Coaches stabled overnight away from their home garage

[MotCO]

Following on from this thread (https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/trivia-bus-stop-oddities.203947/page-3#post-4572061) , are there any current (pre-Coronavirus) examples of coaches being stabled overnight away from their usual garage? Even better if the garage was not part of the same company.

I seem to recall some Nat Ex rotas meant that Green Line (when they participated) sent coaches away on a 3-day rota so that the coach would not return for 3 days, with other companies providing coaches for the other 2 legs, but I can't recall the actual details. Are there any similar, current examples?

 

[Flange Squeal]

I believe there are still a number of NatEx examples of coaches doing multi-day duties. Certainly until relatively recently EYMS used to overnight in Portsmouth on the once per day 031. That was recently withdrawn but given they also go to places such as Southend, I‘m sure they have other examples. I’d imagine Travelstar European might also overnight in Bradford on the 320.

 

[Mwanesh]

Megabus for a little while used Plymouth Citybus depot. Stagecoach Plymouth would not let them use their depot after they lost Megabus work. In London Megabus do use Abellio Battersea for parking.

 

[randyrippley]

Its going back 30 years or so but the Penzance-Inverness National Express was a good example. I caught it once Manchester-Lancaster.
It was a Western National, with Royal Blue branded headrest covers. Driver was from Midland Red, and changed to a Scottish Express driver at Lancaster. Arrival / departure at Lancaster was supervised by a Ribble inspector. That must have been a three-day or possibly four rota. Though whether it ever got "stabled" in Scotland is debatable - it probably just got filled with fuel and turned round with a new driver

 

[matt_splat]

Edwards have stuff away over night
1 Paignton
1 Penzance
1 Nottingham
1 Grimsby
1 Northampton
2 Gatwick
2 London Greenline
1 Leicester

2 from South Wales in Bradford
1 from Swansea in Hull

Go Northern have 1 in Plymouth over night and 3 in Paignton

 

[freetoview33]

Megabus for a little while used Plymouth Citybus depot. Stagecoach Plymouth would not let them use their depot after they lost Megabus work. In London Megabus do use Abellio Battersea for parking.

See I never get why Stagecoach actually allow that?

 

[RT4038]

See I never get why Stagecoach actually allow that?

Do you think that would really happen? No. More like Plymouth Citybus offering a cheaper rate for the servicing required perhaps?

 

[RT4038]

Following on from this thread (https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/trivia-bus-stop-oddities.203947/page-3#post-4572061) , are there any current (pre-Coronavirus) examples of coaches being stabled overnight away from their usual garage? Even better if the garage was not part of the same company.

I seem to recall some Nat Ex rotas meant that Green Line (when they participated) sent coaches away on a 3-day rota so that the coach would not return for 3 days, with other companies providing coaches for the other 2 legs, but I can't recall the actual details. Are there any similar, current examples?

Current circumstances excepted, Megabuses allocated to Rugby Depot overnight at Manchester Hyde Road, Cwmbran, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Cumbernauld and Woolley Edge Services. Cwmbran allocated vehicles overnight at Newcastle, Woolley Edge and the Aberystwyth depot of Mid Wales Travel.

 

[matt_splat]

Do you think that would really happen? No. More like Plymouth Citybus offering a cheaper rate for the servicing required perhaps?

at the time it was a South Gloucester arrangement

 

[Statto]

I do remember Go North East operating for National Express, had a couple of coaches stabled overnight at Liverpool Norton Street coach station, i may be wrong but think they operated Newcastle-Liverpool, park up overnight in Liverpool, then operate Liverpool-Southsea

 

[GusB]

Going back to the mid-90s, I recall that the last Citylink service of the day from Edinburgh to Aberdeen (Parks operated) stabled overnight with the driver staying in a B&B. I'm not sure exactly where the coach was stabled, but I assume it would have been at King St depot considering that Grampian/Mairs were also doing Citylink work at the time.

 

[Volvodart]

The Bruce's National Express coach stabled at Union Square, Aberdeen overnight, as does Parks of Hamilton's 2 Gold Coaches. The Fife and Western megabuses go to Stagecoach's depot in Tullos, as does Elgin's 10 coach.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

There were lots of instances in the past with National Express. In the early 1990s, Yorkshire Traction would overnight a vehicle at Southern National's Weymouth depot. Western National overnighted a vehicle in Wrexham IIRC that operated the 383 Edinburgh to Wrexham service.

However, when arranging duplicates, they tried not to overnight vehicles in Manchester because operators couldn't find a safe place to overnight anywhere near Chorlton Street.

 

[Mwanesh]

Current circumstances excepted, Megabuses allocated to Rugby Depot overnight at Manchester Hyde Road, Cwmbran, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Cumbernauld and Woolley Edge Services. Cwmbran allocated vehicles overnight at Newcastle, Woolley Edge and the Aberystwyth depot of Mid Wales Travel.

Manchester is off the network. The Manchester shorts are now done by MTP Travel. I forgot Gilmoss actually stables Megabus coaches overnight.

 

[mbonwick]

Megabus for a little while used Plymouth Citybus depot. Stagecoach Plymouth would not let them use their depot after they lost Megabus work. In London Megabus do use Abellio Battersea for parking.

