Stagecoach East Scotland

[Strathtay 260]

Is there something very EV friendly about the 74A? That’s usually 80000’s daily allocation.

 

[CN04NRJ]

Not the best photo, but here's 54278 this evening at the airport (feel free to share if anyone wants to).

 

[overthewater]

Are all 8 electric( 2 deckers and 6 singles) going to Dunfermline really for the 747, that seems a bit off an overkill.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Are all 8 electric( 2 deckers and 6 singles) going to Dunfermline really for the 747, that seems a bit off an overkill.

It's only BZLs Dunfermline are getting for the 747 as previously discussed on here numerous times, the 2 E400EVs they are due to get are for City work

 

[PG]

Not the best photo, but here's 54278 this evening at the airport (feel free to share if anyone wants to).


View attachment 179461

Thanks for the photo. IMO that purple lower front panel looks naff, like something an independent might have run in the 80's!

 

[Ohnolookwho]

It's only BZLs Dunfermline are getting for the 747 as previously discussed on here numerous times, the 2 E400EVs they are due to get are for City work

Those E400EV's will likely see use on peak services, dupes, and night time services like 10906/20 do at the moment, they've been fitted with Airport style luggage racks.

 

[CSB0241]

Didn't some say that Arran was a mistype, with these buses intended for Arbroath?

Probably.

When are the 99 replacements due? I’ve noticed the usual fleet disappearing and replaced with even older buses these days, sad as it’s now £9 to go between St Andrews and Dundee

Nine quid feels overkill, is that for a day return or a single?

When will Arbroath’s 16 E400EVs and 5 BZLs enter service? And I’m assuming the BZLs will be on the 72?

I think that the E400EVs on the 73/4 & BZLs on the 72 feels like a fairly safe guess.

Are all 8 electric( 2 deckers and 6 singles) going to Dunfermline really for the 747, that seems a bit off an overkill.

Replaces 26166-26171 & 10906/20, so 6 SDs & 2 DDs replacing 6 SDs & 2 DDs feels right.
Note that by SD & DD, I mean single deckers & double deckers respectively.

 

[aaronspence]

Nine quid feels overkill, is that for a day return or a single?

Day return, £6.30 single, and since returns aren't a thing anymore. A trip to Dundee to catch the train for an overnight stay in Glasgow ended up costing more than the train! Crazy crazy prices.

 

[ajrm]

Day return, £6.30 single, and since returns aren't a thing anymore. A trip to Dundee to catch the train for an overnight stay in Glasgow ended up costing more than the train! Crazy crazy prices.

It's not a 'day return', it's North East Fife zone dayrider (valid into Dundee and as far down as Leven and Glenrothes).

 

[aaronspence]

It's not a 'day return', it's North East Fife zone dayrider (valid into Dundee and as far down as Leven and Glenrothes).

But for someone going from Dundee to St Andrews and back.. it is.. who cares if they can go anywhere else, its all they can buy.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

But for someone going from Dundee to St Andrews and back.. it is.. who cares if they can go anywhere else, its all they can buy.

Not to mention £6.30 as a single is still pretty steep. Makes you wonder if they think that if it’s students they’ll just pay anything.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Not to mention £6.30 as a single is still pretty steep. Makes you wonder if they think that if it’s students they’ll just pay anything.

If you think that's steep, you might want to look at some of the single fares in Aberdeenshire! It's £8.40 for a single on the X7 between St Cyrus and Inverbervie which is only 7.5 miles which works out at a whopping £1.12 per mile. Far cry from the £0.50 per mile on the 99 between Dundee and St Andrews!

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

If you think that's steep, you might want to look at some of the single fares in Aberdeenshire! It's £8.40 for a single on the X7 between St Cyrus and Inverbervie which is only 7.5 miles which works out at a whopping £1.12 per mile. Far cry from the £0.50 per mile on the 99 between Dundee and St Andrews!

Wow that is bad. Though you could make the argument that the 99 is a fairly high demand route. The X7 less so. It’s still not fair at £1.12 a mile, but I guess if there’s less demand that’s more of a reason. Could it be set so high as it’s largely NEC usage there and therefore it pays Stagecoach a better chunk? Fares like that aren’t unheard of.

 

[aaronspence]

Not to mention £6.30 as a single is still pretty steep. Makes you wonder if they think that if it’s students they’ll just pay anything.

I actually got the price wrong as well, St Andrews to Dundee single is £7.80!!

 

[ajrm]

But for someone going from Dundee to St Andrews and back.. it is.. who cares if they can go anywhere else, its all they can buy.

