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First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)
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ClawzOneThirty
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@Lizard1324 I sadly don't know at the minute but my guess would be either more unibuses, or additional buses to the closed top AC fleet
@SouthEastBuses hopefully they'll be omnis! Been waiting for an omni to join FK for quite a while now!
@SouthEastBuses hopefully they'll be omnis! Been waiting for an omni to join FK for quite a while now!
Goldfish62
Established Member
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- 14 Feb 2010
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Yes, that would be a bit ridiculous! In any case, given that these buses are currently sat idle surely it would be better to loan them to Hinckley, allowing more of the MMCs to return to Cornwall.
Lizard1324
Member
37012 has returned from the paint shop
charlie1284
Member
Nobody knows what routes they would've been.
32070 ALX 400 from Bath is on the 87/91
TechDan2002
Member
CornwallBus
Member
An Ensign converted E400 open top and a red closed top, believed to be one of those due to be converted are heading West this evening from Ensign to Camborne I believe
I’m led to believe 3 closed top e400 are joining the fleet imminently from Ensign due to increased requirements
Lizard1324
Member
What are the closed top e400s joining the fleet are they the planned open top deckers but will be converted later next year instead
Today I was driving throught praze an bebble and there was a first liveried alx 400 parked on the side of the road which made me think.
1. Was it a training bus as it had two people at the front the driver and a guy in a high vis jacket.
2. If it wasn't a training bus why was it in praze an bebble as firdt no longer do services here and its a Sunday.
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do any college buses go through that way? Possibly a driver getting trained a college route for the coming week?
Lizard1324
Member
Oww omnicitys in cornwall never seen one before, any one know what routes require singles
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
A bit rattly now but still good machines
Accelerator59
Member
Is that on here on RFs? If so, I can’t find it. The latest one I could find was a comment posted on 29th August this year.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Think he’s talking about the FHD FORUM (a different website) rather than the FHD THREAD on this forum.
Goldfish62
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In case anyone hasn't seen it, here's the new timetable book.
www.firstgroup.com
Local Bus Guide (from September 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
In case anyone hasn't seen it, here's the new timetable book.
Local Bus Guide (from September 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...
appears to confirm the a3 running all winter!
Accelerator59
Member
Ah ok, thanks.
Goldfish62
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That was my conclusion as well!
Given that the A17 and M6 Sunday evening services are finishing next month I wonder if TfC will run replacements during the Winter. Pre-Covid, reinstatement of Winter Sunday evenings services was part of the plan.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
A few other questions here...
The T1/T2 - have they been taken on commercially by FK or have they been taken off TfC to enable them to focus on other parts of the tender? Also, the T1 has now lost its evening service between Penzance and Camborne?
Also, has the U2 had a substantial cut in its frequency? And is the A5 ceasing in October to be replaced by the 56? The 47 (or was it the 46) isn't coming back though...guess that might be explained with the short Darts heading to do the College work in Devon?
Certainly the network map is positively skeletal.
That is showing in the TfC timetable. Leads me to assume that Camborne to Truro is commercial late but not viable beyond Camborne.
A5 I always understood to be very commercially viable in summer and very not Viable in winter.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
That's my train of thought. That FK might have taken on the Truro to Camborne commercially that, intuitively, might be able to sustain an evening service (just!).
You'd hope that CC would have some evening service west of Camborne. If Penzance and Hayle lose their evening service (especially the latter) whilst CC run empty buses running past Jamaica Inn and Lostwithiel, that would be criminal.
I'd imagine the A5/56 is very thin in the dark winter months.
I am reading this right in that the U2 has been halved?
Goldfish62
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The U2 looks the same to me as it has done since late March. Both it and the T1/T2 were cut back then and have never subsequently been restored.
I think we're in the realms of fantasy that anything is actually commercial at the moment. At a guess I would say that FK have calculated that the marginal cost of operating these evening journeys is outweighed by the predicted revenue + CBSSG (Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant). For most companies it's just a case of trying to stem losses at the moment and hoping that CBSSG continues for as long as possible.
Unless the information is incorrect, TfC are still providing the route T1 evening journeys to/from Penzance. I think Chinese whispers have been at working turning the Camborne - Truro shorts into "FK is taking back everything".
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Sorry I should've been clearer. I meant that the U2 wasn't returning to it's pre-Covid frequency; that was every 30 mins? The Tinners are back to their 15 min headway.
Similarly, I was factoring in that the CBSSG and lower revenue might be enough to enable it to be taken on at a marginal basis, unless it was that TfC gave them up? Bustimes is still showing the old TfC Penzance T1 times and the full times to Truro so it's a bit confusing!!!
Volvo B7TL 30877 has had a stint on Camborne - Truro - Camborne T1 shorts this afternoon whilst Scania 61216 was on the U3 for part of the day.
Scania OmniCity 65024 is in the workshops at Camborne and a red E400 was seen ex Ensign (LK08 ...).
Scania OmniCity 65024 is in the workshops at Camborne and a red E400 was seen ex Ensign (LK08 ...).
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Goldfish62
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Not west of Camborne they're not.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Sorry - I misinterpreted what you said. That's a fair point.
Had a look at Traveline SW. That also has the times for T1 Penzance to Truro this evening as still being TfC. However, there is a note at the top of the page with a link that takes you to a sub-page which says " From Monday 14th September only the evening journeys between Camborne and Penzance will be provided by Transport for Cornwall, other journeys will now be provided by First Kernow. Please refer to the First Kernow timetable for details."
So looks like you're right and at least there is an evening service west of Camborne though, once again, it isn't mentioned in the FK times.
Going back to the U2, I was surprised to see that one cut but then again, might be lower Uni traffic as well as lower patronage anyway
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Lizard1324
Member
Are these i
Are these incoming e400s the ones that were sat at ensight waiting for convertion guessing there needed more as school buses
Busaholic
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A very generalised comment, but on too much medication to follow things too closely at the moment, Over last couple of decades the buses I've seen in evenings between Penzance and St Erth at least on the Camborne run have been virtually empty on every occasion, whereas when winter evening buses on the Penzance to St Ives route have run, including Sundays, some journeys have been surprisingly well used, particularly the late ones from St Ives. Now Hayle to Camborne might have had better loadings, and of course Truro to Penzance trains via Redruth and (some) Camborne stops were more frequent in the evening than any other time because of the long distance nature of their origin.