Stagecoach Repaint Updates

Jordan Adam · 5 Aug 2019

Joel_F said:
I really like Go-Ahead's liveries...no corporate identity for the whole country but localised liveries made to suit the area served. I wouldn't mind a bit if Stagecoach did something similar.

Although i'm not a huge fan of the application and they're being very inconsistent. I quite like First's approach of having a standard template and then each area having it's own colour scheme, National Express / Xplore do it too. GNE in particular seem to be going for the Trent Barton approach of every route having it's own livery, which i don't agree with. Especially not when vehicles end up on the wrong route. Call me old fashion but i'm much more for having a livery across the whole fleet in one area and then going for simplistic colour coded route branding with no fancy taglines etc.

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Andyh82 · 5 Aug 2019

Jordan Adam said:
GNE in particular seem to be going for the Trent Barton approach of every route having it's own livery, which i don't agree with.

You’re a bit behind, they introduced route brands about 15 years ago, and if anything are reducing it in a tad now.

GaryMcEwan · 5 Aug 2019

Joel_F said:
That's the problem with most liveries (Stagecoach Gold in particular!)

It's distinctive, recognizable and anyway the new Stagecoach livery looks too much like Arriva's!

I'd disagree with that. Too much white on the body and ultimately would end more more of a dirty brown with all the dirt from the road. I wouldn't say that would be a recognisable livery.

hst43102 · 5 Aug 2019

Jordan Adam said:
Although i'm not a huge fan of the application and they're being very inconsistent. I quite like First's approach of having a standard template and then each area having it's own colour scheme, National Express / Xplore do it too. GNE in particular seem to be going for the Trent Barton approach of every route having it's own livery, which i don't agree with. Especially not when vehicles end up on the wrong route. Call me old fashion but i'm much more for having a livery across the whole fleet in one area and then going for simplistic colour coded route branding with no fancy taglines etc.

I'm not sure about Go-Ahead, but Trent barton are a very well managed company and very rarely seem to have buses on the wrong routes. Makes sense to have a fleet with each route having its own livery as long as you have the right buses on the right routes (Unlike Stagecoach!!!)

Jordan Adam · 5 Aug 2019

Andyh82 said:
You’re a bit behind, they introduced route brands about 15 years ago, and if anything are reducing it in a tad now.

I worded that section wrong. I was more meaning to say that "GNE take the Trent Barton approach", rather than they're heading for that approach. Yes they appear to be reducing the brands now.

Joel_F said:
I'm not sure about Go-Ahead, but Trent barton are a very well managed company and very rarely seem to have buses on the wrong routes. Makes sense to have a fleet with each route having its own livery as long as you have the right buses on the right routes (Unlike Stagecoach!!!)

I wasn't saying Trent Barton have issues with branded buses on wrong routes. I was just saying having buses in unique liveries (in general) on the wrong routes is more problematic than having a standard livery bus with simplistic route branding on the wrong route.

TheGrandWazoo · 5 Aug 2019

Andyh82 said:
You’re a bit behind, they introduced route brands about 15 years ago, and if anything are reducing it in a tad now.

When it was Peter Huntley (2006 onwards) at the helm, every service was branded (with spares provided via a fleet of white unbranded vehicles). However, when Kevin Carr took the top job, some of the weaker ones (like the 19) were weeded out. There are now quite a few services without brands, mainly in Co Durham.

tbtc · 5 Aug 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
When it was Peter Huntley (2006 onwards) at the helm, every service was branded (with spares provided via a fleet of white unbranded vehicles). However, when Kevin Carr took the top job, some of the weaker ones (like the 19) were weeded out. There are now quite a few services without brands, mainly in Co Durham.

Also a few areas sharing branding between different corridors - the "Toon Link" services into Newcastle and the "Black Cats" routes into Sunderland (both for obvious football related reasons - nice and patriotic colours on the buses too!)... plus IndiGo works for various minibus services around both Washington and Durham - I don't think that things are anything like as complicated as the reputation may suggest - maybe a decade ago - but an operation ranging from Hexham/ Blyth/ Middlesbrough isn't necessarily suited to a "One Size Fits All" approach.

Meanwhile First are going in the opposite direction with the various different colours on the front of vehicles (e.g. in Glasgow) or garage-based liveries (Leeds). The old "Overground" liveries seem quite understated in hindsight!

Tetchytyke · 6 Aug 2019

tbtc said:
I don't think that things are anything like as complicated as the reputation may suggest - maybe a decade ago

Things have calmed down a lot, and the branding is a lot more generic. Branding on the 49 is basically the corporate livery with a 49 sticker on it. In North Tyneside it's a combination of IndiGo and Little Coasters across the routes.