It's still a better deal than it used to be. The NE Fife zone boundary used to be the River Tay, and the return fare to/from Dundee on the 99 was higher than the dayrider price.. When the boundary was extended the return fare was dropped and you now get a day ticket for the old price of a return. I don't understand why that's anything other than a good thing!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 May 2025 ==

Not to mention £6.30 as a single is still pretty steep. Makes you wonder if they think that if it’s students they’ll just pay anything.

I doubt any students are paying that fare. Most will qualify for free bus travel, and those that don't are eligible for the University's discount scheme with Stagecoach.

 

[aaronspence]

It's still a better deal than it used to be. The NE Fife zone boundary used to be the River Tay, and the return fare to/from Dundee on the 99 was higher than the dayrider price.. When the boundary was extended the return fare was dropped and you now get a day ticket for the old price of a return. I don't understand why that's anything other than a good thing!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 May 2025 ==


I doubt any students are paying that fare. Most will qualify for free bus travel, and those that don't are eligible for the University's discount scheme with Stagecoach.

You clearly must be a stagecoach stooge! A return was always cheaper than a day rider that’s why they got rid of a return! And to say it used to be better value well bloody hell I’ll have what your on, it’s almost double in cost!!! You can expand the region as far as you want, if someone simply wants to go from St Andrews to Dundee regardless of where else their ticket may else go to it’s an absolute rip off

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 May 2025 ==

To expand what I’m complaining about, you could buy a return ticket and it was valid for 28 days, perfect for someone away for the night or holiday, now you need to buy two singles…….. disgraceful

 

[kez19]

I thought in the early 00s going to St Andrews was pretty dear!, that time you only had the option of a single or a return!, as a bus user and new to Stagecoach at that time I didn’t know how much I be!

 

[CSB0241]

If you think that's steep, you might want to look at some of the single fares in Aberdeenshire! It's £8.40 for a single on the X7 between St Cyrus and Inverbervie which is only 7.5 miles which works out at a whopping £1.12 per mile. Far cry from the £0.50 per mile on the 99 between Dundee and St Andrews!

By jove, that’s extortionate!

 

[Ohnolookwho]

You clearly must be a stagecoach stooge! A return was always cheaper than a day rider that’s why they got rid of a return! And to say it used to be better value well bloody hell I’ll have what your on, it’s almost double in cost!!! You can expand the region as far as you want, if someone simply wants to go from St Andrews to Dundee regardless of where else their ticket may else go to it’s an absolute rip off

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 May 2025 ==

To expand what I’m complaining about, you could buy a return ticket and it was valid for 28 days, perfect for someone away for the night or holiday, now you need to buy two singles…….. disgraceful

Returns were done away with during covid to reduce the amount of possible contact between passengers and the driver. The fact that they were cheaper is a byproduct. Returns do exist on some services; On any express service where the destination ends in or origin starts in Edinburgh, on Off-Peak Fife-Dundee Services 41, 42, 46, X54/A, Between Alloa and Stirling, and between Leven and Kirkcaldy. Never having driven the 99 I am not sure as to whether the option exists on the 99, however, I do know that once you get into the NE Fife zone on the 46, that a NEF Dayrider is actually cheaper than the Day Return. I don't remember Returns ever being valid for more than a day, outside of the Period Returns on offer on the 747 and now 787.

 

[scosutsut]

There are some real anomalies out there, I was looking at Cupar - Glenrothes last night.

2x Single = £15.50
1x Dayrider = £9.00
1x Nightrider = £3.70

Luckily the journey was after 6pm so the significant saving offered by the last one was taken!

 

[Ohnolookwho]

There are some real anomalies out there, I was looking at Cupar - Glenrothes last night.

2x Single = £15.50
1x Dayrider = £9.00
1x Nightrider = £3.70

Luckily the journey was after 6pm so the significant saving offered by the last one was taken!

Those "anomalies" are purely as a result of the National Entitlement Cards Reimbursements. The company is reimbursed a % of the on-bus single fare, the rate of reimbursement depends on the type of card;
U16 - 43.6%
U22 - 81.2%
Concessions - 55.9%
Not entirely sure how Companion passes are dealt with but presuming its based on whether it falls into one of those age categories (22-60 being at the U22 Rate).

So what did operators do when they were required to take these cards, they raised the prices to cover the loss that would be incurred. Important to note the reason why the Government didn't do a full reimbursement of the fare was because they said that the scheme would increase ridership and the difference between the fare and reimbursement would be made up by the increase in overall revenue.

