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West Country Independents

carlberry

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19 Dec 2014
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There's two KP54--- MPD's at Kidderminster ex Wessex. All other ex Bristol stuff at Kiddi is Volvo B7RLE's.
At least one of the MW darts was there and I thought it was both, plus some others that were familiar but turn out to be ex Midland Red West so I was mistaken on those.
 
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Whiteway215

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15 Sep 2015
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Bath
I thought the 12 wasn't tendered! But run commercially by Wessex?
I looked back to find out some history of the Wessex 12. According to some notices issued by Bathampton Parish Council, First withdrew their service 4 to Bathampton on 1/9/16. Bath and NE Somerset Council then awarded a contract to Wessex (after competitive tendering) to run a new service 12 Bathampton - City Centre- Oldfield Park-Haycombe Cemetery,Whiteway from 5/9/16.
 

freetoview33

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West of England
I looked back to find out some history of the Wessex 12. According to some notices issued by Bathampton Parish Council, First withdrew their service 4 to Bathampton on 1/9/16. Bath and NE Somerset Council then awarded a contract to Wessex (after competitive tendering) to run a new service 12 Bathampton - City Centre- Oldfield Park-Haycombe Cemetery,Whiteway from 5/9/16.
I Can't see the 12 being replaced. Maybe the D1 rereouted.
 

WelshBluebird

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14 Jan 2010
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I looked back to find out some history of the Wessex 12. According to some notices issued by Bathampton Parish Council, First withdrew their service 4 to Bathampton on 1/9/16. Bath and NE Somerset Council then awarded a contract to Wessex (after competitive tendering) to run a new service 12 Bathampton - City Centre- Oldfield Park-Haycombe Cemetery,Whiteway from 5/9/16.

It certainly existed before 2016 too. Can't find anything with a quick google search, but I lived in Oldfield Park on the route of it back in 2010! Not sure if it was to the city centre or Bathampton then, or even if it was numbered the 12, but a service certainly existed!
 

TheGrandWazoo

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18 Feb 2013
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19,969
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Somerset with international travel (e.g. across th
I looked back to find out some history of the Wessex 12. According to some notices issued by Bathampton Parish Council, First withdrew their service 4 to Bathampton on 1/9/16. Bath and NE Somerset Council then awarded a contract to Wessex (after competitive tendering) to run a new service 12 Bathampton - City Centre- Oldfield Park-Haycombe Cemetery,Whiteway from 5/9/16.

I Can't see the 12 being replaced. Maybe the D1 rereouted.

It certainly existed before 2016 too. Can't find anything with a quick google search, but I lived in Oldfield Park on the route of it back in 2010! Not sure if it was to the city centre or Bathampton then, or even if it was numbered the 12, but a service certainly existed!

The 12 was a Haycombe (outside cemetery gates) to city centre route via the back streets of Oldfield Park. When First were trimming their network in 2014/5, the 4 was under threat and BaNES began supporting the daytime journeys. However, in 2016, they decided it wasn't worth it and hence BaNES tendered it and it was tagged onto the Haycombe 12 to form a cross city route to Bathampton.

I can't see the D1 being diverted during daytimes as a) it wouldn't be able to serve the areas round Holcombe Avenue where the passholders live and b) would add on too much hassle onto the route. Perhaps might end up being a much reduced tendered route (a la the 716 etc) running a few times a day for those who can't walk far and the more able bodied wandering up to the A36 and catching the D1 anyway.
 

winston270twm

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26 Oct 2012
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At least one of the MW darts was there and I thought it was both, plus some others that were familiar but turn out to be ex Midland Red West so I was mistaken on those.

KR has 30500 MW52PZR (That left Wessex Connect in 2012), Redditch has the other one 30701 MW52PZP. I suspect most of the older Darts will be withdraw soon, as KR depot has lost the WCC tender for the 318 (Stourbridge to Bromsgrove ~ 2 buses) to Kev's Car & Coaches, then KR depot is expecting 5 x former Wessex Scania Omnilinks currently at Hallmark Heathrow which will be displaced by new Streetlites there.
 

