First West of England (Bristol, Bath & The West)

[Class 33]

What a most bizarre short dream I had this morning about buses! I've only ever had a few dreams about buses over the years, so me dreaming of buses is not exactly frequent! But I thought I would share it with you. It's useless I know, but may perhaps be of some interest to some of you!

For some reason I was walking along Crow Lane in Henbury just by the lay-by. When I was most amazed to see two yellow Bristol VR's pull in(facing towards the Brentry direction) and pick up passengers . I didn't see what the second bus was right behind. But the first bus in front had 77A UWE on the destination display!! I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing in this present day! "I gotta get a ride on this!" I thought to myself. So I rushed across the road and boarded the bus and asked the driver "What bus company is this then?". I can't recall what the driver said in reply. But I asked for a single to UWE. He said the fare was 75p!! Now the downstairs floor of the bus looked just like I remember the downstairs of a Bristol VR to be. Old fashioned seats, and the staircast in the middle. But I headed upstairs to sit on the top deck as I would normally do on a double decker. When I had got upstairs I was absolutely flabbergasted to discover that the upstairs floor of this bus was a huge restaurant level! And far far larger than the size of a top deck of a bus! "What the.......!!!!!!" I thought, completely and utterly stunned. But just seconds later the dream came to an abrupt end as my alarm clock went off and it was time to get up! What a most bizarre and surreal dream! I think though the fact that I miss the old service 77(though it didn't ever go from Henbury-UWE!!) bus in Bristol and how I want the service to be re-introduced, and my liking of Bristol VR's helped create ths most bizarre dream!

 

[ValleyLines142]

....And then you woke up and saw a typical old Gemini heading to Broomhill!

33560 and 33566 were on the 75 today

 

[freetoview33]

More Mtickets in Bristol from the 11th

 

[vicbury]

I guess it depends. To some people, having wifi is akin to a human right irrespective of lenght of journey Also, even in parts of Bristol (parts of Hanham and Kingswood), you have to manage with GPRS so wifi is handy in that respect, and certainly on longer distance services when out in the wilds.

Noticed that when they moved the Bath B6s to Taunton, the wifi kit was removed!

Of course this only works if the bus operator is using a different mobile network to yourself as bus WiFi relies on mobile data for its own connection!

The retrofitting of buses with WiFi was undertaken using Better Bus Area funding - I really think this should have been spent on things that benefit all passengers such as internal refurbs.

 

[matt_splat]

people keep talking about parkway area as a great place for first to have a depot.....

recently I was told avonmouth might be a location of more interest for them after all some brilliant links from there for routes starting at cribs and also routes to the north and the south

 

[stait.john]

Hello all
Today's sightings

42712 8/9 tonight
47559 43

That's about it! Nothing exciting!

 

[ValleyLines142]

47559 is exciting!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Within 5 mins, saw the two ends of the spectrum.... 42710 running OOS on the ring road after finishing on the 5 then 47563 on the 17 at Longwell Green

 

[ValleyLines142]

Within 5 mins, saw the two ends of the spectrum.... 42710 running OOS on the ring road after finishing on the 5 then 47563 on the 17 at Longwell Green

I have to admit I still am finding it bizarre that Streetlites are now at LH.

 

[swifty]

Within 5 mins, saw the two ends of the spectrum.... 42710 running OOS on the ring road after finishing on the 5 then 47563 on the 17 at Longwell Green

Pretty much guaranteed a Streetlite on the 17 now, usually the board that finishes at last at Keynsham. It's not uncommon for both Keynsham boards to be Streetlitd operated.

 

[83G/84D]

Hybrid buses that automatically switch from diesel to electric power in areas with poorer air quality are to be trialled in Bristol.
The city has been given a £1m grant from the government to buy a number of hybrid buses, to coincide with its year as European Green Capital.
Bristol City Council will launch a competition to select a bus operator to begin the trial in the summer.
The exact areas of the city the buses will operate in has yet to be decided.
The new diesel-electric hybrid buses will use "geo-fence" technology - which uses GPS or radio frequencies to define and recognise geographical boundaries - to automatically switch to zero emissions when entering particular areas of the city.
The "trigger zones" will be set in places with poorer air quality and the council will use the data collected to evaluate the benefits for the city environment.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said the ground-breaking trial would "make a real difference in improving people's lives in Bristol".
'Most liveable city'
"The DfT's £1m funding will provide greener buses to help tackle poor air quality across the city," she said.
Bristol Mayor George Ferguson said it was "perfect timing" for the city to test such advanced technology.
"We need to exploit these new technologies to help us reach a future where we can all enjoy cleaner air, and a healthier future," he said.
"Air quality improvements improve health and bring a higher standard of living which will contribute further to Bristol's reputation as the most liveable city in the UK."
Source:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-30731857

 

[DaveHarries]

Interesting about the hybrid bus trials: wonder what we will see roaming the streets. Volvo 7900H (like those with First Berkshire) might be a good bet but who knows.

Dave

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Interesting about the hybrid bus trials: wonder what we will see roaming the streets. Volvo 7900H (like those with First Berkshire) might be a good bet but who knows.

