First Essex

[Adtrainsam]

Quite shocked at the state of some Chelmsford suburb routes these days - can't quite get my head round Chelmer Village being served on the Witham /Colchester route for example. Evening services look poor too. Comparative routes in Norwich 20+ years ago were slated for poor evening & Sunday services but what they have now shames Chelmsford.

Chelmer Village resident here - we've always been on the Witham/Colchester route, which is fine... until the A12 screws up, and the service goes up the wall. Since the withdrawal of the C12 last Autumn, I believe Chelmer Village is the only major part of Chelmsford not to have any of First's 'shuttles' town routes. Some parts of the city are decently well served, e.g. the Beaulieu developments & Broomfield Road with up to 4bph(!!) until 11pm but provision in other areas leaves a lot to be desired. Places like Great Baddow have had services cut back from a regular 30 minute service day/night on route 51 to a sparse Monday to Friday shopping hours only hourly service on route C6.

It's well known that the taxi companies make a killing after 7/8pm for the Chelmer Village & Moulsham/Baddow areas - watch the gateline at Chelmsford after 8pm as hundreds of London commuters & daytrippers arrive back. Many would take the bus ... if there was one!

 

[martin2345uk]

Chelmer Village resident here - we've always been on the Witham/Colchester route, which is fine... until the A12 screws up, and the service goes up the wall. Since the withdrawal of the C12 last Autumn, I believe Chelmer Village is the only major part of Chelmsford not to have any of First's 'shuttles' town routes. Some parts of the city are decently well served, e.g. the Beaulieu developments & Broomfield Road with up to 4bph(!!) until 11pm but provision in other areas leaves a lot to be desired. Places like Great Baddow have had services cut back from a regular 30 minute service day/night on route 51 to a sparse Monday to Friday shopping hours only hourly service on route C6.

It's well known that the taxi companies make a killing after 7/8pm for the Chelmer Village & Moulsham/Baddow areas - watch the gateline at Chelmsford after 8pm as hundreds of London commuters & daytrippers arrive back. Many would take the bus ... if there was one!

Yeah I was very irked at the loss of the C12. I have since moved to Baddow and the bus situation is not much better.

 

[Sleepy]

Chelmer Village resident here - we've always been on the Witham/Colchester route, which is fine... until the A12 screws up, and the service goes up the wall. Since the withdrawal of the C12 last Autumn, I believe Chelmer Village is the only major part of Chelmsford not to have any of First's 'shuttles' town routes. Some parts of the city are decently well served, e.g. the Beaulieu developments & Broomfield Road with up to 4bph(!!) until 11pm but provision in other areas leaves a lot to be desired. Places like Great Baddow have had services cut back from a regular 30 minute service day/night on route 51 to a sparse Monday to Friday shopping hours only hourly service on route C6.

It's well known that the taxi companies make a killing after 7/8pm for the Chelmer Village & Moulsham/Baddow areas - watch the gateline at Chelmsford after 8pm as hundreds of London commuters & daytrippers arrive back. Many would take the bus ... if there was one!

Back in the day Witham / Colchester runs only operated via Springfield Road, Chelmer V. had its own town service (48 ??)

 

[Adtrainsam]

Yeah I was very irked at the loss of the C12. I have since moved to Baddow and the bus situation is not much better.

Baddow is not much better - although, it is better than the western side of Chelmer Village (Beeleigh Link area) which now has a very sparse service.

Back in the day Witham / Colchester runs only operated via Springfield Road, Chelmer V. had its own town service (48 ??)

I haven’t been in Chelmsford long enough to remember that. The 71 routes have been going through Chelmer Village for at least 10 years now - supplemented by various incarnations of the 47/48, H1/H2, 40 and C12 routes over the years. The service via Springfield Road on Sundays only (71C) was streamlined into the main service back in 2022.

