbearing on a hot summer's day. Maybe that's why they went under.....

[amazon]

I'd echo that and would urge people to consider patronising the 394 as a leisure pursuit if nothing else!! It's really nice to get the bus out over towards Glossop somewhere and walk back through field and forest. So many communities now would give anything to have access to a bus service which rolls through the countryside like the 394. Given a sunny day, it's a cheap and healthy way to appreciate the wonderful scenery we live within.

It's an excellent service for me as I live on the bus route in Marple and keep my horse in Charlesworth - also on the bus route - and I have my old biddies bus pass. However, I have one proviso. The Monday - Saturday return service finishes with the bus which goes through Charlesworth around 5.30pm and there isn't a service on Sunday, which isn't very helpful to people visiting Stepping Hill patients and means I still have to use the car to go up to do evening stables at 9pm

I make the journey twice or three times a day in each direction and it appears that the subsidy is based on the number of passengers using the bus. I have to scan my pass on Bowers' buses which was never done on the old Speedwell days - possibly a contribution to their demise.

Let's get this right when do you have to scan your pass on bowers .and speedwell they used to clock it on ther machine .they were not fiddleing the fares because they were checked by people on route .

[marplerambler]

Heritage - the horse travelled for free as far as Marple Bridge because the ancient Speedwell buses needed the horse to pull the bus up the hill in both directions. The only other place that I was aware of with older buses are the horse drawn buses on the sea front on the Isle of Man: £5 a trip and you can't use your bus pass.

[Heritage]

That sort of makes an ass of Speedwell's vehicle strategy....nay, it ridicules it....but the mane issue is still all the donkeywork that Bowers have had to put into taking over the service....at least now it's a stable situation.

[marplerambler]

And there we have it from the horses mouth. It would seem to be appropriate to extend the service to Hayfield but on a more serious note the finishing line is in site as trentbarton Buxton and Bowers merge to form High Peak bus company next month but there are no clues to be found to be found about the future of the new company's services in our area. The trentbarton website quite simply says 'bye-bye Buxton'. High Peak buses may or may not have changes in mind for the 394, 199 and 62 - these services are operated from the Dove Holes or Chapel garages already but there is no website for the new company yet. I am concerned about the Transpeak service which uses vehicles from both Buxton and Derby. If trentbarton Derby are no longer operating this service a new timetable will be needed which is operated from Buxton only. trentbarton withdrew its 0915 TP Monday to Friday journey (except July and August) from Chorlton St a couple of years ago and the evening service (about 1830 from Matlock) which used to run as a TP to Buxton and continue as a 199 to Stockport a few years ago. I just hope no more cuts to this service are planned as I have used this service to get to the Peak District for many years.. Free travel is all very well (I have a pass) but the longer distance services such as the X61 Stagecoach Manchester to Blackpool or Firstbus Oldham to Halifax were filled by passengers who were not paying a fare and were quite simply withdrawn. I hope that the same does not happen to the TP.

[My login is Henrietta]

Henrietta - How much are Bowers charging on the 394 for the horse? Speedwell would let horses on for double fare, which I always thought was overly generous bearing in mind their sheer tonnage and space occupied. It was especially tricky if there were already a couple of prams onboard....and the stink was sometimes overbearing on a hot summer's day. Maybe that's why they went under.....

LOL! Only just seen this. What do you mean? Horses smell lovely!

[My login is Henrietta]

Let's get this right when do you have to scan your pass on bowers .and speedwell they used to clock it on ther machine .they were not fiddleing the fares because they were checked by people on route .

I hadmy pass scanned on a Bowers bus the other day and on other occasions they've issued tickets when they haven't had the scanner but it was never clocked on Speedwell buses either between Glossop and Marple or Glossop and Hyde. I was just waved on. I didn't mean they were fiddling the system - just that the company was missing a chance. Presumably the DCC payment depended on passenger use.

Speedwell drivers used to be lovely when I lived in Hyde. Late on at night, if I wasn't at the bus stop outside the stables at the usual time they'd usually wait for me - a good old-fashioned country bus service.