Your guess is correct! 22846/849 have appeared at Stroud depot parked in the reserve fleet corner.
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Stagecoach West/South West/South Wales - Fleet News & Discussion
- Thread starter Temple Meads
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Your guess is correct! 22846/849 have appeared at Stroud depot parked in the reserve fleet corner.
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North Bristol appear a bit short of Gold vehicles. The Sev service today featured one of the ex Stroud/London Tridents that are usually on Bristol service 3 and the X5 had 15981 which was a Cheltenham previously. The next move would be some of the Yellow school buses out on service!
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
15981 has been on loan for a week or so. What ex London Tridents though?
Sorry, just Assumed London for anything second hand! One of the 183xx ones that they've had they opened North Bristol.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Ones like 18312..... despite the Northants registration, they came from Manchester!
Gloucester will most probably receive a new batch of 18x Enviro 400 MMCs for the Route 10, displacing some of the Scania Enviro 400s to replace older vehicles in Gloucester (VX09***) and displacing some time Bristol and possibly Stroud.
Looks like changes ahead for the Severn Express already. Less journeys to Newport and it will no longer serve Aust or Cribbs Causeway, instead running direct to/from Bristol via the M48, M4 & M32.
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promo...gEmJbm5fNBRjFbSSKJxgXN9OzhvdD5WgNNRNlJkHH0svQ
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promo...gEmJbm5fNBRjFbSSKJxgXN9OzhvdD5WgNNRNlJkHH0svQ
freetoview33
Established Member
Mad as most trips are to/from Cribbs
ATW158Xpress
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The changes to the Severn Express are madness as I travel on this service regularly to travel from Chepstow to Cribbs and majority of passenger go to Cribbs Causeway as it’s there nearest shopping and leisure park to Chepstow and Aust.
I'm sure Stagecoach are aware of where passengers go to on the service. However looking at the timings a 28 minute journey to Cribbs or a 53 minute journey to Bristol now becomes a 40 minute journey to Bristol and later journeys back. Some people might have a longer journey however by avoiding Cribbs (and the extra recovery time that gives) the journeys will be more reliable.
ATW158Xpress
Member
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Surely an alternative service would be provided even if another operator decides to run a service from Chepstow/Newport to Cribbs Causeway on a trail run basis.
Cityfox?
Newport might be a possibility however if Stagecoach don't think it's worth it and First have chucked it in I suspect there wont be a long queue!
Anslow are always looking for ways of winding Stagecoach up!
ATW158Xpress
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A good route would be when Stagecoach/First operated the X14 going though Severnside towns/villages of Magor/Caldicot and maybe Portskewett operating non-stop Newport- Magor via M4 which would provide a truly express service again to these areas again as well a though service into Bulwalk/Aust and then Cribbs.
njlawley
Member
They're long gone!
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Carl was being rather mischievous
markymark2000
On Moderation
Is this the start of the end for the SevernExpress?
If it was ran from Cwmbran, I think it would be much better. More services into Newport and the buses at the right end of the route for the demand (Eastbound AM, Westbound PM), they would probably also throw SevernExpress tickets on Megabus and generally, they seem to care more about passengers. Stagecoach West couldn't care less about passengers. Just take them for granted and have no intent on actually expanding services, just running with what they have.
If it was ran from Cwmbran, I think it would be much better. More services into Newport and the buses at the right end of the route for the demand (Eastbound AM, Westbound PM), they would probably also throw SevernExpress tickets on Megabus and generally, they seem to care more about passengers. Stagecoach West couldn't care less about passengers. Just take them for granted and have no intent on actually expanding services, just running with what they have.
Stagecoach Wales threw in the towel on the service 10 years ago. West are giving it a go and appear willing to change it to try to keep it going. I'm sure if the group thought there was a benefit from running it from Cwmbran they'd have run it from there on day 1.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
This would be Stagecoach West who took on the discarded 7XP and X5? Who have built up their Bristol operations from nothing? Expanded the S6?
Really?
markymark2000
On Moderation
Stagecoach Wales ran SevernExpress?
West giving it a go is good but it does look like they are running it down. If a Stagecoach group decides to run a service, they run it. Why would West go to run a service but get it ran from Cwmbran. It would be up to Wales to jump on the route.
There was some agreement between First and Stagecoach on the 7XP and X5 but now they have them, they are just cutting them back slowly, might as well have not bothered if they are just going to cut back every few months. They've only had it 3 months and they are already cutting back! The S6 is one route expansion. Hardly much is it!
freetoview33
Established Member
It used to be jointly run by First and Stagecoach Wales, then First quit, and Stagecoach Wales took it over (As the X14), Then they axed it and First took it back over as the X7, then relaunched as SE. Now it has gone to Stagecoach West as (SEV)
markymark2000
On Moderation
In fairness, when they dropped the X14, passenger numbers for buses around Bristol were the lowest they had been for quite some years. Since 2013 though, there are almost 15 million more passenger journeys per year according to government stats.
