New First Liveries?

Mal · 26 Nov 2018

(Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere)

On another forum I saw a photo of a First South Wales bus in mainly red livery with 'Western Welsh' fleetnames, but this was not a heritage livery, though a senior manager said it was one of new liveries to be rolled out across their fleet.
Has anyone else seen it and if so, could this be the start of a national trend for First and the end of the drab, insipid livery now adorning First buses.

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overthewater · 26 Nov 2018

Yes there is a new revised livery. Same colours pre say but the back of the buses are designed to hold a local colour. So midland bluebird has dark blue.

KGGXXXY · 26 Nov 2018

Was intrigued a quick google and seen this picture on Flickr some comments underneath regarding it too: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshs-bus-pics/44399901374

overthewater · 26 Nov 2018

I do like the new diagonal lines design.

Bletchleyite · 26 Nov 2018

That looks good - Best Impressions by any chance?

NorthernSpirit · 26 Nov 2018

Leeds has Leeds City branding on a number of routes, namely the 1, 6, 28, 97, X26 and X27 - a newish livery two tone green and either a red, yellow, blue or green diagonal line (the coloured line denotes which corridor its running along).

Huddersfield has HD Connect (services 370 / 371 / 372 at the moment) which uses a similar style of branding that seems to be based on the route colour branding found in Bristol. There's a possibility that it could be expanded upon, if so then it'll be posed in the First West Yorkshire and York thread.

Halifax has some route branding such as Zest 503, Calder Connect and Red Arrow. However York and Bradford don't have any sort of branding apart from the corperate Olympia livery.

Then down in Bath, they have Bath City but only on the 5.

Surreyman · 26 Nov 2018

The Welsh livery looks very attractive AND, not spoilt by (F)irst lettering or branding, all it needs now is a change of ownership and it would be perfect!

mic · 26 Nov 2018

First South West Somerset is in Green livery with Cornwall fleet in all different liverys for different routes

Mal · 26 Nov 2018

Thanks for the replies. I knew about the Buses of Somerset green, but thought it was just a local 'one-off' area. Must say, the Western Welsh livery is very smart and much more attractive than the present drab First colours. However, where about are the fleet numbers?

overthewater · 26 Nov 2018

Midland bluebird had its own two tone blue for the paat two years

TheGrandWazoo · 26 Nov 2018

NorthernSpirit said:
Then down in Bath, they have Bath City but only on the 5.

The blue livery in Bath is also on one of the older Solos and also the recently delivered Solos so you can see it on a number of routes (e.g. 2, 8, 42)

Surreyman said:
The Welsh livery looks very attractive AND, not spoilt by (F)irst lettering or branding, all it needs now is a change of ownership and it would be perfect!

Hate to break it to you but they do carry First logos

KGGXXXY said:
Was intrigued a quick google and seen this picture on Flickr some comments underneath regarding it too: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshs-bus-pics/44399901374

I think this is how it sort of works....

The old urban livery is still applied. However, depending on the OpCo, you can use the new "diagonal lines" layout in a number of ways....

You can use it as a new livery without branding as per various Glasgow repaints
You can use it with coloured "slash" fronts (as with the previous urban livery) as used by various OpCos (not a definitive list)
- West Yorkshire (Calderdale and Kirklees)
- Norwich
- Essex with the University of Essex corridor
- Bristol
- Glasgow
- Midlands (though these are now only using Fuchsia fronts though some Potteries vehicles still have Cherry Red fronts from earlier branding)
- Berkshire
However, the template can also be used as that - a 3 (or 4) segment template onto which other colours are being used in the front/band/rear format (though some have a front/middle/band/rear combo) with examples such as:
- South Wales - Red/Ochre/Dark Red
- West of England (South Glos Lynx) - Ochre/Orange/Teal
- West of England (Badgerline) - Leaf Green/Yellow/Light Green/Leaf Green
- West of England (Discover) - Orange/Ochre/Yellow/Brown
- West of England (Bath) - Light Blue/Sky Blue/Mid Blue
- Midlands (Salt Road) - Grass Green/Light Green/Leaf Green/Dark Green
- Midlands (Elgar) - Cerise/Pink/Burgundy
- Leeds - Red/Grass Green/Red/Dark Green (the red being substituted for ochre on more recent deliveries for different routes

Then you have those liveries that have no connection to the template, most notably Kernow's.

As regards First Cymru, the Western Welsh name is for operations in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. It will be Swansea and the Bay for Ravenhill ops. Not heard what it is for Port Talbot/Maesteg/Bridgend

43055 · 26 Nov 2018

First Dorset have started introducing route branding in Weymouth on routes 2, 4 and 10 and also done up the Jurassic coasters in a new livery useing ex Greenline vehicles. All are in the 3/4 segment style.

