Brighton & Hove / Metrobus Discussion

[pepperpot80]

As I use the 1A a fair amount, and seeing this in the context of the coming orders for the new electrics for the 7s, and the still-not-great reliability on the 6s and 49s, I'll take the better journey times in exchange for a bit of a walk to a different bus stop. There's definitely demand, and this reshaping of available journeys should improve the capacity, particularly of peak buses. This E-W axis has always felt like the busiest corridor (Western Road - North Street - Eastern Road) and this will help with some of the busy peak loadings. That said, I could easily see those six buses being redeployed if the concept doesn't quite work over the summer: perhaps they're being set out on the road in one way for now with a view to having some vehicle capacity to move around in the autumn.

Stadler, that Waitrose stop definitely isn't all 1/1A patronage, there's a lot of shorter-distance traffic from there towards Hove Town Hall, and if the frequency of the core 1 service isn't particularly diminished, then hopefully this will mean there is actually some space on those buses coming off Churchill Square in the evenings. The same is true in the east - it's an absolute nightmare getting on at the bingo hall with the buses full off the hospital at shift changes. The concern in the Mile Oak area may well be valid - be interesting to see if that changes in the first few weeks. This should also give some capacity on the 7s too.

Also the comments on the other X services somewhat miss the point - the 25X was withdrawn as a result of the Citaros coming off, the 7X/i7 were (I believe) conceived and part-funded by third-parties and were not very useful, and the 2X lives on in spirit in the form of the 60 (admittedly a still curious peak hours express).

 

[700007]

I think the 1X will do well if not just for filtering out cross city journeys and local journeys as it will help both the 1s and 7s. The 1s will now be at a consistent every 7 minutes frequency to plug any gaps by 'missing' 1As which particularly will be of comfort to those in Whitehawk who would have lost out otherwise.

The core service at present is every 6 minutes (10 buses an hour) split fairly evenly between the 1 and 1As but the new set up will have it at every 7 (8 buses an hour) + 4 1Xs an hour so a small increase overall to 12 buses an hour on the 1 corridor. I understand the 1s especially since Covid are amongst the fastest growing routes in Brighton which probably also justifies buying new buses for the route every 4 years at the moment.

Does anyone know what will happen to the spare ERs (331-354) as not all 24 I assume will be required for the 1s in the new format, as the 1X will on paper be using the new diesel buses? My calculations estimate this might free around 5 or 6 buses? Perhaps off to route 6?

 

[ItCouldBeJae]

Does anyone know how many B9TLs Brighton are shipping off to Metrobus and if this'll mean the Ex southdown buses will get withdrawn (The B7TLs)? Been quite a few coming up to Crawley

 

[Murray J]

Does anyone know how many B9TLs Brighton are shipping off to Metrobus and if this'll mean the Ex southdown buses will get withdrawn (The B7TLs)? Been quite a few coming up to Crawley

13 due in total. The first batch of 6 arrived in March (ex 479, 486-490, now 6907-6912), the second batch is 401-407, renumbered to 6931-6937 (numbered differently due to Euro-5 engines and therefore can't enter ULEZ.)
The plan is for N270UD omnicities to move across to Copthorne relatively soon and get rid of the B7TLs, likely within the next few weeks.

 

[ItCouldBeJae]

13 due in total. The first batch of 6 arrived in March (ex 479, 486-490, now 6907-6912), the second batch is 401-407, renumbered to 6931-6937 (numbered differently due to Euro-5 engines and therefore can't enter ULEZ.)
The plan is for N270UD omnicities to move across to Copthorne relatively soon and get rid of the B7TLs, likely within the next few weeks.

Ah nice, kinda preferred the B9s in Crawley over the omnicities. Do you know what the future plans are for the 3 B9 enviros? They staying until further notice?

 

[JonathanH]

get rid of the B7TLs, likely within the next few weeks.

The two 04 reg B7TLs are looking very tatty now.

 

[ctrh136]

The two 04 reg B7TLs are looking very tatty now.

They looked like they were on their last legs several months ago!

 

[Murray J]

Ah nice, kinda preferred the B9s in Crawley over the omnicities. Do you know what the future plans are for the 3 B9 enviros? They staying until further notice?