Only Ember didn't do that, and they suffered from it and have recently increased the on-bus ticket prices in line with Citylink. One thing to note is a lot of operators offer equivalent tickets on their apps at a reduced (Read: True) price, stagecoach does not, not sure why they didn't offer even a slight discount to make it so that buying an App Single Ticket to Glasgow for example wouldn't be more expensive than the EScot Dayrider, lost count of how many passengers I've told they should be buying the dayrider rather than the Single to save them some money.

 

[scosutsut]

Those "anomalies" are purely as a result of the National Entitlement Cards Reimbursements. The company is reimbursed a % of the on-bus single fare, the rate of reimbursement depends on the type of card;
U16 - 43.6%
U22 - 81.2%
Concessions - 55.9%
Not entirely sure how Companion passes are dealt with but presuming its based on whether it falls into one of those age categories (22-60 being at the U22 Rate).

So what did operators do when they were required to take these cards, they raised the prices to cover the loss that would be incurred. Important to note the reason why the Government didn't do a full reimbursement of the fare was because they said that the scheme would increase ridership and the difference between the fare and reimbursement would be made up by the increase in overall revenue.

Only Ember didn't do that, and they suffered from it and have recently increased the on-bus ticket prices in line with Citylink. One thing to note is a lot of operators offer equivalent tickets on their apps at a reduced (Read: True) price, stagecoach does not, not sure why they didn't offer even a slight discount to make it so that buying an App Single Ticket to Glasgow for example wouldn't be more expensive than the EScot Dayrider, lost count of how many passengers I've told they should be buying the dayrider rather than the Single to save them some money.

Thanks for the explanation, anomalies wasn't quite the right word, variance perhaps would have been better!

The reasons for it, well, it's just a little bit silly isn't it. Government don't give enough funding and don't police it well enough, allowing companies game the system to make it workable and no one loses out, well unless an unsuspecting, under researched passenger steps on and says "single to X please" and the driver isn't feeling helpful!

Not criticising Stagey here, it's the whole system that's broken.

 

[overthewater]

To be fair some of the fares in North East fife were a bit steep even back in the 90s, I think part of the problem was "Stagecoach Express" Since that has taken over as the main routes, the fare stages have gone up to match. For a good while in the 90s No23/X58 were still very busy, I wonder if they had lower fares.

With Route 787 a good number of journeys are carrying passengers in double digits.

 

[aaronspence]

Just saw four double deckers parked side by side on the ramp at the Leuchars Air Base, anyone know what they are up to?

 

[PG]

Just saw four double deckers parked side by side on the ramp at the Leuchars Air Base, anyone know what they are up to?

Expecting a visit from Evel Knievel?!!

British fans also got their chance to see Knievel in action in 1975 when he attempted to jump over 13 buses at Wembley Stadium.

But the rear wheel clipped the last bus in the row and he somersaulted onto the ramp with the bike crashing down on top of him.

A concussed Knievel, nursing more broken bones, announced his retirement over the stadium's PA system.

Despite this he was back five months later, this time successfully clearing 14 buses in Ohio and setting a new world record. It was his last major appearance.

 

[computerSaysNo]

At what lowest speed does driving on a motorway become dangerous? I ask as Stagecoach have sent out an E300 on what must be limp mode, as the maximum it could manage on part of the M90 was 30mph, which really isn't ideal when the rest of the traffic is doing 70!

 

[PG]

At what lowest speed does driving on a motorway become dangerous?

Under 25 mph.

see Schedule 4, Section 17 of the Highways Act 1980.

(v)
in the case of a motor vehicle, that it is so constructed as to be capable of attaining a speed of 25 miles per hour on the level under its own power, when unladen and not drawing a trailer.

 

[Ohnolookwho]

Under 25 mph.

see Schedule 4, Section 17 of the Highways Act 1980.

Note that that says when unladen too, so it can fall below that when loaded with passengers. Personally, if I were driving up to Halbeath with a bus that couldn't manage that hill on the M90 I'd be taking it via the Dales.

 

[ajrm]

Under 25 mph.

see Schedule 4, Section 17 of the Highways Act 1980.

I'd argue that this refers to the design speed of the vehicle, rather than the speed it's able to attain on a bad day when it's encountered a mechanical problem— 'It is so constructed' being the key phrase.

 

[computerSaysNo]

Note that that says when unladen too

I'd argue that this refers to the design speed of the vehicle, rather than the speed it's able to attain on a bad day when it's encountered a mechanical problem— 'It is so constructed' being the key phrase.

Personally I'd agree with both of these.