NorthOxonian · 6 Aug 2019

tbtc said:
Also a few areas sharing branding between different corridors - the "Toon Link" services into Newcastle and the "Black Cats" routes into Sunderland (both for obvious football related reasons - nice and patriotic colours on the buses too!)... plus IndiGo works for various minibus services around both Washington and Durham - I don't think that things are anything like as complicated as the reputation may suggest - maybe a decade ago - but an operation ranging from Hexham/ Blyth/ Middlesbrough isn't

And of course now there is "X-Lines", which I suspect will gradually take over the branding on most of the express routes. The only area with a lot of distinct brands is Gateshead town, but even then they might plan consolidate brands here as well.

Andyh82 · 6 Aug 2019

And some of the secondary brands like Waggonway, Whey eye five 0, Blue arrow have been phased out.

Temple Meads · 6 Aug 2019

Jordan Adam said:
Beachball is outdated and in dire need of an update.

That's very much a matter of opinion. Personally I think updating the livery would be change for change's sake.

EnviroExplorer · 7 Aug 2019

Temple Meads said:
That's very much a matter of opinion. Personally I think updating the livery would be change for change's sake.

I also agree that it would better to just update beachball for the newer bodywork designs. For me, these new liveries don’t stand out as being different, like beach ball does. The red ones just cries London, the green cries Arriva - Stagecoach certainly shouldn’t be associated with Arriva!

Anyway, the batch of MMC400s for Morecambe now in delivery are said to be the last new buses delivered in beachball, though I think Leamingtons are already built in beachball too. They aren’t to enter servic still end if September and I heard are being stored at Scarborough for now, though that may be wrong

JaJaWa · 7 Aug 2019

Interesting the two colours are pretty similar to the ones the Singapore transport authority asked the public to pick between when they moved to franchising a couple of years ago.

More details and photos: https://landtransportguru.net/lta-colour-your-buses/

Green won there.

goldisgood · 7 Aug 2019

EnviroExplorer said:
Anyway, the batch of MMC400s for Morecambe now in delivery are said to be the last new buses delivered in beachball, though I think Leamingtons are already built in beachball too. They aren’t to enter servic still end if September and I heard are being stored at Scarborough for now, though that may be wrong

If that's right, I think that means the Oxfordshire ones would be the first double deckers in the new livery? Hopefully they come up with something better than the one so far, or the livery looks better in person than it does in the photos...

hst43102 · 7 Aug 2019

JaJaWa said:
Interesting the two colours are pretty similar to the ones the Singapore transport authority asked the public to pick between when they moved to franchising a couple of years ago.

More details and photos: https://landtransportguru.net/lta-colour-your-buses/

Green won there.

Having been to Singapore a few times, I think that (like the London livery) the bright green livery fits some buses well but can make others - especially older vehicles - look very boring and cheap and even look like they're made out of plastic

..... I hope Stagecoach can get a better livery than that!

Mal · 7 Aug 2019

If Stagecoach want a refreshed livery how about blue below lower deck windows and orange and red bands between decks with the orange and red on cove panels for saloons as this would keep their corporate colours. There could also be a beach-ball on the front panels to just reinforce Stagecoach ownership.

ClydeCoaster · 15 Aug 2019

Steven Knight are reporting that the E400MMCs currently at ADL Falkirk in all-over white with Stagecoach-spec interiors are potentially for Stagecoach Midlands' Unibus operation at Leamington and are on course to be delivered at the end of next week. The question they're asking is why are they in plain white, as there's no indication that a specific Unibus livery is going to be applied at Leamington - and if not are they going to enter service in white prior to the rebranding being launched...

Rod Harrison · 15 Aug 2019

I retesting take on Stagecoach branding. Just back from a few days in the Cotswolds and saw numerous Gold deckers. Whilst stuck in a traffic jam, in the rain, between Cheltenham and Gloucester, we were right behind a Gold MMC. My wife looked at the dark slate grey rear end of the bus and noted what a boring and dismal livery it was. A few more golds passed on the other side and one beachball decker. When I pointed out that the gold buses were for the posh gentlefolk of Southern England and one or two other areas and the beachball for the plebs she said that Stagecoach had got it all wrong as the standard livery was bright, cheerful and inviting. She thought that the gold was awful, just plain dismal! Maybe instead of spending millions on rebranding 6000 buses they should just repaint the golds and other non standard buses. My wife, by the way, has absolutely no interest in buses or their liveries and just commented whilst stuck in a jam on a wet day. However I agree totally (and not because I have to!).

carlberry · 15 Aug 2019

Rod Harrison said:
I retesting take on Stagecoach branding. Just back from a few days in the Cotswolds and saw numerous Gold deckers. Whilst stuck in a traffic jam, in the rain, between Cheltenham and Gloucester, we were right behind a Gold MMC. My wife looked at the dark slate grey rear end of the bus and noted what a boring and dismal livery it was. A few more golds passed on the other side and one beachball decker. When I pointed out that the gold buses were for the posh gentlefolk of Southern England and one or two other areas and the beachball for the plebs she said that Stagecoach had got it all wrong as the standard livery was bright, cheerful and inviting. She thought that the gold was awful, just plain dismal! Maybe instead of spending millions on rebranding 6000 buses they should just repaint the golds and other non standard buses. My wife, by the way, has absolutely no interest in buses or their liveries and just commented whilst stuck in a jam on a wet day. However I agree totally (and not because I have to!).