No idea although I'd imagine if any deckers were able to be withdrawn they'd be the first to go from the fleet completely (alongside 6953/4 which still retain the old interior and are the oldest omnicities in the fleet).

 

[Jim]

Ah nice, kinda preferred the B9s in Crawley over the omnicities. Do you know what the future plans are for the 3 B9 enviros? They staying until further notice?

I had all 3 of those B9 Enviros the other week, utter heaps they seemed! Driver was grumble grumble about having such a crate.

 

[ctrh136]

I had all 3 of those B9 Enviros the other week, utter heaps they seemed! Driver was grumble grumble about having such a crate.

I think the B9 enviros were only temporary members of the fleet hence they weren't repainted

 

[JonathanH]

OmniCity 6985 YP09HWU working off Copthorne this week - seen on the 411 this lunchtime.

6946 LK04CVH appears to have been edited off Bustimes.org.

 

[ItCouldBeJae]

OmniCity 6985 YP09HWU working off Copthorne this week - seen on the 411 this lunchtime.

6946 LK04CVH appears to have been edited off Bustimes.org.

B7 finally packed up? Noticed it didn't complete its journey the day before so could be dead. Plus with the amount of B9s coming in should be ready to retire the older southdown fleet

 

[Arbitor5]

The latest edition of the Brighton Bus Watch newsletter mentions this new route 1X service so it seems that it is indeed happening.

This is the website mentioned here:

index of Brighton Area Buswatch

Frequently Updated: We are Brighton Area Buswatch, which works in association with Bus Users (formally Bus Users UK). Our aim is to encourage better bus services and represent the needs of local bus users. Our area covers from Shoreham eastwards to Lewes/Seaford. As well as a bus/public...

www.brightonbuswatch.org

It can be downloaded as a PDF here:

http://www.brightonbuswatch.org/Brighton%20Buswatch%20Newsletter%20Mar-Apr%202024.pdf

These are the only details it mentions:



Apparently it will be a Brighton Marina to Mile Oak service. This really makes no sense. This a cross city route with lots of passengers boarding and alighting at all stops. It is not the sort of route where you would expect a limited stop service. In fact i am not sure how they are going to choose which stops to serve. In the UK it is quite rare for local cross city services to have express or limited stop versions.

All of their other limited stop routes (11X 12X 13X 28 29 29A 29B 29X) are all long distance services so it kind of makes sense. The only other local city route that was limited stop was the 25X and that only lasted for a year or two. So it does seem an odd choice.

The 25X lasted almost 7 years and was very successful. Covid saw its demise due to University lectures being held online.

 

[Sussexwatch]

B&H routes 28, 29 & 29A continue to provide a limited stop service along Lewes Road every 10 minutes during the day serving the same stops as the 25X, except not going into Sussex University Campus at Falmer.

The new 1X appears to be very successful. B&H reported that during the first week in July combined usage of the 1 & 1X was up 18% on the same week in 2023. I've used it several times and the stops seem to be well understood with very few instances of passengers requesting other stops. This is a credit to the publicity and marketing team who heavily promoted the new route. The 1X is particularly busy in the afternoon peak westbound towards Mile Oak, yesterday afternoon I saw two consecutive buses with full loads in the City Centre. Passengers are clearly using it for cross city journeys which is very encouraging.

 

[JonathanH]

Are Metrobus now running down the Scania OmniCity buses on the 100? A fairly diverse mix of double deckers and other vehicles our today on it.

Was it expected that the Wright bodied Volvos would move over?

 

[blelic]

Are Metrobus now running down the Scania OmniCity buses on the 100? A fairly diverse mix of double deckers and other vehicles our today on it.

Was it expected that the Wright bodied Volvos would move over?

The first of I believe 12 new shorter Hydroliners has been delivered for use on route 100.

 

[Murray J]

Are Metrobus now running down the Scania OmniCity buses on the 100? A fairly diverse mix of double deckers and other vehicles our today on it.

Was it expected that the Wright bodied Volvos would move over?