Martin2012

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17 Jul 2012
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657
I rode the last ever journey on ABUS Service 57 this evening between Broadmead and Stockwood.

The vehicle used was Solo Y555AJP which I'm more used to seeing on the 672 service and I was the only passenger going to the final stop.
 

father_jack

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26 Jan 2010
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Just on a Wessex 51 coming in Wells Road. I'm the only passenger. We've passed people at every stop who are obviously waiting for First services. Driver is shouting on a hands free too !!!
 

DaveHarries

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12 Dec 2011
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England
I rode the last ever journey on ABUS Service 57 this evening between Broadmead and Stockwood.

The vehicle used was Solo Y555AJP which I'm more used to seeing on the 672 service and I was the only passenger going to the final stop.
ABus are, it seems, in hot water with the Traffic Commissioner. The latest N&P from the South West's traffic commissioner include mention that Abus, Bristol are due in front of a public inquiry on the 20th August. A previously scheduled hearing was postponed. N&P can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.g...ata/file/727143/np-2656-19-July-2018.pdf..pdf and the bit about ABus is on Page 14.

The latest changes to buses services in South Gloucestershire reveal that Acorn Taxis has lost their only bus service.

http://www.southglos.gov.uk/transpo...hool-transport/buses/changes-to-bus-services/
Golly. That's a lot of changes. Interesting the experimentation of more services going to Colston Street but probably a good move.

Dave
 

Martin2012

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17 Jul 2012
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657
Interesting to see Stagecoach will be gaining some school services from SGBC. I do wonder if there is any significance in this.

I wonder whether these are simply services which Stagecoach can run off the back of other routes or whether there is something more to it- for example SGBC winding down their operations and Stagecoach gradually taking it on.
 

LeylandLynx

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24 Oct 2015
Messages
180
After September 2nd Wessex Bus will be nothing more than a memory. I remember my first experience with them was in the Wessex Connect days, when I used the U3 as it was known back then, before it became the 13. My memories of Wessex Connect were the buses were often late and overcrowded.

The next time I used Wessex after my uni days was when they stepped in to save the 51. I definitely had to question their business acumen when running the service, though. 15 minutes during off-peak times, when passenger numbers were their lowest, and 30 minutes at peak times? They must have been running those extra buses at a loss. Nevertheless, they seemed to be able to make a small profit for a while, but that wasn't enough to save Wessex Bus.

I'd be very interested to know if they are selling any vehicles to First. There's no way Rotala can keep all of them, surely? It's a shame BJ14 KTA and KTC likely won't be sold, as far as I know they're the only Gemini 2's operating in Bristol.
 

WelshBluebird

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14 Jan 2010
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After September 2nd Wessex Bus will be nothing more than a memory. I remember my first experience with them was in the Wessex Connect days, when I used the U3 as it was known back then, before it became the 13. My memories of Wessex Connect were the buses were often late and overcrowded.

Already mentioned this but my first memory of them were giving First a well needed kick up the backside on the Bath Uni route. But they then got over ambitious, tried (and failed) to compete with First on other Bath routes and lost their focus on the uni route, and with First making the much needed improvements on their uni route, Wessex eventually ended up with a service that was worst than Firsts! That all happened in just a couple of years too from what I remember!
 

winston270twm

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26 Oct 2012
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After September 2nd Wessex Bus will be nothing more than a memory. I remember my first experience with them was in the Wessex Connect days, when I used the U3 as it was known back then, before it became the 13. My memories of Wessex Connect were the buses were often late and overcrowded.

The next time I used Wessex after my uni days was when they stepped in to save the 51. I definitely had to question their business acumen when running the service, though. 15 minutes during off-peak times, when passenger numbers were their lowest, and 30 minutes at peak times? They must have been running those extra buses at a loss. Nevertheless, they seemed to be able to make a small profit for a while, but that wasn't enough to save Wessex Bus.

I'd be very interested to know if they are selling any vehicles to First. There's no way Rotala can keep all of them, surely? It's a shame BJ14 KTA and KTC likely won't be sold, as far as I know they're the only Gemini 2's operating in Bristol.

