West Coast Motors & Borders Buses

[overthewater]

I think we should have a new thread to keep the First Midland bluebird thread clear. Details of the sell off can be viewed here: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=130883&page=11

* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bordersbuses/
* Twitter: https://twitter.com/bordersbuses
* Website: https://www.bordersbuses.co.uk

Two brand new buses have turned up for the company:

CAN I USE MY FIRST BORDERS BUS TICKET ON BORDERS BUSES?
First Borders return and weekly tickets will be honoured by Borders Buses up to and including Saturday 01 April 2017.
4 weekly tickets will be honoured by Borders Buses up to and including Saturday 22 April 2017.
Annual tickets will be honoured by Borders Buses up to the end of March 2018.

For all other First Bus enquiries customers should contact First’s customer service team on 01324 602 200.

CAN I USE MY BUS TICKET ON PERRYMAN’S BUSES?
No, customers will not be able to travel on Borders Buses using a Perryman’s Buses bus ticket and vice versa.

I say give it till August and I think a full merger will take place.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

They are Scania N250UD's Demo's. They must only be on loan to Borders Buses as they were quite recently with Reading Buses. And with unless Borders change them, white Hanover displays instead of the normal orange.

 

[Strathclyder]

Two brand new buses have turned up for the company:

These do look very smart, I have to say. Note the Borders Buses legal details near the doors, which may indicate they're there to stay, at the very least for an extended period on loan. Time will of course tell what's happening with them...

 

[Volvodart]

Their twitter today has a photo of 3 of them which says they will be in red and cream livery in time.

 

[overthewater]

It seems there want to get the new operations in order before taking any action with mergers or tickets etc which makes since there can have the next three months looking at everything before creating a more powerful and uniform network.

 

[overthewater]

It been said at least 7 Metrocity's have appeared for the operations.

 

[overthewater]

Its also been reported the X62 decker may have already transferred out of Gala.

 

[Strathclyder]

Its also been reported the X62 decker may have already transferred out of Gala.

Fingers crossed they'll make their way over to First Glasgow if that's the case (primarily to help displace the oldest Tridents still in service there and help improve that fleet's age profile), but they're far more likely to go to Livingston or Larbet.

 

[DunsBus]

Borders Buses have bought four of these 66-plate ADL E400MMC-bodied Scanias. Three are currently in stock and in service, with with the fourth one due imminently.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I wonder if something interesting may turn up for X95? Im thinking potentialy new or refurbished vehicles with high back seats, USB sockets etc.

 

[overthewater]

Fingers crossed they'll make their way over to First Glasgow if that's the case (primarily to help displace the oldest Tridents still in service there and help improve that fleet's age profile), but they're far more likely to go to Livingston or Larbet.

Neither need those deckers, even with changes coming.

 

[Observer]

I wonder if something interesting may turn up for X95? Im thinking potentialy new or refurbished vehicles with high back seats, USB sockets etc.

X95 is getting coaches with toilets apparently.

Other replacements consist of these seven Optare MetroCities.

 

[Strathclyder]

Neither need those deckers, even with changes coming.

Just seemed to be the most likely scenario from this outsider's perspective, is all. Fingers crossed that they're destined for Glasgow to put the eldest of the Tridents here out to pasture, then.

 

[overthewater]

X95 is getting coaches with toilets apparently.

3.....2....1..... The outrage of complaint, First has tried coaches on that route and the passengers all said no.

Just seemed to be the most likely scenario from this outsider's perspective, is all. Fingers crossed that they're destined for Glasgow to put the eldest of the Tridents here out to pasture, then.

I've heard some of the E300 are going to Livingston but that would free up other stock.

 

[Blindtraveler]

TBF the elderly nackered B7s first tried wernt great, I cant really see the issue with decent coaches going on it.

I think it needs to return to the station forcourt though in Carlisle and ideally serve the bus station too for maximum connectivity

 

[mark-h]

I wonder if it would make sense to run some of the services though to Haymarket, rather than terminating at Edinburgh Bus Station. This would be similar to the ECB/LCB services.

Doing so would help the buses compeat with the trains as the vast majority of rail services terminate at Waverley (and due to the single track nature of the Boarders line are not able to run many through services). Not having to change would help reduce the impact of the train's shorter journey times.

 

[BlueFox]

I think it needs to return to the station forcourt though in Carlisle

Didn't the X95 appear on the departure boards at Carlisle for a while?