Dave

You'd think that deckers might be a more likely scenario - the e400Hs in Bath aren't exactly covering themselves in glory regarding reliability though, and one of my Stagecoach contacts wasn't exactly impressed with them either. IME, Volvo B5LHs are much better in terms of performance though don't know about their reliability

 

[Stompehh]

They may not be standard models - the ability to run completely emission free in the city centre (or other areas with poor air quality) will require much larger battery banks than normal, plus the geofence technology to manage this will also be non-standard. That's why this is a trial rather than just "introducing hybrid buses" which are now fairly standard.

Of course, it's likely that the buses used will be largely based on existing models.

 

[Private Baxter]

people keep talking about parkway area as a great place for first to have a depot.....

recently I was told avonmouth might be a location of more interest for them after all some brilliant links from there for routes starting at cribs and also routes to the north and the south

Is this something that is seriously on the cards at the moment? If so, it would be useful ceratainly as the other two exceed capacity. Could even act as an outstation for Bath and 319.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Is this something that is seriously on the cards at the moment? If so, it would be useful ceratainly as the other two exceed capacity. Could even act as an outstation for Bath and 319.

I'd be very surprised if there's anything in it. The annex next to LH has now been taken up and there's a lot fair bit of additional space there.

Also, if you have another depot, you suddenly have a lot more fixed costs that you have to factor in

• Fuel island - cost and maintenance
• Washing
• Rent
• Management staff
• Utilities

Much easier and cheaper to have a yard next to LH and have all those synergies. If the worst came to the worst, they could always send the X6 back to Weston and even work something like the 17 from Bath?

Also, having a depot at "the other end" doesn't actually help the 319, if you think about it. Probably better to just truncate it at somewhere like UWE?

 

[vicbury]

You'd think that deckers might be a more likely scenario - the e400Hs in Bath aren't exactly covering themselves in glory regarding reliability though, and one of my Stagecoach contacts wasn't exactly impressed with them either. IME, Volvo B5LHs are much better in terms of performance though don't know about their reliability

How many of the E400Hs are on the road at any one time? There seems to be several Volvos operating Park & Ride services every day.

Had a trip on one of the ex-Hampshire S-reg Darts yesterday; good to see it's been fitted with real-time tracking even though it presumably won't be here for long.

Interesting about the hybrid bus trials: wonder what we will see roaming the streets. Volvo 7900H (like those with First Berkshire) might be a good bet but who knows.

Dave

It would be nice to get some variety (even if I do like Streetlites). Could be also Optare Versas - I was very impressed with the quality of the demonstrator which was in Bath last year.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

How many of the E400Hs are on the road at any one time? There seems to be several Volvos operating Park & Ride services every day.

It would be nice to get some variety (even if I do like Streetlites). Could be also Optare Versas - I was very impressed with the quality of the demonstrator which was in Bath last year.

This "variety" point gets mentioned a lot but then you look at what the FB/FSA fleet consists of...

E400
E400h
ALX Trident
ALX B7TL
Wt B7TL
Wt B9TL
ALX Dart
Plaxton/TBS Dart
Marshall Dart
E200 ADL
Streetlite
Plaxton Primo
Solo
Wt B10BLE
Wt B7L
Wt B7RLE

That's without the myriad of liveries, specs (fit out and length) etc. The fleet is perhaps more varied than we think. There's four batches of e400 (all very different) and Bath has a decker fleet of c.22 (?) with four different types.

Good point about Versas - the only ones First got last year were hybrids (for York IIRC)

 

[vicbury]

This "variety" point gets mentioned a lot but then you look at what the FB/FSA fleet consists of...

E400
E400h
ALX Trident
ALX B7TL
Wt B7TL
Wt B9TL
ALX Dart
Plaxton/TBS Dart
Marshall Dart
E200 ADL
Streetlite
Plaxton Primo
Solo
Wt B10BLE
Wt B7L
Wt B7RLE

That's without the myriad of liveries, specs (fit out and length) etc. The fleet is perhaps more varied than we think. There's four batches of e400 (all very different) and Bath has a decker fleet of c.22 (?) with four different types.

Good point about Versas - the only ones First got last year were hybrids (for York IIRC)

Don't forget Wt B7LA - possibly the most interesting vehicles in the fleet!

 

[windnoise69]

A enviro 400
Was on the 51 earlier... Thought they'd keep these exclusive to the 70/1 &
75/76

 

[ValleyLines142]

Also, having a depot at "the other end" doesn't actually help the 319, if you think about it. Probably better to just truncate it at somewhere like UWE?

Perhaps not but it'd be a better job than what it is like at the moment!

And truncating it at UWE would not be a good move AT ALL, I'm afraid to say.

A enviro 400
Was on the 51 earlier... Thought they'd keep these exclusive to the 70/1 &
75/76

Good! Nice to see them on something other than the sodding 75!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Perhaps not but it'd be a better job than what it is like at the moment!

And truncating it at UWE would not be a good move AT ALL, I'm afraid to say.