 

[Simon75]

My dad lives in Great Baddow and the part he lives , daytime bus have been cut from every 15 to 20, then the last changes it went from 20 to 30

I also find its odd you the 42A Chelmsford to Bishops Stortford on Sunday, but no Monday to Saturday (there was one years age)

 

[Sleepy]

My dad lives in Great Baddow and the part he lives , daytime bus have been cut from every 15 to 20, then the last changes it went from 20 to 30

I also find its odd you the 42A Chelmsford to Bishops Stortford on Sunday, but no Monday to Saturday (there was one years age)

X10 route covers most of that route Monday to Saturday if that's any help ?

 

[Cambus731]

It was in April 1995 that the 53 was renumbered 71 and routed via Chelmer Village. Chelmer Village was served by the 48 from about 1978 onwards to 1995.

 

[90sWereBetter]

According to the Basildon depot manager on FirstBus Enthusiasts Facebook group, the last Enviro 300H finished last night, and the last five Volvo hybrids will be withdrawn this evening. Replacements are apparently going to be some long Streetlites from Colchester, made surplus by the X20 changes (basically E200MMCs cascading B7/B9s from the old 370 onto Colchester town services). Hopefully now the X20 fleet is completed repaints into Shuttles and Essex Bus liveries will recommence, there's still plenty of E200s, E400s and Streetlites to do.

Still no sign of any replacements for Colchester's superannuated B7TL/Gemini fleet on the horizon, and a large proportion of Basildon's E400 fleet is at least 15 years old, so there could be more movements on the decker front in the mid term future.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

According to the Basildon depot manager on FirstBus Enthusiasts Facebook group, the last Enviro 300H finished last night, and the last five Volvo hybrids will be withdrawn this evening. Replacements are apparently going to be some long Streetlites from Colchester, made surplus by the X20 changes (basically E200MMCs cascading B7/B9s from the old 370 onto Colchester town services).

Hopefully now the X20 fleet is completed repaints into Shuttles and Essex Bus liveries will recommence, there's still plenty of E200s, E400s and Streetlites to do.

I'd heard that 67901 was now withdrawn. I experienced that on a trip to the area in January and can safely say it was one of the worst buses I have ever travelled on. People will find it hard to believe but Streetlites are a massive upgrade on that crate!

 

[JamesC357]

It’s been a while since the last repaint into Essex Bus green, and the Shuttles repaints seem to have slowed right down too. I wonder if that means the new nationwide livery rumour mentioned in other threads does have legs?

I have no inside info, just speculating.

 

[MotCO]

The 68 has been an Ensign operation for several years. There's probably some logical reason why it makes sense for it to remain at Purfleet (e.g. fits in around other work, shortage of drivers at Hadleigh) rather than move it.

Presumably the route registration would need to be changed if the 68 was going to be worked by a different company, (I assume that Ensignbus is still a separate company, just owned by First.)

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Presumably the route registration would need to be changed if the 68 was going to be worked by a different company, (I assume that Ensignbus is still a separate company, just owned by First.)

Correct

 

[dodecahedron67]

It’s been a while since the last repaint into Essex Bus green, and the Shuttles repaints seem to have slowed right down too. I wonder if that means the new nationwide livery rumour mentioned in other threads does have legs?

I have no inside info, just speculating.

There’s a new corporate standard livery for electric buses, not sure about diesels - purple/silver as seen on York’s new electric wrightbuses. These were originally supposed to be delivered in a York-specific livery but were changed to ‘corporate electric’ purple/silver pretty last minute

 

[Canary73]

They've been doing this for years. I live in Chelmer Village and work in London. Over the years, they have chopped and change the service, route diagrams and frequencies. It is a built up area with plenty of passengers that could use buses for work or leisure but struggles to get anything like a regular service that Galleywood and Beaulieu Park gets (although in the latter's case is because of the contract when the homes were built). My service (on Beeleigh Link) has gone from every 30 mins on a direct route into the city to a zig zag with only two buses between 0600-0900 and two home between 1700-1900 with around hour-ish buses between times. These routes avoid the city centre and don't call at the railway station which is one of First's bizarre changes as its the busiest stop on the route. There are generally half hourly services between Chelmer Village and the City Centre using the 71/371 country buses to Witham & Colchester with a handful of extra services at peak times but these can also have long gaps of an hour or longer. Buses also finish pretty early in the evening and can't be used to get to and from the theatre/restaurants etc.