Stagecoach also don't like that sort of running where 2 companies work the route on an irregular basis. Both of these probably played a part in the route being withdrawn.
Megabus would now be a big sales outlet for the SEV for connections in Bristol onto Falcon and Megabus routes.
It was run jointly then Stagecoach pulled out when they retreated from Monmouthshire. First have run it continually (and via Bristol Omnibus since 1966) until a few months ago.
The extra journeys around Bristol are mostly within the urban area, the numbers between Chepstow and Bristol have dropped because the government have subsidised car journeys (by withdrawing the toll). If Megabus is a big sales outlet for SEV then why isn't it on there already?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
There's some interesting stuff being said here....
The cross Severn services had long been operated jointly by Red & White and Bristol Omnibus. That continued as Stagecoach Cymru and First Somerset & Avon, the service eventually becoming the 14 & X14. Both firms contributed two vehicles but when Stagecoach Cymru's Chepstow depot closed in 2008 as they retrenched, their journeys were extended to/from Cwmbran, requiring a third vehicle. First continued to outstation vehicles at Bulwark in Chepstow to operate its workings.
In July 2013, the services were severed at Chepstow, with Stagecoach running the Newport to Chepstow section with First on the Chepstow to Bristol section; this was ahead of Stagecoach Cymru pulling out of Chepstow as from mid 2014. However, First then launched the "X7 Severn Express" in November 2013 and ran to/from Newport. There was some suggestion that there may have been a link between that, and First coming off the X80 in Devon but that may well have been conjecture. Certainly, running to Bristol had become a pain for Stagecoach from Cwmbran.
What has changed recently is that you had numerous cars parked up near the A466 roundabout as people used it as an impromptu Park and Ride. Now the tolls have been removed, it is suddenly cheaper and easier to drive across the bridge. You have fewer fare payers and still get paid bobbins for carrying pensioners.
The growth in Bristol was much more to do with the restructuring of the fare system in the city.
Or perhaps now Stagecoach have them, they are beginning to realise the problems that First had in making them pay?
You haven't noticed that Stagecoach West have, in the last 5 years....
I really don't know how you can say that Stagecoach West are just interested in cuts, I really can't. They aren't immune from the realities of day (like reductions to Dursley to Gloucester or the main route through the Forest of Dean) but those are the exception.
The cross Severn services had long been operated jointly by Red & White and Bristol Omnibus. That continued as Stagecoach Cymru and First Somerset & Avon, the service eventually becoming the 14 & X14. Both firms contributed two vehicles but when Stagecoach Cymru's Chepstow depot closed in 2008 as they retrenched, their journeys were extended to/from Cwmbran, requiring a third vehicle. First continued to outstation vehicles at Bulwark in Chepstow to operate its workings.
In July 2013, the services were severed at Chepstow, with Stagecoach running the Newport to Chepstow section with First on the Chepstow to Bristol section; this was ahead of Stagecoach Cymru pulling out of Chepstow as from mid 2014. However, First then launched the "X7 Severn Express" in November 2013 and ran to/from Newport. There was some suggestion that there may have been a link between that, and First coming off the X80 in Devon but that may well have been conjecture. Certainly, running to Bristol had become a pain for Stagecoach from Cwmbran.
What has changed recently is that you had numerous cars parked up near the A466 roundabout as people used it as an impromptu Park and Ride. Now the tolls have been removed, it is suddenly cheaper and easier to drive across the bridge. You have fewer fare payers and still get paid bobbins for carrying pensioners.
The growth in Bristol was much more to do with the restructuring of the fare system in the city.
Or perhaps now Stagecoach have them, they are beginning to realise the problems that First had in making them pay?
You haven't noticed that Stagecoach West have, in the last 5 years....
- Won a bunch of South Glos tenders from Wessex around Yate
- Won the 77 tender (Bristol City Council) from First, which prompted the depot opening
- Introduced the Belles Express (though to be fair, it was always a tall order against the train) before withdrawing it in favour of improving the stopping service and reintroduction of a Bristol to Gloucester service
- Purchased the rump of the Wessex operation from Rotala
- Recently purchased South Glos Coach and Bus
- Taken on the 7XP and X5, discarded by First
I really don't know how you can say that Stagecoach West are just interested in cuts, I really can't. They aren't immune from the realities of day (like reductions to Dursley to Gloucester or the main route through the Forest of Dean) but those are the exception.
You missed out taking over taken over the Bevan routes, the P&R in Cheltenham and the Cirencester college contracts!
markymark2000
On Moderation
Winning tenders is nothing really. It's not commercial expansion. Stagecoach put in bids for almost every contract going. If they win, they win, if they lose, it's no loss. Tenders are neither here nor there for expansion really.
Wessex Rotala.... That was just purchasing tendered runs. The extra buses were needed for those runs.
South Glos was a Stagecoach Group PLC acquisition which got allocated into the West division. It wasn't West purchasing it because they wanted to expand.
Megabus would be a big sales outlet for it with the connections. It may not be on there for many reasons though it certainly should be.
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