(31 Oct 2018, 12:18 am)James101 wrote I'm not convinced Metrolink is a double edge sword in that its costs are roughly equal to its benefits. Financially first, Greater Manchester's council tax averages sit very much in the median of the national tally (Telegraph, 2018) - unless you're referring to something else, I don't see an discernible Metrolink levy imposed on GM residents. What I would assert is GM (and all PTE areas), benefit compared to non PTE areas from cross boundary infrastructure projects and standardised timetable formatting, infrastructure branding, etc. On all the expansions since 'Big Bang', the corresponding bus corridor may have taken a hit, but still maintains a service level of at least every 10 minutes. This provides mode options for those unwilling or unable to walk to the Metrolink stop, potentially further away. There is plenty of evidence (academic papers, readily available online), that passengers are willing to walk almost double the distance to a rail/tram stop over a bus stop.
What you're accurately describing around the effective flat-fare concept and captive markets is the bus market more generally, not a uniquely GM situation, the only potential difference in GM being a £4.50 day ticket will take significantly further than a First Potteries £4.50 day ticket or even a £5.50 Stagecoach Teesside day ticket. What I would pick up on is I'm really not sure of the assertion 'politically correct, middle income areas' are getting cheaper fares for longer journeys? Chorlton is about the same distance from the City as Levenshulme and Reddish about equidistant to the City as Sale. All have about the same service level and cost the same to get to on a Stagecoach bus.
Are the cuts along Reddish road referring to the 7, 329 etc? Yes, there have been cuts here, but even these services still have a 30 minute headway and Reddish still has far reaching links around GM (I give you the 278; making what could be a 5 mile journey last 2.5 hours). What in the grand scheme of things is an inconvenience to bus passengers in GM by way of reduced headways, amalgamated routes or imposed interchange mid journey - in non PTE areas vast geographical areas are having all service provision withdrawn.
Just as aside on Free Bus - I understand the revamp is a PVR cut of 7 vehicle but I believe it's the best possible thing that could have been offered in light of the passenger numbers falling off a cliff since 2CC. My only though on the whole thing would perhaps be where routes 1 & 2 effectively form an inner & outer loop, perhaps a single 'figure of 8' running in both directions could have provided 2 way links between main stations.
Metrolink debt is purely a TFGM budget matter, not that of the 10 local authorities. It is a legally binding part of TFGM expenditure, just as Pension contributions (which must be reducing rapidly as time goes on) and Concessionary Fares on *buses* (ENCTS). Concessionary fares on rail (heavy and light) are discretionary, but seen as politically expedient. This just leaves subisidised bus services and labour costs available to be targetted for cuts.
A £4.50 ticket may take you considerably further than in the Potteries, but it will take some time to do so. Average scheduled speeds in such as Tameside and Stockport are 6-7 mph in the peak and barely 10 mph off-peak. Nevertheless, the problem with fares isn't so much with the full time commuter travelling relatively long distances, it is with the 3 day week, zero hours contract workers and adult shoppers, medical outpatients and surgery visitors paying the same £4.50 for a 2.5 mile round trip to these essential destinations. The fare discrepencies don't include the Manchester areas you refer to - yet! They refer to Wilmslow Road (understandably), the 192, 112/3 and worst of all, the 38.
I disagree with your comments about "benefits" from infrastructure like Metrolink. You only benefit if you are in a position to use it. It is highly questionable that it has taken many cars off the road or indeed improved the property market. Indeed, I saw a survey a year or two after the Oldham line was built which showed that Failsworth was the only "M" postcode area where property prices had actually fallen! Also, 10 minute services may well have been maintained on the 216 - probably because the tram is slower off-peak than the bus, unless you are travelling beyond Piccadilly/Market Street, but Stagecoach and Arriva have slashed services competing with the Wythenshawe line (18, 104/5/9, 369 all gone and 19 drastically reduced) and First have cut the 58, 24/181/182 and other Oldham area services. Although, it could be argued cutting services for the sake of it is in First's DNA. As for people willing to walk "double" the distance, I assume the survey was largely confined to physically fit under40s and the average walk to tram/rail is considerably more than double. And that's before you take into account the appalling reliability/punctuality of rail compared to bus and the increasingly hostile walking environment. Not sure what you mean by "standard timetable formatting"; Metrolink just runs a glib "every 12 minutes" and heavy Rail runs with wide variations in service gaps and stopping stations, especially at peak times.
The Reddish Road cuts involve ALL services that ran there before 2015; the 203 has slowly been reduced from every 8 minutes to every 11, the 7 & 329 are an amalgam of the old 7, 317 and 374 (reducing the number of buses from 9ph to 4 of which none run direct along Reddish Road into Stockport. The loss of the 317 in turn also reduces the number of buses between Denton and Stockport to 1 ph (was 4 ph when the Trans-Lancs ran).
As for comparing cuts around here to complete withdrawals in rural areas: a. 2 wrongs don't make a right and b. I venture to suggest that there are more carless working age adults in north/east Manchester, Tameside and eastern (ie. east of the A6) Stockport than in an entire Shire county.
Funnily enough, 2CC is not just "an aside", as it must also be abstracting from commercial bus services because of the Rail inclusive fares.