EasyCoach
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Just seen this posted on Facebook via the Friends of the PSV Circle page.
The DVSA website confirms that on 22nd August the Skiers Lodge Limited (trading as easyCoach) gave notice that with effect from 9th September they are cancelling ALL registrations for their services including the airport runs
Reading through Marc’s comments – the service sounded terrible! Wheels falling off, people missing GCSE exams due to breakdowns. GHA got a bad rep towards the end, at least they were a reasonably competent company, but it sounds like any cowboy can get awarded a bus operating licence these days.
The other comment of interest in the Plaid Blog was what has been discussed a few times before on here in regards to the running of a municipal public owned bus service. Whilst this would ensure a more secure future for public transport in the county, WCBC have shown in great detail that they have zero expertise or interest in running anything for themselves – they can’t even be bothered to run any local leisure centres, enforce litter and dog fouling activities or anything that involves any kind of effort. So I don’t think they’d have any hope whatsoever in running something as complicated as a full blown bus service.
The best bet would be for some kind of North Wales (or multi-county – Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham) initiative with Development Bank of Wales/Welsh Government investment. That falls down entirely when they decide they are spending millions and billions down in South Wales instead. With this hypothetical but unlikely situation falling short as it stands – it means we are left with yet another gap in future public transport provision across the county. Private firms of any quality standing won’t take on the less attractive routes, leaving firms to swoop in that have busses stuck together with glue.
This could have been predicted months ago as comments had been getting passed around the bus industry and drivers unsure of their future.
A look on the Companies House registration would have shown that the company has a single director which should have rung alarm bells with the Council for a company that outwardly looks large but in fact is very small- https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04761783/officers – it should be noted that Skiers Lodge actually only had one employee the Director- all the drivers have been employed through another company Drivers4u https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07576277 which only has one director — yes you’ve guessed the same as Skiers Lodge!
This is again a situation where Council Officers had not carried out sufficient Due Diligence on the company – if they had then anyone with a commercial background would have seen alarm bells ringing.
The sabotage claim is intruiging,….
I noticed today that Arriva had posters up saying on that particular route you could use rival operators’ tickets on Arriva buses for an extra £1. I don’t think Arriva liked having competition.
Not sure that a price war constitutes sabotage though, nor why you would go to the police over it. Unless bus services are either better regulated or renationalised then companies like Arriva will always harvest the most profitable routes.
It’s a good job that the Council have not leased the Bus Staion to Ariva or one of the large companies as they would drive out competitionn by increasing the charges to drop off and pick up. This has occured in other parts of the country when a Council leases to the big guys and the smaller operators are foced out of business.
It looks as though we are rapidly running out of options with local operators…perhaps it is time to consider Stagecoach who are already operating in Chester and are already running a bus service into Wrexham via Farndon
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