First Aberdeen

[Deltic1961]

The northern Lights theme for the Dyce buses didn't age well.

 

[Jordan Adam]

It's probably more the fact the buses are 9 years old now, any bus that is 9 years old and still in it's original paint is going to look shabby. The remaining examples should be getting repainted now that the Streetdecks are arriving.

 

[PG]

The northern Lights theme for the Dyce buses didn't age well.

My nickname for the Dyce buses became 'near the flights'

 

[JumpinTrainz]

Have some of the E400MMCs been returned to Glasgow?

 

[Volvodart]

The highest numbered 5 left this morning.

 

[Nev85]

The P&J report [paywalled] Aberdeen Inspired are calling for the return of the Night Buses to aid employment in the nighttime economy

Aberdeen’s night time economy manager has called for transport links to be improved to aid recruitment problems.

Ewan Mclean, Scotland’s only night time economy manager, said today that getting people home after a night out, or working at night was essential to help keep the city moving.

The city’s night time bus service has not returned since the pandemic.

Mr Mclean, whose post is jointly funded by Aberdeen City Council and the city’s business improvement district, Aberdeen Inspired – wants that to change.

Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, he said: “There is a recruitment crisis and one of the things that would help would being able to access good quality transport.”

Describing his job as a listening role, he said Mr Mclean said he worked between the council and the businesses, making sure voices were heard.

He said: “We really are missing the night buses, they have not returned since the pandemic, and they are missed.

“Having the bus can help in lots of ways, not only getting those people who have been out on a night out home, but for staff. It really can make all the difference.”

He encouraged other local authority areas in Scotland to consider having a night time manager.

He said: “My job is to work with everyone involved in the night time economy to ensure someone is there to look at all the things the night time economy brings.”

Explaining this meant that someone was there to support all the services including the NHS and the police, to look at the night time economy positively.

His job, he said was “about finding solutions” to make sure the city was safe and welcoming after dark.

Personally this is something I've been looking for for a long time now - trying to get a taxi at weekend evenings these days can be an absolute lottery. I've personally been turned down for taxis into the city as early as 8.30 as "we don't have any available" and found the ranks to be absolutely dead when coming back from town as well. Not to mention hard to find with the pedestrianisation, market being demolished etc. I dread to think how hard it is for those trying to earn a living in the pubs/clubs who can't just not bother.

Re-introducing the night buses would be a step forward, if not a complete fix to the situation.

 

[Jordan Adam]

The P&J report [paywalled] Aberdeen Inspired are calling for the return of the Night Buses to aid employment in the nighttime economy



Personally this is something I've been looking for for a long time now - trying to get a taxi at weekend evenings these days can be an absolute lottery. I've personally been turned down for taxis into the city as early as 8.30 as "we don't have any available" and found the ranks to be absolutely dead when coming back from town as well. Not to mention hard to find with the pedestrianisation, market being demolished etc. I dread to think how hard it is for those trying to earn a living in the pubs/clubs who can't just not bother.

Re-introducing the night buses would be a step forward, if not a complete fix to the situation.

It would be nice to see night services return but i can't see it happened at the moment for two reasons.

1: Although it's nowhere near as bad as elsewhere in the country First and Stagecoach are still short of drivers.
2: Demand on the night services had already been in decline long before the Pandemic.

Realistically if the night services are to return any time soon it'll require funding, and even then i could only really see the N1, N17 and N20 returning.

 

[Deltic1961]

It is an issue though. One girl I know works in a pub till 1am and ends up spending half her nght's wages on a taxi home. Used to be £3 on the bus.

My son had to end up buying a car as he finishes after the last bus home to Dyce.

 

[lachlan]

Night buses in Stirling are also suspended, as we found out when we couldn't get any taxis back from Bridge of Alan and had to walk.

It is an issue though. One girl I know works in a pub till 1am and ends up spending half her nght's wages on a taxi home. Used to be £3 on the bus.

My son had to end up buying a car as he finishes after the last bus home to Dyce.

Yes it's also a matter of safety at night. A basic night service should be subsidised, IMO.

It's not only night buses that are missing. The Sunday morning service is also very poor

 

[Deltic1961]

First killed the night service by making it over complex and changing it too often. Got to the point that nobody knew when the buses were or what stop they were at. They used to run from Albyn then somebody made the decision to run from Union Terrace only cutting off the whole top end of town. That was when it started to die. Then making the Dyce services (apart from the last one confusingly) go through Mugiemoss just added to the confusion.

