First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)

[Goldfish62]

First of the MMCs are coming home from Somerset today

Woohoo!!!!

 

[Lizard1324]

First of the MMCs are coming home from Somerset today

Which ones, tinner, uni or green. Only if you know

 

[richw]

Which ones, tinner, uni or green. Only if you know

33469 is the only one I can confirm

 

[MB162435]

33469 is the only one I can confirm

I would say the Tinners would return first, Uni isn't due to return for another 2 months at least so the Uni fleet wouldn't be too much in demand, some green ones as well possibly?

 

[CD]

First of the MMCs are coming home from Somerset today

That`s interesting, as they have just announced they are taking on an additional 1200 construction workers at Hinkley.

 

[Goldfish62]

That`s interesting, as they have just announced they are taking on an additional 1200 construction workers at Hinkley.

The loan of buses was never going to be permanent.

 

[padbus]

where have you got this assumption from?
A look on Truronian’s Twitter, 2 coaches were at Heathrow On hires and 2 at Ipswich in recent weeks. There are definitely hires going on at present.
A friend owns tamar coaches, he’s also posted on his personal Facebook photos from his private hires on the last few weeks.
The reputable businesses are getting private hires

Sorry, I should have said ...almost complete absence...

 

[richw]

Open top promo video on the Cornwall by Kernow Facebook page.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Open top promo video on the Cornwall by Kernow Facebook page.

Very nice

 

[TechDan2002]

I would say the Tinners would return first, Uni isn't due to return for another 2 months at least so the Uni fleet wouldn't be too much in demand, some green ones as well possibly?

Would make sense. Get the T routes running on their appropriately liveried buses again to free up Geminis for other routes/painting. The rest can follow later.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Hi Wazoo,
Your correct, when Wells did the 377 a vehicle of the last service of the day was garaged at Yeovil overnight ready to work the first service the following morning.
Often a regular driver worked it. Back in B10/B7 days.
All the best,
Mike

Thanks @henairs - thought they had a B10BLE down there.

There was also a period about 20 years ago when First's Taunton depot outbased a vehicle in Wells for the 29.

 

[richw]

12 red 4 blue 4 green MMCs initially returning

 

[MB162435]

12 red 4 blue 4 green MMCs initially returning

Bit of everything then, just a random selection to bring back or selected for specific reasons?

 

[MB162435]

Would make sense. Get the T routes running on their appropriately liveried buses again to free up Geminis for other routes/painting. The rest can follow later.

Makes sense, but looks like I was wrong anyway, with a few of every livery coming back instead!

 

[Goldfish62]

Makes sense, but looks like I was wrong anyway, with a few of every livery coming back instead!

Given the reduced service levels on the T1 /T2 12 red ones should more or less cover the PVR anyway.

 

[MB162435]

Given the reduced service levels on the T1 /T2 12 red ones should more or less cover the PVR anyway.

That's true, the tracker usually has 7 or 8 on the T1 and 3 or 4 on the T2, so would be about right, and the green ones should cover the 87 or 91

Blue ones for the U4 as well maybe, that usually has 4 vehicles on it which is the number coming back, but they do interwork with U1/2s so won't be dedicated to that route officially

The Gemini's have had a few failures recently none major, 37014 is for example back out working today after breaking down on the U1 yesterday, but they don't seem to be liking the workload they have at the moment, the college/school work will suit them just fine I would say

 

[berneyarms]

Good to see that the summer guide is on the website now (at the bottom of the map page) - although strangely it doesn’t include the “Atlantic Coasters” which are in a separate (not yet published online) guide.

Local Bus Guide (Summer 2020) | Cornwall | First Bus

Our UK Bus division operates around a fifth of local bus services in the UK and is one of the largest bus operators with a fleet of approximately 6,400 buses around the England, Scotland and Wales. We have bus routes serving 40 of the UK’s largest towns and cities providing great value public...

www.firstgroup.com

 

[83G/84D]

33469 is the only one I can confirm

33469 back home at Camborne today.

 

[MB162435]

33469 back home at Camborne today.

Back out on T1s once again from late afternoon

If its still working in Cornwall when it is eventually withdrawn for preservation/scrap, can we still say it spent its entire working life in Cornwall given it's 3 month stay in Somerset?

 

[richw]

Back out on T1s once again from late afternoon

If its still working in Cornwall when it is eventually withdrawn for preservation/scrap, can we still say it spent its entire working life in Cornwall given it's 3 month stay in Somerset?

It was ‘on hire’ so It was still a cornwall bus

 

[MB162435]

It was ‘on hire’ so It was still a cornwall bus

Was thinking that it never stopped being a Kernow bus, but was working for a different company so didn't know if you could say it spent it's entire working life in Cornwall or just spent it's working life with one company

 

[Goldfish62]

They're back! Open topper 32103 out on the A1 today.

 

[henairs]

It was ‘on hire’ so It was still a cornwall bus

Seems odd to use the term hire when it's the same opco. Implies a different company. Loan would be a better term.

 

[Goldfish62]

Seems odd to use the term hire when it's the same opco. Implies a different company. Loan would be a better term.

Not the same company though. Somerset Passenger Solutions is a completely separate company from FSW and has its own O licence with an authorisation for 282 discs.

 

[MB162435]

Not the same company though. Somerset Passenger Solutions is a completely separate company from FSW and has its own O licence with an authorisation for 282 discs.

Wasn't it the same for when BoS vehicles came down for Boardmasters services, or is that ran more in house so not officially on hire?

 

[Goldfish62]

Wasn't it the same for when BoS vehicles came down for Boardmasters services, or is that ran more in house so not officially on hire?

BoS is just a trading name of FSW, as is FK, so very much the same company.

 

[MB162435]

BoS is just a trading name of FSW, as is FK, so very much the same company.

Couldn't remember if Kernow was directly contacted to run Boardmasters shuttles or First Passenger Solutions were, got a feeling the BoS vehicles were borrowed for Boardmasters rather than hired

 

[Goldfish62]

Couldn't remember if Kernow was directly contacted to run Boardmasters shuttles or First Passenger Solutions were, got a feeling the BoS vehicles were borrowed for Boardmasters rather than hired

Ah right, I see.

 

[henairs]

Not the same company though. Somerset Passenger Solutions is a completely separate company from FSW and has its own O licence with an authorisation for 282 discs.

Good point, I reasoned that a little after I posted. As we have worked with them for so long now tend to forget there not part of the same set-up.
I remember back in late November 2018 a couple of SPS E200s worked for BOS.
I rode YY66 PDO (660) in their fleet in Yeovil on a 54 working. A friend rode another similar time.
Mike

 

[MB162435]

They're back! Open topper 32103 out on the A1 today.

If the 2020 Vision plan still stands the A1 should be open top permanently now, unless that plan has quietly been dropped like nearly all our plans have been for this year