Do you think that would really happen? No. More like Plymouth Citybus offering a cheaper rate for the servicing required perhaps?

at the time it was a South Gloucester arrangement

The Plymouth work was subcontracted out to SGBC as Stagecoach were struggling with reliability and to recruit enough drivers (especially given the background of the Falcon service starting up).
SGBC chose to use the Citybus depot for stabling, either for financial reasons or simply to avoid being completely locked down with a contract, vehicles and stabling all provided from one source (especially noting here that they got burned by NX in similar circumstances). Finances likely paid a significant part, as the Megabus money was all that was keeping SGBC solvent (until they were bought by Stagecoach).

There was clearly no hard feelings as the relationship between SGBC and Stagecoach developed, with the latter basing vehicles at SGBC's Bristol depot and eventually purchasing SGBC when the Durbins decided to retire.

 

[M60lad]

Travel De'Courcey have some National Express services that stay away from their Midlands base overnight and indeed one of 212 or is it a 325 that finishes in Manchester overnights at a Travelodge in Oldham area although sometimes the driver parks the coach at local Coach Company Swans overnight if this still happens.

 

[awsnews]

A number of coaches on the Citylink services up the west coast of scotland overnight at the other end. Even with the current reduced timetable the Glasgow to Uig service spends the night at Portree, even under the normal timetable only the first departure from Glasgow gets back the same.
I believe some of Bruce's Coaches National Express workings are away for a few days before getting back to the depot.

 

[RT4038]

Manchester is off the network. The Manchester shorts are now done by MTP Travel. I forgot Gilmoss actually stables Megabus coaches overnight.

Check your facts please.

 

[Kahuna47]

EYMS stabled a NatEx at Go North West in 'the before times'. Not sure what service though.

 

[Swanny200]

When Trathens of Plymouth used to operate the 590, 591 and 592 London to Glasgow/Aberdeen they had to stable overnight in various places obviously Parks of Hamilton is now part of that group, where this is the case would the drivers be expected to go into a B&B or could they just live on the coach sort of thing? and how often on these long runs that the likes of Trathens used to do well away from their home, how often would they actually get to go home?

 

[Mwanesh]

Check your facts please.

Check who does Manchester runs. Its Glasgow and MP Travel who do the M11. Check with Megabus. Manchester lost all the work then Preston.

 

[cnjb8]

You would think that Stagecoach would aim to give Megabus workings to Stagecoach divisions. It seems strange to me but I'm sure they gave they're reasons!

 

[mirodo]

In London Megabus do use Abellio Battersea for parking.

As do Nat Ex, I believe.

 

[darloscott]

You would think that Stagecoach would aim to give Megabus workings to Stagecoach divisions. It seems strange to me but I'm sure they gave they're reasons!

A lot of the weekend extra work goes elsewhere now with the lack of coaches in most fleets. It's not like the old days (though after Megabus became coaches!) where they used to send Tridents and E400s on excursions to London on a Sunday which was regular at one time!
Certainly I know the M12 has two such runs on a Fri/Sun that are operated by Compass Royston from Sunderland and I believe J&B Travel do the Leeds one now but it used to be Tetleys.

 

[Mwanesh]

You would think that Stagecoach would aim to give Megabus workings to Stagecoach divisions. It seems strange to me but I'm sure they gave they're reasons!

Local management try to squeeze too much from Megabus so they just take the work away. Coach operations need dedicated personnel. Some of the Stagecoach depots dont want the hassle of Megabus work. Stagecoach London have the capacity to take some of the work but they dont want . Stagecoach Bristol now have a few coaches at Hamiltons of Uxbridge. The Neoplans were not DDA compliant.

 

[RT4038]

Check who does Manchester runs. Its Glasgow and MP Travel who do the M11. Check with Megabus. Manchester lost all the work then Preston.

As you clearly know all the information, perhaps you can check who operates the M11a trips at 0745/0945 Manchester-London and 1330/1530 London-Manchester and where the coaches working these trips are stabled the previous/following evenings ( as per the subject of the post) ? P.S. 2 clues. (1) They are not worked by MP Travel. (2) Vehicles stabled in a Depot are not necessarily worked by drivers of that depot.

 

[RT4038]

You would think that Stagecoach would aim to give Megabus workings to Stagecoach divisions. It seems strange to me but I'm sure they gave they're reasons!

Whatever the reasons are, you can be sure it is the most economical solution at the time!

 

[Eyersey468]

I believe there are still a number of NatEx examples of coaches doing multi-day duties. Certainly until relatively recently EYMS used to overnight in Portsmouth on the once per day 031. That was recently withdrawn but given they also go to places such as Southend, I‘m sure they have other examples. I’d imagine Travelstar European might also overnight in Bradford on the 320.

We have an overnighter in Manchester where the coach is stabled at the Go North West Queens Road depot as well, one in Leicester and one in Swansea, though the Swansea runs were being covered by Edwards as we have been short of drivers

 

[Pat1105]

When Trathens of Plymouth used to operate the 590, 591 and 592 London to Glasgow/Aberdeen they had to stable overnight in various places obviously Parks of Hamilton is now part of that group, where this is the case would the drivers be expected to go into a B&B or could they just live on the coach sort of thing? and how often on these long runs that the likes of Trathens used to do well away from their home, how often would they actually get to go home?

The drivers would stay overnight in accommodation. Sleeping on the coach would be uncomfortable and lack certain facilities. Some touring coaches actually have sleeping facilities located underneath the coach, opposite the toilet, but the NX levantes don’t have these. Some NX work involves drivers on a 4 day rota, where they are away from home for 4 days at a time.

 

[MotCO]

Some NX work involves drivers on a 4 day rota, where they are away from home for 4 days at a time.

Would this be a 4 day on / 3 day off rota? Presumably this is more 'fun' than just going up and down the same route each day.