Why would Rotala be selling any vehicles to First?

Rotala are cascading all the newer i.e. Gemini's / Solo SR's / B7RLE's around group to replace older vehicles in addition to the 25 new Streetlites on order/in process of delivery. The only vehicles that may end being surplus to requirements are the VDL/Gemini's (if no good for Preston schools) and a handful of Dart MPD's / earlier Solo's as may not be too old to be used elsewhere.

The 2 x 14 plate Gemini's (51 branded) will continue to be used on Bicester Shuttle's operated out of Heathrow, 57 dual door Gemini's should be going to Preston. 3 x Bath Solo SR's to Diamond NW (Eccles)
 

LeylandLynx

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24 Oct 2015
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180
Rotala are cascading all the newer i.e. Gemini's / Solo SR's / B7RLE's around group to replace older vehicles in addition to the 25 new Streetlites on order/in process of delivery. The only vehicles that may end being surplus to requirements are the VDL/Gemini's (if no good for Preston schools) and a handful of Dart MPD's / earlier Solo's as may not be too old to be used elsewhere.

The 2 x 14 plate Gemini's (51 branded) will continue to be used on Bicester Shuttle's operated out of Heathrow, 57 dual door Gemini's should be going to Preston. 3 x Bath Solo SR's to Diamond NW (Eccles)

Thanks.
 

-Colly405-

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25 May 2018
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Stoke Gifford
Can anyone (?Phil?) clarify the relationship between BCT and CT Plus? The O Licence is CT Plus, and Traveline shows it as CT Plus. The vehicles are branded as BCT. Yet the HCT Group website shows BCT as one of its Group companies, SEPARATE to the four variations of CT Plus.
 

carlberry

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19 Dec 2014
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In Bristol CT Plus has been renamed to Bristol Community Transport. Just the legal and license name hasn't been changed.
It's trading as BCT, it hasn't been renamed if the legal entity hasn't been changed and the license is still CT Plus. BCT makes people think it's a bit more local than a big company from London.
 

Marcus Fryer

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27 Dec 2014
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732
Predominantly e200s on loan from Dawson’s plus a few ex London ones
These are used on the 52, 505 and 506 (Broad Weir-Southmead). They also have some Mercedes minibuses, used on the 506 shuttle to Create Centre, 511 and 512. I don't know what they're using on the 672.
 

LeylandLynx

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24 Oct 2015
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180
Less than a week to go now until Wessex's closure. They appear to now have almost given up trying to run any semblance of a service on the 51. In fact, it's gotten so bad that the Save51Bus Facebook page is advising people not the use the 51 bus! You couldn't make it up! That said, Wessex appeared to have had embraced the 51 with a lot more enthusiasm that First did. First had neglected the route for many years, which probably led to a decline in passenger numbers.
 

Whiteway215

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15 Sep 2015
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Bath
Take it back - Wessex were using an e200 on the 12 today o_O Must’ve been cosy down Millmead Road!!!

That said, may have been the one seen later in Saltford on the back of a wrecker - hope it’s fixed ready for Stagecoach :D
And great fun on Dartmouth Avenue!
 

carlberry

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19 Dec 2014
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Take it back - Wessex were using an e200 on the 12 today o_O Must’ve been cosy down Millmead Road!!!

That said, may have been the one seen later in Saltford on the back of a wrecker - hope it’s fixed ready for Stagecoach :D
I suspect Stagecoach might be starting with the assumption that everything they've bought is a none runner until they've had a good look at it! (Or they're moving it to the Orkneys!).
 
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Spotted two of the red single deckers heading London bound on the M4 between Newbury & Reading this afternoon. Wessex branding removed, couldn't get identification as I was driving westbound at the time.
 

Marcus Fryer

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27 Dec 2014
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732
These are used on the 52, 505 and 506 (Broad Weir-Southmead). They also have some Mercedes minibuses, used on the 506 shuttle to Create Centre, 511 and 512. I don't know what they're using on the 672.
The MB minibuses are also used on Keynsham routes 663/4/5.
 

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