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West Country Independents

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freetoview33

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Class 172 Fan said:
Yeah, Hallmark is what I meant. It's one of those things that stuck in my head, like Wessex Connect!

Knowing what Diamond are like, having the misfortune of having to rely on them most days (Kidderminster depot services), and from what I've seen of Diamond in the media and Twitter (wheels falling off, going down a taxi rank the wrong way, speeding and buses with dodgy Speedos/panels/fuel smells etc), I would really feel sorry for the people who use that shuttle, should Rotala close down the Wessex ops and give control of it to Diamond...
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I think we all live in hope that in time Diamond will improve. There main problem is that they were formed from many different companies being taken over so have a mishmash of buses and staff. If management pull there fingers out and now concentrate on integration/branding and customer service they have the potential to be a very good company.
 
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TheGrandWazoo

TheGrandWazoo

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freetoview33 said:
I think we all live in hope that in time Diamond will improve. There main problem is that they were formed from many different companies being taken over so have a mishmash of buses and staff. If management pull there fingers out and now concentrate on integration/branding and customer service they have the potential to be a very good company.
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You’re right about the mixed heritage but most of that is 10 years ago with Zaks, NBB and Go WM. Even the purchase of First in Redditch and Kiddy is some time ago (2013).

Granted, they’ve recently bought Central Buses who were a very well run outfit.

In short, they really should be better!
 
F

freetoview33

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TheGrandWazoo said:
You’re right about the mixed heritage but most of that is 10 years ago with Zaks, NBB and Go WM. Even the purchase of First in Redditch and Kiddy is some time ago (2013).

Granted, they’ve recently bought Central Buses who were a very well run outfit.

In short, they really should be better!
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There have been a few other companies too that have been taken over too.
 
C

carlberry

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freetoview33 said:
You’re right about the mixed heritage but most of that is 10 years ago with Zaks, NBB and Go WM. Even the purchase of First in Redditch and Kiddy is some time ago (2013).

Granted, they’ve recently bought Central Buses who were a very well run outfit.

In short, they really should be better!
There have been a few other companies too that have been taken over too.
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Which ones? The only ones I can think of predate the Go WM days. It all feels a bit like a certain company in Wales which tried to merge companies at both ends of the quality spectrum and managed to drag everybody down!
 
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Marcus Fryer

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carlberry said:
Which ones? The only ones I can think of predate the Go WM days. It all feels a bit like a certain company in Wales which tried to merge companies at both ends of the quality spectrum and managed to drag everybody down!
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There was Hanson's of Stourbridge last year.
 
TheGrandWazoo

TheGrandWazoo

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freetoview33 said:
There have been a few other companies too that have been taken over too.
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In 2017, there was Hansons and 2018 had Central Buses. Can't say about Hanson's but Central was a very well run business.

The others are ancient history (2007-13) and arguably, if you haven't got those amalgamated correctly, perhaps it is unwise to then add more challenges!
 
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winston270twm

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freetoview33 said:
There have been a few other companies too that have been taken over too.
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The most recent acquisitions aren't responsible i.e. Hanson's / Central Buses etc, it's been a much longer term issue in terms of fleet presentation & service quality. Since approx, 2011/12 when Diamond first started reducing total pvr following commercial route cancellations / losses of TfWM tendered routes to Igo etc, instead of withdrawing older vehicles, they instead disposed of the 23 nearly new MAN/MCV's to NZ, 10 x former Black Diamond B7RLE/Plaxton Centro's were moved to Wessex etc plus other moves.
 
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carlberry

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winston270twm said:
It's looking that way..... unless it's a phased closure. That now just leaves the 12 in Bath doesn't it?

There's still the 3A/B/C/X, 10/11/11A, 508, 513, 514, 515, 625 & Bicester Shuttles T.B.C
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The 10 and 12 (plus 51) have gone today (so far!).
 
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winston270twm

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Courtesy of Simon Dunn:

Confirmed, Rotala are closing down their Wessex operation, a deal has been agreed with Stagecoach to take over the remaining tendered services in North Bristol from 2nd Sept, staff notice attached for further info. Bicester shuttles will be managed by Heathrow. Stagecoach will be acquiring 8 x E200's & 1 x Solo.

There won't be a formal announcement to the LSE, as it's not material.
 

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carlberry

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winston270twm said:
Courtesy of Simon Dunn:

Confirmed, Rotala are closing down their Wessex operation, a deal has been agreed with Stagecoach to take over the remaining tendered services in North Bristol from 2nd Sept, staff notice attached for further info. Bicester shuttles will be managed by Heathrow. Stagecoach will be acquiring 8 x E200's & 1 x Solo.

There won't be a formal announcement to the LSE, as it's not material.
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I've always thought the point of the 625 was Severn Beach not UWE!
The 3s are going to be interesting as, at present, they're little more than peak hour extras instead of the all day competing service they started as.
 
TheGrandWazoo

TheGrandWazoo

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carlberry said:
I've always thought the point of the 625 was Severn Beach not UWE!
The 3s are going to be interesting as, at present, they're little more than peak hour extras instead of the all day competing service they started as.
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Does bring Stagecoach into some new territory such as Clifton and into South Bristol (ignoring the Falcon). Interesting to see how the 3s go - didn’t realise they were all contracted.

When First registered those routes and drafted in some sh***ed ex Wales Marshall Darts in 2014, who’d have thunk it would it end like this? Well, I didn’t!
 
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carlberry

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TheGrandWazoo said:
Evidently, 8 e200s, a Solo and an increased share of the North Bristol market :lol:
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Given the liability of the TUPE transfer it could be that only the vehicles were actually 'bought', and that would depend on condition. I assume Stagecoach has already earmarked the ones it's having and isn't suddenly going to find a load of the ex Bristol stuff running around Kidderminster magically transfers back!
 
TheGrandWazoo

TheGrandWazoo

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carlberry said:
Given the liability of the TUPE transfer it could be that only the vehicles were actually 'bought', and that would depend on condition. I assume Stagecoach has already earmarked the ones it's having and isn't suddenly going to find a load of the ex Bristol stuff running around Kidderminster magically transfers back!
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Indeed, I’d already thought it was a neat little deal for Stagecoach and that the TUPE liability + £1 + vehicles might be about it!

Tbf, the Wessex e200s look fairly rough anyhow!
 
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winston270twm

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carlberry said:
I suspect Wessex are advertising it to HGV operators already!
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A depot sale was agreed & contracts exchanged weeks ago, their should be a planning application either in / going in 'for change of use' for the proposed new owners, sale should complete in Oct.

robertclark125 said:
Do we know the Rotala PLC fleetnumbers of the vehicles moving over to Stagecoach, and their new Stagecoach UK Bus fleetnumbers?
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Stagecoach should be buying these E200's & 1 Solo (MX08MYT):
YX09HZE
YX09HYY
YX09HZC
YX09HZW
YX09HZD
MX08MYT
EU08FHC
SF07VOB
BA02EAA

carlberry said:
Given the liability of the TUPE transfer it could be that only the vehicles were actually 'bought', and that would depend on condition. I assume Stagecoach has already earmarked the ones it's having and isn't suddenly going to find a load of the ex Bristol stuff running around Kidderminster magically transfers back!
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The ex Bristol stuff running around Kidderminster is actually better than the E200's Stagecoach will acquire i.e. B7RLE /Plaxton Centro's
 
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C

carlberry

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Anthony ross said:
I would have thought that avonmouth would have been an ideal site for stagecoach
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It's good for HGV and fairly good as a coach base however not great for buses to most of Bristol and (as a result of the first two) would also struggle for staff.
 
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