The fleet of 08-reg omnicity single deckers branded for the 100 are slowly getting withdrawn - 2 were withdrawn last week. I think they're also becoming less reliable although I don't monitor this closely so can't know for sure. There are definitely more double-deckers on the 100 currently than normal though.

 

[Mollman]

The first of I believe 12 new shorter Hydroliners has been delivered for use on route 100.

Have they resolved the hydrogen issue yet to be able to actually operate them?

 

[Edvid]

Crawley Borough Council still haven't decided whether or not to grant permission for a permanent facility, so I believe the situation as described in post #113 hasn't changed.

 

[Flange Squeal]

It has been announced that the independent coach operator Regency Coaches has been acquired by Go-Ahead. Below is quote from Go-Ahead Group's media news page. I've heard that the plan is to move operations from Regency's current depot, located to the west of Ringmer, to Brighton & Hove's existing site around four miles way, just to the east of Ringmer (where the Eastbourne Sightseeing operation they acquired is based). I've also heard that, unlike many of Go-Ahead's acquisitions, that the Regency Coaches name is to be dropped and they'll instead use the Spirit of Sussex coaching division name instead. I'm unable to back these up with quotes though, so in line with forum rules these latter points should be taken as hearsay rather than fact at the moment until someone is able to formally clarify!

Go-Ahead expands its national coach operations with the acquisition of Regency Coaches in Sussex​

• Coach operator to become part of Brighton & Hove Buses
• Deal adds to Go-Ahead’s expanding network of UK coach operators

The Go-Ahead Group has agreed a deal to acquire Regency Coaches, a coach operator headquartered in East Sussex. The business will become part of Go-Ahead’s subsidiary, Brighton and Hove Buses.
Regency Coaches operates school and private hire services, which will continue to be served by Brighton and Hove Buses as this new period of operation begins.
This latest deal builds on Go-Ahead’s other acquisitions across England, including Pulhams Coaches and four coach companies across North and West Yorkshire, and the North East which further strengthen our service offering for schools, businesses and local authority partners. Go-Ahead is now one of the largest coach operators in the UK.
Brighton and Hove Buses, and its sister company, Metrobus, both part of the Go-Ahead Group, operate a fleet of over 400 buses across a network of 123 routes serving Brighton and Hove, connecting the city with communities across the counties of Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
Between the two operators, customers make 62 million journeys per year which is more bus journeys per head of the population than anywhere in the UK outside of London. This acquisition further grows Brighton and Hove Buses network, following the acquisition of Eastbourne Sightseeing at the start of this year.

Matt Carney, CEO – Go-Ahead Bus, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Regency Coaches to the Go-Ahead Group, and to grow our presence in the UK coach market. As a company we’re committed to connecting communities, so providing coach services across the country for schools, groups, small business and local authority partners is an important transport mode for our communities. This is an exciting expansion of our coach operation to provide all customers across the South Coast with even more choice.”

Ed Wills, Managing Director of Brighton & Hove Buses, said:
“We are delighted to offer a greater variety of coaching vehicles and services as part of our business. I’d also like to welcome on board all drivers from Regency Coaches to the company. With a larger fleet in the local area, we look forward to growing the business, working with new and existing customers. Coaches are a great way to encourage people to travel more sustainably and without the stress of driving.”

Source: https://newsroom.go-ahead.com/news/...-the-acquisition-of-regency-coaches-in-sussex

 

[aswilliamsuk]

Crawley Borough Council still haven't decided whether or not to grant permission for a permanent facility, so I believe the situation as described in post #113 hasn't changed.

It does look, though, that they are getting better usage out of the existing GB Kites - Bustimes suggest that we're now up to 9/10 in use per day (which is a whole lot more than it was earlier in the year).

 

[ItCouldBeJae]

Didn't think it was possible but 6933 was briefly tracking on a london bus route 55 earlier on today. Not sure how that's happened

 

[Murray J]

Didn't think it was possible but 6933 was briefly tracking on a london bus route 55 earlier on today. Not sure how that's happened

Quite a few ended up doing that yesterday, still not entirely sure why but should be fixed now.