Often I'll walk home as it tends to be quicker. Taxis are expensive and the gridlock outside the station shows that the demand is there but First have pretty much given up. They have closed their travel shops and everything is via twitter (which is not operated from the first to last service and is poor at providing timely responses and isn't based locally). There is demand for buses if they were run frequently and directly but they don't which means those that can use their cars. There is no competition, no one holds them to account and the bus station is inadequate with buses dumped anywhere usually blocking stand 3 where the Chelmer Village buses go from. When you speak to drivers, they find it equally bizarre and say decisions have been made by management who have no idea how to run services. A 15 minute frequency with 2 buses going direct, looping via Beeleigh Link to B&Q, supplemented by two to Colchester/Witham would be sufficient. However, First do their usual trick of running as little as possible or at times of no use then claim no one uses the services before cutting them further to the point when passengers give up on the service. There is a market there if they can be bothered to provide it or are held to account to do so. The County Council often runs consultations but these again look to passengers detriments rather than benefits.

Baddow is not much better - although, it is better than the western side of Chelmer Village (Beeleigh Link area) which now has a very sparse service.

I haven’t been in Chelmsford long enough to remember that. The 71 routes have been going through Chelmer Village for at least 10 years now - supplemented by various incarnations of the 47/48, H1/H2, 40 and C12 routes over the years. The service via Springfield Road on Sundays only (71C) was streamlined into the main service back in 2022.

Yep its not up to the job. I remember going to a meeting with First when they tried to axe the 47. Axing the C12 and replacing it with a rerouted 47 helps no one. It now runs straight into traffic when it loops around Tesco's, avoids all the major stops and takes longer to get to and from the station than the train takes between Chelmsford and Colchester or Chelmsford to Stratford. It's by far the longest part of my journey and the most problematic.

 

[MotCO]

They've been doing this for years. I live in Chelmer Village and work in London. Over the years, they have chopped and change the service, route diagrams and frequencies. It is a built up area with plenty of passengers that could use buses for work or leisure but struggles to get anything like a regular service that Galleywood and Beaulieu Park gets (although in the latter's case is because of the contract when the homes were built). My service (on Beeleigh Link) has gone from every 30 mins on a direct route into the city to a zig zag with only two buses between 0600-0900 and two home between 1700-1900 with around hour-ish buses between times. These routes avoid the city centre and don't call at the railway station which is one of First's bizarre changes as its the busiest stop on the route. There are generally half hourly services between Chelmer Village and the City Centre using the 71/371 country buses to Witham & Colchester with a handful of extra services at peak times but these can also have long gaps of an hour or longer. Buses also finish pretty early in the evening and can't be used to get to and from the theatre/restaurants etc.

Often I'll walk home as it tends to be quicker. Taxis are expensive and the gridlock outside the station shows that the demand is there but First have pretty much given up. They have closed their travel shops and everything is via twitter (which is not operated from the first to last service and is poor at providing timely responses and isn't based locally). There is demand for buses if they were run frequently and directly but they don't which means those that can use their cars. There is no competition, no one holds them to account and the bus station is inadequate with buses dumped anywhere usually blocking stand 3 where the Chelmer Village buses go from. When you speak to drivers, they find it equally bizarre and say decisions have been made by management who have no idea how to run services. A 15 minute frequency with 2 buses going direct, looping via Beeleigh Link to B&Q, supplemented by two to Colchester/Witham would be sufficient. However, First do their usual trick of running as little as possible or at times of no use then claim no one uses the services before cutting them further to the point when passengers give up on the service. There is a market there if they can be bothered to provide it or are held to account to do so. The County Council often runs consultations but these again look to passengers detriments rather than benefits.