TheGrandWazoo · 26 Nov 2018

43055 said:
First Dorset have started introducing route branding in Weymouth on routes 2, 4 and 10 and also done up the Jurassic coasters in a new livery useing ex Greenline vehicles. All are in the 3/4 segment style.

I did remember them later :lol:

The coloured front slash for the 2/4/10 but the new JC again uses the template with a different colour pallet!

Jordan Adam · 27 Nov 2018

Management in recent years have been more relaxed on the use of the "corporate brand" and are encouraging more areas to go with local liveries, hence the growing trend.

Buses Of Somerset are also currently receiving the "new" style of livery. Although perhaps the Scottish divisions are the most notable at the moment, Glasgow are using the standard "Urban" livery with the First Group lilac palate, while Midland Bluebird have got their own two tone blue variation. Aberdeen are due to be getting a two tone green version soon, i suspect next year.

Mal said:
However, where about are the fleet numbers?

If you look at other photos of the same vehicle you can see the front fleet number had yet to be applied.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshs-bus-pics/43398068640

43055 · 27 Nov 2018

TheGrandWazoo said:
I did remember them later The coloured front slash for the 2/4/10 but the new JC again uses the template with a different colour pallet!

I'm only going from reports on other websites and the BUSES magazine. It think at one point there was a generic gray front in Weymouth, some Bristol E400 MMC's have gray fronts as well.

I do have to say the new liveries do look better and also gives each area a more unique identity and a more local feel. I feel the Midlands area could do more than the standard pink fronts with some being route branded. The potteries tried with cherry, raspberry and blue routes but didn't go much further than that.

TheGrandWazoo · 27 Nov 2018

Jordan Adam said:
Buses Of Somerset are also currently receiving the "new" style of livery

Are they? I thought they were still doing the two tone green with the swoop?

43055 said:
I'm only going from reports on other websites and the BUSES magazine. It think at one point there was a generic gray front in Weymouth, some Bristol E400 MMC's have gray fronts as well.

I do have to say the new liveries do look better and also gives each area a more unique identity and a more local feel. I feel the Midlands area could do more than the standard pink fronts with some being route branded. The potteries tried with cherry, raspberry and blue routes but didn't go much further than that.

Not grey but lilac. None of the Bristol e400s are/were lilac but there were a couple of Streetdecks (now in Norwich) and some Geminis and ALX400s that were branded for specific routes but since the PVRs of those were cut, it was easier to just repaint the redundant orange or green slash.

Midlands have begun with the Salt Road and now Elgar in Worcester to do something different. Whether they'll do more (Malverns, X50), who knows, or if they'll do any more elsewhere in their patch?

EDIT - it’s Nimrod in Worcester (though has Elgar on them)

alansheppard77 · 27 Nov 2018

TheGrandWazoo said:
The blue livery in Bath is also on one of the older Solos and also the recently delivered Solos so you can see it on a number of routes (e.g. 2, 8, 42)

Hate to break it to you but they do carry First logos

I think this is how it sort of works....

The old urban livery is still applied. However, depending on the OpCo, you can use the new "diagonal lines" layout in a number of ways....

You can use it as a new livery without branding as per various Glasgow repaints

You can use it with coloured "slash" fronts (as with the previous urban livery) as used by various OpCos (not a definitive list)

West Yorkshire (Calderdale and Kirklees)

Norwich

Essex with the University of Essex corridor

Bristol

Glasgow

Midlands (though these are now only using Fuchsia fronts though some Potteries vehicles still have Cherry Red fronts from earlier branding)

Berkshire

However, the template can also be used as that - a 3 (or 4) segment template onto which other colours are being used in the front/band/rear format (though some have a front/middle/band/rear combo) with examples such as:

South Wales - Red/Ochre/Dark Red

West of England (South Glos Lynx) - Ochre/Orange/Teal

West of England (Badgerline) - Leaf Green/Yellow/Light Green/Leaf Green

West of England (Discover) - Orange/Ochre/Yellow/Brown

West of England (Bath) - Light Blue/Sky Blue/Mid Blue

Midlands (Salt Road) - Grass Green/Light Green/Leaf Green/Dark Green

Midlands (Elgar) - Cerise/Pink/Burgundy

Leeds - Red/Grass Green/Red/Dark Green (the red being substituted for ochre on more recent deliveries for different routes

Then you have those liveries that have no connection to the template, most notably Kernow's.

As regards First Cymru, the Western Welsh name is for operations in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. It will be Swansea and the Bay for Ravenhill ops. Not heard what it is for Port Talbot/Maesteg/Bridgend

anything is better than the standard livery

43055 · 27 Nov 2018

TheGrandWazoo said:
Are they? I thought they were still doing the two tone green with the swoop?