On a dull, wet day the Gold livery will look dull and any white based livery will stand out more. Gold looks good with sun on it. Of course Cheltenham and Gloucester are very good at misallocating Gold vehicles anyway!

Andyh82 · 15 Aug 2019

First one I could find

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aswans1234567/31393283518/

I think it looks great, and not dull at all, and certainly projects the fact it is a quality product

JonathanH · 16 Aug 2019

Pictures now appearing of the first Panoramas to replace Van Hools on the London-Glasgow-Aberdeen Megabus M11 service.

https://cbwmagazine.com/megabus-com-panoramas-in-build-and-named/

Interior looks a bit more refined than the current coaches - appears to be a mix of moquette and 'leather' which is a reasonable compromise and from a comfort point of view more forgiving than National Express style 'leather' - full seat belts as well.

I was fearing some kind of copy of the post-2016 bus interior so relieved at these pictures.

Flinn Reed · 17 Aug 2019

I think a revised livery would be a better approach for Stagecoach than entirely new, given how recognisable the existing livery has become, without getting too dated.

I think the updated version of the standard livery, as used on E200MMCs and E400MMCs, is an improvement - however Stagecoach have not used this on other vehicle types when refurbished.

I think the main issue with the current livery is having too many colours - Arriva and First have both cut down with their recent rebrands. The livery used for some services in Devon (Hop services in Torbay, yellow-livered open top fleet, and North Devon Wave) is actually very effective, particularly the red version on the MMCs branded for the Hop12. The outline version of the Stagecoach logo is also much simpler.

Perhaps an orange version of this livery could be used for a new standard UK livery, with a sections swapped for other accent colours to create variations for specific route branding.

Another option could be a variation of the Stagecoach Gold livery, adapted to the colours of the standard Stagecoach branding.

LOL The Irony · 17 Aug 2019

Flinn Reed said:
I think the updated version of the standard livery, as used on E200MMCs and E400MMCs, is an improvement - however Stagecoach have not used this on other vehicle types when refurbished.

There's at least 1 56 plate Manchester Enviro 400 with that livery.

fgwrich · 17 Aug 2019

Flinn Reed said:
I think the updated version of the standard livery, as used on E200MMCs and E400MMCs, is an improvement - however Stagecoach have not used this on other vehicle types when refurbished.

There are some vehicles in the Stagecoach fleet wearing the revised livery - Aberdeen has some trident's acquired through other business wearing the most recent version without the light blue band.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jorda...27wj32Z-269ySJ4-KhN6L5-23vtvS1-24woLbf-GKui9p

Jordan Adam · 17 Aug 2019

fgwrich said:
There are some vehicles in the Stagecoach fleet wearing the revised livery - Aberdeen has some trident's acquired through other business wearing the most recent version without the light blue band.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jorda...27wj32Z-269ySJ4-KhN6L5-23vtvS1-24woLbf-GKui9p

Those are Volvo B7TLs rather than Tridents. Additionally they're only painted the way they are because when acquired they were in dealer white, they've simply just added the lower/rear half of the beachball rather than doing a full repaint, hence in places the white can look quite mucky/stained and the Stagecoach logos are off kilter.

LukeCymru · 25 Aug 2019

A picture has appeared on Facebook supposedly showing the new style interior on an E400MMC at Hyde Road. It's a pale grey and dark blue colour scheme. Perhaps we're moving closer to an official announcement?

Bletchleyite · 25 Aug 2019

LukeCymru said:
A picture has appeared on Facebook supposedly showing the new style interior on an E400MMC at Hyde Road. It's a pale grey and dark blue colour scheme. Perhaps we're moving closer to an official announcement?

That sounds classy, is it public and do you have a link? It's the orange that cheapens the interior look.

Jordan Adam · 25 Aug 2019

Bletchleyite said:
That sounds classy, is it public and do you have a link? It's the orange that cheapens the interior look.

Much better than the current scheme, however i'm not a fan of the grey seats which are almost identical in shade to the bland ones First use.

Bletchleyite · 25 Aug 2019

I think I like that, nicer than the orange and blue which just looks too Ryanair.

EnviroExplorer · 25 Aug 2019

Hmm that’s actually very similar to the existing blue & grey interior used on the X2 Scania MMCs
https://thenorthwestbusblog.co.uk/tomharrison/stagecoach-invests-in-brand-new-buses/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/66539820@N07/38915012005/in/photolist-22hMBhR-aL3aec-263WBcv-21ApPSz

Stagecoach Repaint Updates

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