Good! Nice to see them on something other than the sodding 75!

How does a depot at one end (Patchway) make it any better than one at the other end (Bath)? It's a broad as it is long.

Why wouldn't you truncate at UWE as long as other facilities run?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Don't forget Wt B7LA - possibly the most interesting vehicles in the fleet!

Oh yes - missed them off! Never been on them either and they've been here nearly 10 years

 

[ValleyLines142]

How does a depot at one end (Patchway) make it any better than one at the other end (Bath)? It's a broad as it is long.

Because if there's a failure along the northern part of the route then there's the chance to send out another bus.

But I think the better idea to improve the 319 would be to follow the idea that freetoview33 came up with, which is to split it into two services (one from Bath to Kingswood - maybe the 37A) and then I think the 319 could be renumbered 84 (to follow the 81-83) as far as Cribbs.

Why wouldn't you truncate at UWE as long as other facilities run?

Because the section between UWE and Cribbs Causeway is fairly well used and by removing the 319 the only other link is the X5, which only runs hourly and doesn't run all day (0940 - 1745 only). There are surprisingly quite a few people who go from Cribbs Causeway to Kingswood.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Because if there's a failure along the northern part of the route then there's the chance to send out another bus.

But I think the better idea to improve the 319 would be to follow the idea that freetoview33 came up with, which is to split it into two services (one from Bath to Kingswood - maybe the 37A) and then I think the 319 could be renumbered 84 (to follow the 81-83) as far as Cribbs.



Because the section between UWE and Cribbs Causeway is fairly well used and by removing the 319 the only other link is the X5, which only runs hourly and doesn't run all day (0940 - 1745 only). There are surprisingly quite a few people who go from Cribbs Causeway to Kingswood.

It's not about failures but about traffic. Working on that basis, then you'd need a depot in Salisbury and Chipping Sodbury. However, don't see it happening anyway so won't worry about it.

What you need to do is shorten the 319 so it doesn't hit so many pinch points. Like I said, why wouldn't you shorten it AS LONG AS OTHER FACILITIES RUN which is basically what you then said.

 

[ValleyLines142]

It's not about failures but about traffic. Working on that basis, then you'd need a depot in Salisbury and Chipping Sodbury. However, don't see it happening anyway so won't worry about it.

What you need to do is shorten the 319 so it doesn't hit so many pinch points. Like I said, why wouldn't you shorten it AS LONG AS OTHER FACILITIES RUN which is basically what you then said.

But many of the buses fail too, especially as some of the vehicles on the 319 are a bit older.

Splitting it as opposed to shortening it would work better for me, personally.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

But many of the buses fail too, especially as some of the vehicles on the 319 are a bit older.

Splitting it as opposed to shortening it would work better for me, personally.

Again, I'd question how many fail as opposed to just being massively delayed. Also, same thing....are you going to have depots in case of breakdowns in which case Dursley (which gets the peachiest kit) would need one.

If were to split it as per FTV33, then you may as well just double the 37, truncate the 42 at Cherry Gardens, and run the 319 as per the old 318 to Keynsham. However, I don't know how much Bath to (past Kingswood) trade there is

 

[Martin1988]

I saw an enviro on the 50/51 early on Friday morning when walking through Bristol City Centre en route to work.

Later in the evening I saw something even more unexpected- a decker being used on the 82 route- it even continued beyond Yate towards Wotton Under Edge. This is the first ever instance I've known of a decker on this route. Does anyone know if this has happened before?

By coincidence I ended up on the same journey last night back from Southmead but the normal dart was on it.

 

[ValleyLines142]

I saw an enviro on the 50/51 early on Friday morning when walking through Bristol City Centre en route to work.

Later in the evening I saw something even more unexpected- a decker being used on the 82 route- it even continued beyond Yate towards Wotton Under Edge. This is the first ever instance I've known of a decker on this route. Does anyone know if this has happened before?

By coincidence I ended up on the same journey last night back from Southmead but the normal dart was on it.

Never seen a double decker on the 82 before, so that's very rare!

Today the X5 is extended to UWE! Yay

 

[vicbury]

Oh yes - missed them off! Never been on them either and they've been here nearly 10 years

They are definitely worth a ride on! They are much more airy inside than B7RLEs as you aren't sat above the engine and watching them bend around the tight corners in Bath is good fun. I used to combine taking the 18 up to the University of Bath with walking back into the centre via the Bath Skyline Walk for a nice afternoon out.

 

[g4mby]

Later in the evening I saw something even more unexpected- a decker being used on the 82 route- it even continued beyond Yate towards Wotton Under Edge. This is the first ever instance I've known of a decker on this route. Does anyone know if this has happened before?

Must be a one-off and may be a first?

Back in the mid-seventies I used to live in Wotton-under-Edge. I seem to remember that BOC always used 49, 51 or 53 seater REs on the longer services towards Bristol, Stroud and Gloucester. I think these days First, and Wessex on the 84 and 86, tend to use the smallest vehicles they have available.

Loadings certainly don't warrant double-deckers!