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Mixture of single and double decker operated routes

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lxfe_mxtterz

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(Sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but this has only just occurred to me, and it only seems relevant to note down in this thread!)

The Stagecoach "KITE" service running between Guildford and Aldershot has a whole mixture of buses, both single decker and double decker, operating on it.

The norm is Enviro 200's and Enviro 300's, though frequently Dennis Darts (now becoming less common) and ALX400's appear. Occasionally, Enviro 400's are used, and once in a blue moon, you can get anything from the luxury of a Stagecoach Gold Enviro 400 MMC to a rickety Optare Solo or Optare Solo SR! :D
 
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DunsBus

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(Sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but this has only just occurred to me, and it only seems relevant to note down in this thread!)

The Stagecoach "KITE" service running between Guildford and Aldershot has a whole mixture of buses, both single decker and double decker, operating on it.

The norm is Enviro 200's and Enviro 300's, though frequently Dennis Darts (now becoming less common) and ALX400's appear. Occasionally, Enviro 400's are used, and once in a blue moon, you can get anything from the luxury of a Stagecoach Gold Enviro 400 MMC to a rickety Optare Solo or Optare Solo SR! :D

It's been the case for at least the last 18 months, when the 64-plate E200s bought for the relaunch of the 20 as the Kite were moved on to do battle with Arriva and Safeguard in Guildford. A good mix of vehicles for the likes of me (I have relations in Ash who I visit regularly) but it does defeat the purpose of having the service branded - they may as well number it back to 20!
 
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I my experience, certain routes are meant to be deckers but depending on what's available single Decker's might get put on, even mini buses if they are short of vehicles. Companies don't have loads of spare buses especially at peak times.

Bit off topic but Arriva in Newcastle are terrible at keeping route branded buses on the correct route, they seem to be wrong more often that right!
 

Mitchell Hurd

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I'm not sure if I've mentioned it but on one of my local but in frequent Stagecoach routes - route 15 to and from Abingdon and Witney, you get either an E200, Optare Solo (older or SR) or one of the new 69-plate ADL E400 MMC's bought for the S1 and S2 routes.

Not a massively long time ago (quite a while I mean) Mum and I had one of the Banbury 53-plate Pointer Dart's on the 10:30ish from our end of Abingdon to Fairacres Retail Park. I remember these on the old X4 in 2003-2005/2006 when Stagecoach Oxford ran it :)!
 

Bletchleyite

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Arriva in MK appears to have one used decker, not sure where it came from. It is randomly used on any of the routes that don't have low bridges, most commonly I think the 5, I'd imagine some drivers perhaps ask for it if they like it and if someone hasn't already and it isn't blocked in it's theirs. The whole rest of the fleet is single-deck.
 

LancasterRed

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Stagecoach CNL are consistent unless a bus is out of service, in which replacements can be drafted in. The 1/1A in Lancaster poses an exception, this is always a double decker.

Stagecoach MCSL usually stick to their allocated buses too which don't often gain or lose decks, bar a few late services. Preston Bus however? You get what comes. The peak time buses that are usually packed can be either a Solo or Hybrid double decker, or anything in between. Heck, there's even been instances in which another operator's bus has turned up... This usually while the 19, 23 and 35 cart around air while the 31, 89 and 44 run as the Optare Solo Sardine Express.
 

Jordan Adam

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With Stagecoach Bluebird it's possible for a Plaxton Interdeck, Optare Solo, Enviro350H, E400MMC, Plaxton Panther, Volvo B7TL, Enviro400 and Volvo B9TL to be operating the same route at the same time....
 

AY1975

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Generally in Sheffield, Stagecoach are pretty reliable (the 1/7/25/83 are single and the X17/43/50/52/88/120 are double) - the only ones that change are the 44/72 (which interwork) and the 57 (it may just be peak boards that are E400s as the daytime service interworks with the 201).

However First are pretty haphazard with their allocations - pretty much any "frequent" double decker service (say at least four buses per hour) can be single decker (1a/51/52/56/75/76/95/97/98) plus there are double deckers working on the 20/24/83. The only really reliable double decker routes (of any frequency) are the X1 and the 81/82.

The 120 (Fulwood-Halfway, operated jointly by First and Stagecoach) is mostly double deckers but both First and Stagecoach do occasionally use single deckers on it. Ditto Stagecoach routes 50/50a (Sheffield-Eckington-Chesterfield) and X17 (Barnsley-Chesterfield and Sheffield-Matlock), both of which are supposed to be worked by the new gold-liveried double deckers with high-backed seats.

Conversely, there are routes such as First's 8/8a that are mostly single deckers but do occasionally see double deckers.
 

Statto

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Arriva North West Sunday 423 has a mix on hybrid gemini deckers & pulsars

Stagecoach Wirral 1/X1 have a mix of gold standard E300 & E400s, the E400s being ex Kettering
 

ClydeCoaster

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Stagecoach West Scotland's route 18, a local service for Saltcoats and Stevenston, is often operated by a mix of Solo, E200, and E400 on a PVR of 4.
 

Dibuzz

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Today I was on an Arriva no 20 from St Helens to Earlestown, it's always a been a single decker but today was a double which surprised a few people who only realised as it went past and they missed it.
 

Martin2012

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Another one from here in Bristol is Stagecoach 462 from Lyde Green to Temple Meads which seems to have singles on some journeys and deckers on others.

First Y4 from Bristol to Yate currently mainly gets single deckers in the daytime but double deckers randomly appear in the evening and regularly appear on Sundays although not always.

Didn't Faresaver X31 Chippenham to Bath get a mixture of singles and doubles at one stage? Not sure whether it does now though.

Also a different area but does anyone know whether Arriva routes 38 from Crewe to Macclesfield and 84 from Crewe to Chester get a mixture of singles and doubles?
 
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LancasterRed

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Stagecoach CNL are consistent unless a bus is out of service, in which replacements can be drafted in. The 1/1A in Lancaster poses an exception, this is always a double decker.

Oops. Currently behind a single decker 1. Think it's one of the crowdbusters given how it's showing in the app. Usually these ones throw an error of some kind. That, or per my post in the Stagecoach thread, the app is broke. Screenshot_20200309-083349_Stagecoach.jpg
 

Simon75

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Also a different area but does anyone know whether Arriva routes 38 from Crewe to Macclesfield and 84 from Crewe to Chester get a mixture of singles and doubles?

Last edited: 22 Feb 2020

Yes they have a mixture of single/double deckers. Evening journeys you can see a Solo Sr or Mellor Strata
 

Martin2012

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Also a different area but does anyone know whether Arriva routes 38 from Crewe to Macclesfield and 84 from Crewe to Chester get a mixture of singles and doubles?

Last edited: 22 Feb 2020

Yes they have a mixture of single/double deckers. Evening journeys you can see a Solo Sr or Mellor Strata

Thanks for explaining. Is there any reason why it doesn't have deckers in the evening?
 

markymark2000

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Thanks for explaining. Is there any reason why it doesn't have deckers in the evening?
On the 84, it's not needed. Deckers on the 84 are mainly the Chester - Crewe trips and I think it must work out for the school runs so that 2 deckers and 1 single work it. With the shorts being almost always single deckers.
Evenings I think it's partly due to how the vehicle duties work out.
 

shodkini

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Thames Travel X38/39/40 and X2/32 seem to normally have a random[?] mixture of single and double deckers.
 
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