Stagecoach West/South West/South Wales - Fleet News & Discussion

Rapidash said:

I'll be risking one of the later x46 departures from Exeter tommorow - I'll be, uh, intrigued to see how much of a vomit comet it'll be.

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I wouldn't be too surprised if you're the only passenger, depends how much local publicity there's been in the Bay?

Temple Meads said:

I wouldn't be too surprised if you're the only passenger, depends how much local publicity there's been in the Bay?

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Ding, correct answer! The 2040 had 6 passangers, I was the only one to stay on beyond Penn Inn.

Still saved me traipsing down St Davids for the HST service from work, which is fine by me!

Rapidash said:

Ding, correct answer! The 2040 had 6 passangers, I was the only one to stay on beyond Penn Inn.

Still saved me traipsing down St Davids for the HST service from work, which is fine by me!

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I'd have stuck with the HST - it was a very pleasant ride from Westbury to Exeter on it, BTW.

Any idea what kind of bus is usually running the 3 out of Dartmouth? I fancy heading to Plymouth via a different route

Rapidash said:

Any idea what kind of bus is usually running the 3 out of Dartmouth? I fancy heading to Plymouth via a different route

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MMC or a Plymouth ALX400 normally I think.

ollieb said:

MMC or a Plymouth ALX400 normally I think.

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Ta! Was worried it was going to be a Trident!

Rapidash said:

Ta! Was worried it was going to be a Trident!

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I thought a Plymouth ALX400 was a Trident!

iantherev said:

I thought a Plymouth ALX400 was a Trident!

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My brain may have just seen that and gone with E400 instead, due to them being so ubiquitous

Rapidash said:

My brain may have just seen that and gone with E400 instead, due to them being so ubiquitous

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Tridents are not common these days mostly E400 MMC's
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I took a trip on the Falcon today from Plymouth to Taunton. Only had 6 passengers on the way up and 7 on the way back.

Stagecoach seen in Taunton were

34863 99A
34864 20
25255 99
47596 99A

The Express and Echo has renders of the new bus station in Exeter. Fully covered passenger area, similar to the Shudehill interchange in Manchester. Smaller scale, though!

Stagecoach Gold e400 15841 seen entering Trowbridge on the 49 tonight. Rare to see one on there

Looks Like Stagecoach are expecting a busy weekend with the Torbay Airshow - There were about 30 double deckers parked up at Clennon Valley this morning, mainly Tridents, with a smattering of E400s. Presumably to run the Make-shift P&R services.

TheGrandWazoo said:

Stagecoach Gold e400 15841 seen entering Trowbridge on the 49 tonight. Rare to see one on there

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i believe there was a accident earlier in the day between devizes and the A4 roundabout so maybe extras chucked in to keep the service running

matt_splat said:

i believe there was a accident earlier in the day between devizes and the A4 roundabout so maybe extras chucked in to keep the service running

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I went up to Avebury on the 49 (1040 ex Trow and 1233 ex Ave) and there was no sign then.

Rapidash said:

Looks Like Stagecoach are expecting a busy weekend with the Torbay Airshow - There were about 30 double deckers parked up at Clennon Valley this morning, mainly Tridents, with a smattering of E400s. Presumably to run the Make-shift P&R services.

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Could this be why there are single deckers running on service 1 (Exeter-Cullompton-Tiverton) today?

padbus said:

Could this be why there are single deckers running on service 1 (Exeter-Cullompton-Tiverton) today?

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No. That is normal.

When did Exmouth Bus Station & Depot closed?

Some stuff from South Wales. Stagecoach South Wales have got some changes coming up around the end of July / early August. From browsing the VOSA Bus Service registrations of the last week or two the whole list, as far as I can tell, seems to be as follows:

Effective 01st August:
Services 6 (Blackwood - Wyllie), 8 (Blackwood - Cefn Forest - Blackwood) and N2 (Llanfach - Crumlin) all transfer to Harris Coaches, Pengam. The VOSA Bus Service registrations for today (16th June) has registrations for all three routes, which are currently Stagecoach services, wef 01-Aug-2016 for Monday to Saturday services.

Harris have also registered changes to Services 4 (Tredegar - Pontlottyn, changes to Route & Timetable), C9 (changes to Timetable only), C16 (changes to Route and Timetable), C17 (Changes to Timetable only).