Also the Dyce service in the old days with Lindsay driving one bus worked well. He just hammered an old olympian and made the round trip in an hour instead of the horrifically slow service it became.

Needs looked at from the ground up if it is ever to come back and make it simple times and journeys.

 

[lachlan]

Even just having a similar route to the 1/2 but with a detour to Hillhead on the way to Bridge of Don would be useful.

 

[Murray J]

What confuses me with FSE is why buses go there to die. Why isn’t there the same level of investment as there is with other companies like Glasgow. Even Aberdeen is getting new hydrogen Streetdecks and new singles are due while FSE is getting cast offs from Glasgow.

I used the X38 for a time last year and it seen very good loading. Most buses heading to Edinburgh were very busy with another bus behind carrying similar busy loads. Is that enough though? I see other services carrying fresh air. I’m not sure with FSE what the solution is. I sometimes wonder if Lothian would be better just occupying the Lothian area and First concentrate of Glasgow and Aberdeen.

I believe the hydrogen Streetdecks are at least partially funded by Aberdeen city council, this is the first i'm hearing of new single deckers due in Aberdeen (admittedly I don't follow it too closely) but I wouldn't be surprised if they're also council-funded at least in part.

 

[Ancelljb]

I believe the hydrogen Streetdecks are at least partially funded by Aberdeen city council, this is the first i'm hearing of new single deckers due in Aberdeen (admittedly I don't follow it too closely) but I wouldn't be surprised if they're also council-funded at least in part.

Aberdeen are due to receive 24 electric single decks (source here).

First Bus Scotland has moved quickly to confirm that all 74 of the battery-electric buses that will be part-funded by the first round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus (ScotZEB) challenge fund are to be single-deck models. The manufacturer has not been confirmed but they will all be in service by spring 2024.

50 of them will go to First Glasgow’s Scotstoun depot and 24 will join the First Aberdeen fleet. The former will take the number of battery-electric buses in operation by the group in Glasgow to 200, while those for Aberdeen will grow to 30% the percentage of its fleet that is zero-emission, the group says.

 

[Jordan Adam]

All 10 of the new blue Streetdecks for the 17/18 have now been delivered with all except 39725 (which was delivered yesterday) now in service.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

All 10 of the new blue Streetdecks for the 17/18 have now been delivered with all except 39725 (which was delivered yesterday) now in service.

Great news. Is it expected that the original 19 branded Streetdecks will start returning next week?

I wonder if the plan will be to oust the remaining B9TLs or if it’ll just be the B7RLEs.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Great news. Is it expected that the original 19 branded Streetdecks will start returning next week?

I wonder if the plan will be to oust the remaining B9TLs or if it’ll just be the B7RLEs.

Yes 39701-15 are expected to start returning imminently. The vehicles due to go are 67804, 69290, 69294 and 69351-57, hence these are the only B7RLEs (minus D7C engine 69123) and Enviro300 in the fleet not to have been upgraded to Euro 6 / LEZ compliance.

 

[Callum15632]

Yes 39701-15 are expected to start returning imminently. The vehicles due to go are 67804, 69290, 69294 and 69351-57, hence these are the only B7RLEs (minus D7C engine 69123) and Enviro300 in the fleet not to have been upgraded to Euro 6 / LEZ compliance.

Where will the B7RLEs and the E300 67804 be off to?

 

[Volvodart]

It was previously said that the B7RLEs were for Midland Bluebird, but unsure about the E300 as that was a later change. Possibly could be to Cymru to replace one they lost.

 

[Jordan Adam]

The last remaining Enviro400MMCs on loan (33213/214/218 & 34366/75) returned to Glasgow last night.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

Still no sign of the 19 branded Streetdecks?

 

[Volvodart]

It would have been reported if they had started to come back. If they really are ready to come back, I assume the delay is due to logistics problems because of the P&O situation plus having to get buses to this week's trade show in England.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Still no sign of the 19 branded Streetdecks?

39701-15 are all ready to return. 39701 is at the ITT Hub Show today.

Some service changes are starting to be registered with the Traffic Commissioner for the 3rd of July.

The revised routes appear to be:
11/11A: Northfield to Woodend or Craigiebuckler
13: Scatterburn to Hillhead Of Seaton
15/15B*: Countesswells to Balnagask Circle
20: Guild Street to Hillhead Of Seaton

There are also timetable changes to the 17/18, 19 & 23. Although I'd expect more will probably come through.