 

[Mollman]

It has been announced that the independent coach operator Regency Coaches has been acquired by Go-Ahead. Below is quote from Go-Ahead Group's media news page. I've heard that the plan is to move operations from Regency's current depot, located to the west of Ringmer, to Brighton & Hove's existing site around four miles way, just to the east of Ringmer (where the Eastbourne Sightseeing operation they acquired is based). I've also heard that, unlike many of Go-Ahead's acquisitions, that the Regency Coaches name is to be dropped and they'll instead use the Spirit of Sussex coaching division name instead. I'm unable to back these up with quotes though, so in line with forum rules these latter points should be taken as hearsay rather than fact at the moment until someone is able to formally clarify!


Source: https://newsroom.go-ahead.com/news/...-the-acquisition-of-regency-coaches-in-sussex

Route One backs you up:

Brighton and Hove Buses already has its own coaching operation, Spirit of Sussex. The operator subsequently confirmed that Regency Coaches will be rebranded as part of the Spirit of Sussex business and run out of its Ringmer depot.

https://www.route-one.net/news/regency-coaches-is-latest-purchase-by-the-go-ahead-group/

 

[izvor]

Route One backs you up:

https://www.route-one.net/news/regency-coaches-is-latest-purchase-by-the-go-ahead-group/

Shame to lose yet another independent, but admittedly it's a good purchase for Go-Ahead. Regency Coaches were a quality operator.

 

[Hophead]

I think the B9 enviros were only temporary members of the fleet hence they weren't repainted

These are now at Lewes Road as 221-223 and have been in use on the 25 this week.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Oct 2024 ==

Have they resolved the hydrogen issue yet to be able to actually operate them?

The new Hydroliners are allocated fleet numbers 6401-12 with LV24/74 registrations. Some have been delivered and even run in service on the 100. Unfortunately, Metrobus seems to have run out of hydrogen again and there's no H2 powered buses running today, going by bustimes.org. There were a few running yesterday, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say they'll be back on Monday (though I wouldn't make a special trip to Crawley without checking first).

 

[MotCO]

The delay in bringing all the hydrogen buses into use ( and there's more on order) must be quite expensive for Metrobus. They are presumably paying the finance costs on the new buses, but not operating many, and there is the cost of maintaining the existing diesel buses which should have been taken out of service.

Any news on when the Irizar buses will start route 358? .Metrobus seem to be hampered bring new buses into service, none of which is really their fault.

 

[Park47515]

The delay in bringing all the hydrogen buses into use ( and there's more on order) must be quite expensive for Metrobus. They are presumably paying the finance costs on the new buses, but not operating many, and there is the cost of maintaining the existing diesel buses which should have been taken out of service.

Any news on when the Irizar buses will start route 358? .Metrobus seem to be hampered bring new buses into service, none of which is really their fault.

Am almost surprised they haven't changed the order for the Deckers to be electrics, and ordered more of them to compensate for the mileage issue. As it has no end in sight does it.

 

[Edvid]

The following quote in Route One's article regarding the Go-Ahead/Wrightbus deal for 1,200 zero emission buses...

First year deliveries will include 201 examples that are part-funded by the second round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme

...would imply the relevant parties are confident the condition(s) for subsidising the 43 associated Hydroliners (including consented use of the permanent refuelling facility) will be met. I would be surprised if the HSE / Go-Ahead / Crawley Borough and other stakeholders hadn't continued to engage in regular discourse since the HSE advised against granting HSC back in March, given the decision to grant/refuse it is still pending.

 

[MotCO]

The following quote in Route One's article regarding the Go-Ahead/Wrightbus deal for 1,200 zero emission buses...

...would imply the relevant parties are confident the condition(s) for subsidising the 43 associated Hydroliners (including consented use of the permanent refuelling facility) will be met. I would be surprised if the HSE / Go-Ahead / Crawley Borough and other stakeholders hadn't continued to engage in regular discourse since the HSE advised against granting HSC back in March, given the decision to grant/refuse it is still pending.

I do wonder if the only answer is to stable the hydrogen buses at the Southdown premises at Copthorne - if planning permission is being sought it will take a while to come through, but Metrobus must be confident of a solution or else they would not be buying more hydrogen buses.