Changes (effective 31-Jul-2016 unless stated):
Timetable revisions to:
- Service A (Cardiff - Graig y Rhacca)
- Service B/X (Cardiff - Senghenydd)
- Service C (Caerphilly - Penyrheol)
- Service G (Caerphilly - Churchill Park)
- Service K (Caerphilly - Caledfryn)
- Service 1 (Merthyr Tydfil - Bargoed)
- Service 5 (Blackwood - Pant Estate)
- Service 9 (Blackwood - Penllwyn)
- Service 12 (New Tredegar - Blackwood)
- Service 14 (Blackwood - Bargoed)
- Service 26 (Cardiff - Blackwood)
- Service 39 (Haye-on-Wye - Brecon) (from 06th August)
- Service 50 (Bargoed - Newport)
- Service 52 (Blackwood - Abertillery)
- Service 56 (Tredegar - Newport)
- Service 151 (Newport - Blackwood)
- Service C18 (Bargoed - Gilfach)
- Service X16 (Risca - Cardiff)
- Service X74 (Abergavenny - Crosskeys) (from 02nd August)

Cancelled services:
- Service 4 (Tredegar - Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr)
- Service 6 (Blackwood - Wyllie)
- Service 8 (Blackwood - Cefn Forest)
- Service C16 (Nelson - Caerphilly)
- Service N2 (Crumlin area)
- Service 551 (Penpedairheol - Tiryberth)
- Service 555 (Britannia Terrace - Pengam, Bont Terrace)
- Service 561 (Energlyn - Plas Y Felin)

HTIOI,
Dave

KendalKing said:

When did Exmouth Bus Station & Depot closed?

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It hasn't yet.

TheGrandWazoo said:

It hasn't yet.

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Interesting, only when I paid a flying visit there the Bus Station, was being used as a car park, and the garage was all shut-up, in my past visits the garage has always been open.

KendalKing said:

Interesting, only when I paid a flying visit there the Bus Station, was being used as a car park, and the garage was all shut-up, in my past visits the garage has always been open.

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Preparing for closure! http://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/search_for_new_bus_station_site_in_exmouth_fails_1_4551493

Exmouth Bus Station is a miserable and depressing place. Hardly any buses use it (I think just open top service 95 to Sandy Bay and service 56 to Exeter St Davids via Woodbury and Exeter International Airport). The other buses servve the town centre which is where people want to go. The main route from Exeter (57) passes through the town centre to terminate in the housing to the north east.

Exmouth Bus Station is, however, unusual among British bus stations in having a train station attached to it. It is to be hoped that when M+S build their new store they continue to allow access to the trains.

Where are the buses being kept? Exeter doesn't exactly have much in the way of spare space.

Rapidash said:

Where are the buses being kept? Exeter doesn't exactly have much in the way of spare space.

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I'd imagine the situation will be that a small parking area or compound will have half the Exmouth fleet. The remainder at Exeter, possibly allowed by the removal of preserved and duff kit.
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padbus said:

Exmouth Bus Station is a miserable and depressing place. Hardly any buses use it (I think just open top service 95 to Sandy Bay and service 56 to Exeter St Davids via Woodbury and Exeter International Airport). The other buses servve the town centre which is where people want to go. The main route from Exeter (57) passes through the town centre to terminate in the housing to the north east.

Exmouth Bus Station is, however, unusual among British bus stations in having a train station attached to it. It is to be hoped that when M+S build their new store they continue to allow access to the trains.

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They will have to maintain access. Exmouth is one of those rare instances but as you say, the train station is peripheral and not readily served.

Tridents 17829, 17835, 17868, 17869 & 17874 all in "London red" in use as shuttle buses to and from RAF Fairford airshow this weekend.There may be other buses brought in.
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83G/84D said:

Tridents 17829, 17835, 17868, 17869 & 17874 all in "London red" in use as shuttle buses to and from RAF Fairford airshow this weekend.There may be other buses brought in.

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Additions for today 17792, 17867 & 17844.

Today's VOSA Bus Service Registrations for the Western Traffic Area contain a number of items for Stagecoach West (Cheltenham / Gloucester). The changes are all wef 04-Sep-2016 and are as follows:

Cancelled Services
113 Arlingham - Gloucester
132 Gloucester - Ledbury

Route and Timetable changes
1 Gloucester - Matson
7 Gloucester - Finlay Road
8 Gloucester - Brockworth
9 (Gloucester - Tuffley)
10, 810 Lower Tuffley - Cheltenham
12 Gloucester - Quedgeley
23 Gloucester - Coleford
24, 24A Gloucester - Joy's Green / Cinderford
30, 31 Gloucester - Coleford
71 Gloucester - Tewkesbury
97, 98 (Gloucester - Cheltenham)

HTIOI,
Dave

That would go hand in hand with the cancellations from Cotswold Green in the area.