Not grey but lilac. None of the Bristol e400s are/were lilac but there were a couple of Streetdecks (now in Norwich) and some Geminis and ALX400s that were branded for specific routes but since the PVRs of those were cut, it was easier to just repaint the redundant orange or green slash.

Midlands have begun with the Salt Road and now Elgar in Worcester to do something different. Whether they'll do more (Malverns, X50), who knows, or if they'll do any more elsewhere in their patch?

EDIT - it’s Nimrod in Worcester (though has Elgar on them)

So they are lilac. It was diffict to tell in the dark, there were quite a few E400s running around Bristol last night in that style.

Quite possible that some more could be done but we will have to wait and see. I'm not to sure about Worcester as the potteries is the closest to me. Hopefully the new branding spreads as I do like what they are doing in other areas.

iantherev · 27 Nov 2018

Two First Cymru Wright bodied Volvos now in Swansea/Abertawe branded livery - 69238/40.

farwest · 27 Nov 2018

First Kernow vehicles are starting to look very smart in their new liveries. All the old First liveries looked awful. I could never understand how anyone designed them as they made the buses looked so grubby.

swifty · 27 Nov 2018

TheGrandWazoo said:
Not grey but lilac. None of the Bristol e400s are/were lilac but there were a couple of Streetdecks (now in Norwich) and some Geminis and ALX400s that were branded for specific routes but since the PVRs of those were cut, it was easier to just repaint the redundant orange or green slash.

*cough* dual door Scania/E400MMCs *cough* it’s not like you to forget those!

Robertj21a · 27 Nov 2018

43055 said:
So they are lilac. It was diffict to tell in the dark, there were quite a few E400s running around Bristol last night in that style.

Quite possible that some more could be done but we will have to wait and see. I'm not to sure about Worcester as the potteries is the closest to me. Hopefully the new branding spreads as I do like what they are doing in other areas.

The First Potteries fleet always used to look very tatty and run down. At least it now looks much better, and those fuchsia fronts certainly brighten up the general image.

TheGrandWazoo · 27 Nov 2018

swifty said:
*cough* dual door Scania/E400MMCs *cough* it’s not like you to forget those!

What? You mean those 36808-24 that I’ve actually travelled on? Those ones????

I’ve been working a lot of hours recently :oops:

TheGrandWazoo · 27 Nov 2018

43055 said:
So they are lilac. It was diffict to tell in the dark, there were quite a few E400s running around Bristol last night in that style.

Quite possible that some more could be done but we will have to wait and see. I'm not to sure about Worcester as the potteries is the closest to me. Hopefully the new branding spreads as I do like what they are doing in other areas.

Senior moment- was thinking of the ADL ones and totally forgot the Scanias :oops:

You’re right - there were 17 delivered in that scheme though some have now gained m2 metrobus livery.

43055 · 28 Nov 2018

Robertj21a said:
The First Potteries fleet always used to look very tatty and run down. At least it now looks much better, and those fuchsia fronts certainly brighten up the general image.

It was quite run down but does look a lot better now most if not all the fleet is out of the barbie livery as is probably the case all over the country.

anthony263 · 28 Nov 2018

[QUOTE="TheGrandWazoo, post: 3750452, member:

As regards First Cymru, the Western Welsh name is for operations in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. It will be Swansea and the Bay for Ravenhill ops. Not heard what it is for Port Talbot/Maesteg/Bridgend[/QUOTE

Maesteg is expected to be lynfi livery port Talbot is expected to see the brewers name resurrected which I expect to see in bridgend

Jordan Adam · 28 Nov 2018

TheGrandWazoo said:
Are they? I thought they were still doing the two tone green with the swoop?

Whoops, having double checked it's the same style as Kernow but in the Somerset colours.

NOT MY PHOTOS! If the original owner wants them removed just drop me a PM.

TheGrandWazoo · 28 Nov 2018

Jordan Adam said:
Whoops, having double checked it's the same style as Kernow but in the Somerset colours.

Nearly but the border between the two colours looks like apples rather than geometric pattern on Kernow. It's just a slight tweak of the old livery

Robertj21a · 28 Nov 2018

43055 said:
It was quite run down but does look a lot better now most if not all the fleet is out of the barbie livery as is probably the case all over the country.

It's certainly getting better across many First fleets - South Yorkshire excepted !!

43055 · 28 Nov 2018

Robertj21a said:
It's certainly getting better across many First fleets - South Yorkshire excepted !!

I used them in Sheffield a few times this year but not that much. Other than 1 streetlight sounding it was going to die they were ok. I think the Sheffield city branding could do with a rethink.

New First Liveries?

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