You can't even use a Carlisle Plusbus ticket on the X95 any more. First, and Reays who run several local services, were removed from Plusbus validity recently.
It would be useful if Border Buses could be added to Plusbus, considering they stop so close to the station and the X95 can be the best bus to use for locals like me heading from the station to the north of the city.

 

[Strathclyder]

I've heard some of the E300 are going to Livingston but that would free up other stock.

Livingston's 11 remaining Solar-bodied L94UBs (3 52-plates, 2 53-plates, 4 54-plates and 1 55 & 06-plate each) would be the stock most likely freed up if they were to take on the ex-Galashiels E300s, with the Scanias then free to be dispersed elsewhere, Glasgow included. That is all entirely hypothetical of course, as everything is up in the air regarding the future of the ex-First Borders stock right now. Time will tell what will happen to them and where they'll eventually end up...

 

[Tetchytyke]

Didn't the X95 appear on the departure boards at Carlisle for a while?

Yeah, it used to.

I can't see the X95 returning to the forecourt though, truthfully I don't think it is safe for it to happen. And it's not exactly a long walk from the station through to the first stop by the Citadel on English Street.

As for complaints about coaches, First used knackered old coaches on the route, which is different. The complaints were mostly because of accessibility. Modern coaches with a wheelchair space should be a lot better. It certainly should beat sitting on an E300 for three hours.

 

[Blindtraveler]

There a surprising number of older people who miss the bus going onto the forcourt and I doubt it would be any more unsafe than RRB's which use it all the time just now.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I doubt it would be any more unsafe than RRB's which use it all the time just now.

When RRBs use the forecourt it is cordoned off, with all the drop-off spaces outside the hotel also cordoned off and everyone having to use the station car park for drop-off and pick-up.

It was definitely handy the X95 starting on the forecourt, but I can see why they moved the stop to English St.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I asked about it at the time and first did not site safety as the reason for the move, they claimed nobody used it. The drivers dont like the current arrangement as layovers are harder and its my understanding that VT were happy for it continue there.

 

[Volvodart]

Today's Twitter photo posting has 3 new 17 plate Enviro200s.

 

[overthewater]

I asked about it at the time and first did not site safety as the reason for the move, they claimed nobody used it. The drivers dont like the current arrangement as layovers are harder and its my understanding that VT were happy for it continue there.

Was that before or after the service become commercial?

Today's Twitter photo posting has 3 new 17 plate Enviro200s.

These must be rented surly?

 

[DunsBus]

Was that before or after the service become commercial?



These must be rented surly?

No, bought. WCM don't do leasing, they prefer to own vehicles outright. The exception being the vehicles provided by SPT for contracted services.

 

[winston270twm]

No, bought. WCM don't do leasing, they prefer to own vehicles outright. The exception being the vehicles provided by SPT for contracted services.

Once again, we see a new owner of a former First operation immediately bring in at least 13 brand new buses (doubles & single deckers) replacing 25+ % of the fleet in one foul swoop, this is in to an operation that First couldn't justify investing in / retaining.

 

[overthewater]

No, bought. WCM don't do leasing, they prefer to own vehicles outright. The exception being the vehicles provided by SPT for contracted services.

How on earth can there afford these?

Once again, we see a new owner of a former First operation immediately bring in at least 13 brand new buses (doubles & single deckers) replacing 25+ % of the fleet in one foul swoop, this is in to an operation that First couldn't justify investing in / retaining.

Thats a bit unfair the X95 buses were brand new, you can just keep on buying new buses every year for a small area.

 

[DunsBus]

How on earth can there afford these?



Thats a bit unfair the X95 buses were brand new, you can just keep on buying new buses every year for a small area.

Maybe, but although the outgoing First E300s were bought new, they have been worked hard on the X95 and are each approaching the 500,000 miles mark. The 55-plate Scanias have clocked up over a million miles each.

Borders Buses have correctly reasoned that buying vehicles that are just about worn out from First will be asking for trouble later on, it would cost a lot of money to bring these buses up to the WCM group standards (and the X95's Enviro 300s were due for replacement this year anyway).

Far cheaper and better for WCM to invest in new vehicles now, it's also good PR for the new company.

 

[winston270twm]

How on earth can there afford these?

Thats a bit unfair the X95 buses were brand new, you can just keep on buying new buses every year for a small area.

Clearly WCM can see something that First can't to justify such an invesmtent.

I know the X95 buses were brand new, in 2013. The X62 Gemini's had a lick of paint, I doubt that stretched to a retrim (but happy to be corrected)

 

[Blindtraveler]

Anyone got a notion as to when the new X95 coaches are coming and what they are/what spec internally?