Gloucestershire County Council have agreed on ways to reduce money on subsidised services, and my guess is that we will see some big changes to finance supported services from September, but no timetables or operators have been published or appointed.

I've been trying to find details of a Stagecoach Explorer ticket covering the widest possible area between Monmouth or Lydney in the west and Swindon or Oxford in the east.

All I have been able to locate so far is a variety of Dayrider tickets and, bizarrely, a child explorer, but google searches suggest the ticket I want either does or until recently did exist.

Can anybody advise or provide a link please ?

extendedpaul said:

I've been trying to find details of a Stagecoach Explorer ticket covering the widest possible area between Monmouth or Lydney in the west and Swindon or Oxford in the east.

All I have been able to locate so far is a variety of Dayrider tickets and, bizarrely, a child explorer, but google searches suggest the ticket I want either does or until recently did exist.

Can anybody advise or provide a link please ?

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Here you go

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/west/swindon/daytickets

£6.70 explorer should do you. Enjoy!

Following on from my post yesterday which gave VOSA Bus Service registrations from Stagecoach West around Cheltenham / Gloucester) effective 04-Sep-2016, another load has appeared in the registrations for today (12th July) along with a load for Stagecoach South West. The additions today which, like the ones I posted yesterday, take effect 04-Sep-2016 are given below.

There is also a surprise which I must admit I certainly didn't see coming.

Stagecoach West

Changes to Route and Timetable:
60 Dursley - Thornbury
61 Cheltenham - Dursley
62, 60, X62 Gloucester - Berkeley
62, X62 Berkeley - Bristol (!!!)
63, 63A Forest Green - Gloucester
64 Stonehouse - France Lynch
65 Stroud - Cam and Dursley Rail Station
66S/66E/66F/66Q/66W Gloucester - Stroud / Fretherne
67 Stroud - Cashes Green

Cancelled Services
88 Dursley - Berkeley

Well well well! The entries for Services 60, 62 & X62 are, IMO, the most interesting out of all the above. The present situation fo services around Dursley & Berkeley is:

- Service 60 Dursley - Cam & Dursley Station - Wotton-under-Edge - Thornbury
- Service 62 Gloucester - Quedgeley - Whitminster - Dursley
- Service 62A Gloucester - Quedgeley - Whitminster - Cam & Dursley Station - Dursley.
- Service 88 Dursley - Berkeley - Bristol

The post I wrote yesterday included the cancellation of Service 113 (Arlingham - Gloucester) so an intial flick-through of the registrations for today (during which I didn't see the Berkeley - Bristol and Dursley - Brekeley ones) made me wonder if, as well as being an extension, there could also be a deviation to Arlingham in place of Service 113 with the 88 remaining as Dursley - Berkeley - Bristol. But it seems, in fact, as if a proper bus service of some sort will once again run from Gloucester to Bristol! (hock The last route to do that was back in First Badgerline days as Service 307 / 308 IIRC (I used it once to go from Bristol to Gloucester): my Dad remembers it previously as Service 29. I seem to recall that when the service through Falfield was withdrawn the locals kicked up a bit of a stink about it so that is obviously set to continue.

And now onto the registrations for Stagecoach South West: it looks as if at least some of the Exeter City Services are in for a few changes.

Stagecoach South West

Changes to Timetable
A Alphington - Thornpark Rise
B, 2B EDF Energy - Exminster & Dawlish
D, H University of Exeter - Digby
E, F1, F2 Beacon Heath - Exwick
R, S Rifford Road Circulars
GRN Exeter City Centre - Matford Park & Ride
2 Exeter - Newton Abbot
21, 21A, 21C, 921, 922 Ilfracombe / Barnstaple - Appledore / Westward Ho!

Changes to Route and Timetable:
M2, RED Exeter City Centre - Honiton Road Park & Ride
K, J, T Pinhoe - Countess Wear / Digby / Topsham
SR4, BLUE Exeter City Centre - Sowton Park & Ride
27 Paignton - Torquay Grammar School
155 South Molton - Barnstaple
971, 976 Alphington / Exwick - St. Peters School

Cancelled Services
X Topsham - Exeter
Y Exeter City Centre - Pinhoe - Marsh Barton
Z Exeter City Centre - Redhills - Exwick

There yo go. Thoughts welcome.
Dave