*15B is presumably the existing school service 16B renumbered.

 

[Jordan1296]

39701-15 are all ready to return. 39701 is at the ITT Hub Show today.

Some service changes are starting to be registered with the Traffic Commissioner for the 3rd of July.

The revised routes appear to be:
11/11A: Northfield to Woodend or Craigiebuckler
13: Scatterburn to Hillhead Of Seaton
15/15B*: Countesswells to Balnagask Circle
20: Guild Street to Hillhead Of Seaton

There are also timetable changes to the 17/18, 19 & 23. Although I'd expect more will probably come through.

*15B is presumably the existing school service 16B renumbered.

Is there demand for the 13 to be extended to Hillhead? The current 20 seems to cope just fine.

 

[lachlan]

Is there demand for the 13 to be extended to Hillhead? The current 20 seems to cope just fine.

Intriguing, it would be a welcome frequency increase for journeys to the city centre (the 20 is currently half-hourly) though wouldn't be very convenient for campus unless you're going to MacRobert building.

15 is currently Airyhall-Beach, would this service be withdrawn?

 

[Jordan Adam]

Intriguing, it would be a welcome frequency increase for journeys to the city centre (the 20 is currently half-hourly) though wouldn't be very convenient for campus unless you're going to MacRobert building.

15 is currently Airyhall-Beach, would this service be withdrawn?

Yes, the existing service registration has been cancelled. Nothing new has been registered covering the beach area yet.

Is there demand for the 13 to be extended to Hillhead? The current 20 seems to cope just fine.

The 20 has been having capacity issues in the evening but during the day I would agree.

 

[Red Onion]

Have passenger numbers to the beach been low? The times I’ve been past the beach, the buses haven’t looked busy but not unhealthily empty. It would be a shame to see service withdrawn.

 

[lachlan]

Have passenger numbers to the beach been low? The times I’ve been past the beach, the buses haven’t looked busy but not unhealthily empty. It would be a shame to see service withdrawn.

I've only used it a couple of times as I don't go to the beach often and when I do, due to the low frequency it's usually quicker for me to walk to the beach rather than change on to the 15 bus. Seem to remember it being fairly busy.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Have passenger numbers to the beach been low? The times I’ve been past the beach, the buses haven’t looked busy but not unhealthily empty. It would be a shame to see service withdrawn.

Because of the nature of the 15 to the beach it really varies based on time of year, day of the week and weather. On a cold rainy school day all you're really going to have on it is workers and people going to the beach retail park (still usually a healthy load), in contrast on warmer sunny days during the school holidays it's pretty much the norm for it to be rammed full.

If the beach service is axed entirely i'll be very surprised, especially given they're still willing to operate the '1-B' half hourly and the X27.

 

[Red Onion]

I thought it would still be viable. Perhaps they could reintroduce the 14…

I’m still amazed the 1B and X27 are on the go.

 

[Jordan Adam]

There is demand for a King Street - Dubford route, it's just the way things are set up now makes little sense as you have the 1B (quite literally) departing the city centre at the exact same time as the 1, while within Danestone the 8 is far more popular than the 1 as it takes a significantly faster route however the poor timetable makes it inconvenient. Despite it's poor frequency the 8 is generally a pretty well used service, it's not uncommon for the morning runs from Dubford to be running full by the time they've got to Tillydrone. It does however suffer in the afternoon due to the large gap in service and poor frequency meaning that people often just resort to the slower 1/2.

The most logical solution to me would be to split the 1 50/50 after Bodachra Road so that every second bus (half hourly) turned right (east) along Braehead Way and continued to Dubford via Denmore (perhaps as a 1A) with the Danestone service reducing to half hourly. This would then allow the 1B to be withdrawn and the buses saved redistributed to increase the 8 to a 20 minute frequency between the city centre and Dubford thus making it a far more attractive service. This idea would maintain all existing links while providing more direct buses to Danestone and reinstating a frequent service to the Whitestripes area. With more Bridge Of Don residents using the 8 it would also in turn help ease some of the capacity issues the 1/2 tend to face along King Street. I should also add that these changes could be made without any increases to vehicle or driver requirements, the requirement of the 1 would say the same while the increase of the 8 is covered by the withdrawal of the 1B. The only loss of service would be to Bridge Of Don P&R, however passenger numbers are very poor there anyway and have been for years so it's a sacrifice that is worth making.