Yep its not up to the job. I remember going to a meeting with First when they tried to axe the 47. Axing the C12 and replacing it with a rerouted 47 helps no one. It now runs straight into traffic when it loops around Tesco's, avoids all the major stops and takes longer to get to and from the station than the train takes between Chelmsford and Colchester or Chelmsford to Stratford. It's by far the longest part of my journey and the most problematic.

Will First Essex become better organised and responsive a la Ensignbus, or will Ensignbus take on the traits of First Essex following their takeover?

 

[Southend Rider]

That’s a good question, I believe we all know the answer

 

[Simon75]

The main problem in my opinion is Chelmsford bus station, isn't fit for purpose (compared with the old Eastern National garage/bus station)
Too many buses for the bus station

 

[Canary73]

Agree, poorly designed and approved by the Council with a lack of foresight. It is also an unpleasant place to wait especially in the evenings. No one seems to stick to the no smoking signs be it passers by or First Essex staff. A lack of accurate information and no one to ask for advice now the Travel Centre has shown. Also a lack of decent cross county/country links. The Daily National Express from Southend through to Liverpool has been axed so many journeys now require a change at Harlow, Stansted Airport or London. Cambridge is more difficult to get to than it should be.

 

[Adtrainsam]

They've been doing this for years. I live in Chelmer Village and work in London. Over the years, they have chopped and change the service, route diagrams and frequencies. It is a built up area with plenty of passengers that could use buses for work or leisure but struggles to get anything like a regular service that Galleywood and Beaulieu Park gets. There are generally half hourly services between Chelmer Village and the City Centre using the 71/371 country buses to Witham & Colchester with a handful of extra services at peak times but these can also have long gaps of an hour or longer. Buses also finish pretty early in the evening and can't be used to get to and from the theatre/restaurants etc.

Many of the Chelmsford suburbs, not just Chelmer Village, have a clear market for bus services during peak/commuting periods but First fail to capture them - due to reasons you’ve already mentioned. There are easy growth opportunities if First operated a decent, reliable service in the first place.

There have been many times I’ve arrived at the Bus Station with services all over the place. It was not uncommon to see 2 buses cancelled in a row and buses leaving from wrong stands etc. The worst I’ve seen was last November on a wet Tuesday night. No Chelmer Village buses for almost 2 hours. In the end, 40(!) of us bundled onto a 71 Chelmer Village short. Now who’s using the bus after that?

Often I'll walk home as it tends to be quicker.

Those TIER e-scooters are my first call if it’s a nice day and still light outside. They’re pretty decent and plenty have switched to them, especially in summer months!

Will First Essex become better organised and responsive a la Ensignbus, or will Ensignbus take on the traits of First Essex following their takeover?

Well - First Essex are introducing some further minor timetable changes from September to react to traffic conditions & punctuality, including the welcome addition of a 20 minute service to Great Baddow on the C7. I’ll have to say - for the most part, 2023 has been markedly better than 2022 and previous overall.

 

[Canary73]

Travelling home this evening and looked like some services cut out as bus was parked in the middle of the bus station and full. Driver prevented a person with a pram boarding as two prams on already. Another example of service provision failing to meet demand

 

[GusB]

Travelling home this evening and looked like some services cut out as bus was parked in the middle of the bus station and full. Driver prevented a person with a pram boarding as two prams on already. Another example of service provision failing to meet demand

I'm not sure what else the driver could have done if there were two prams there already. How many pram spaces do you want?

 

[Canary73]

The point was that a bus before had previously been axed hence the heavy loading. A more frequent service would sweep people up and avoid the need for local people from boarding longer distance services.

 

[martin2345uk]

Decided to try getting the bus home from Chelmsford station on Monday afternoon as my other half couldn't pick me up... got there 1411, a C5 was due at 1417... waiting till 1440 then decided it wasn't coming (it's only hourly on BH's). So went to the bus station to try the 336, which still wasn't there 10 mins after its scheduled time but then I was it sat at a different bay to where it should be and got it - driver said they often use different bays as there are too many buses!

 

[martin2345uk]

In last night's "Commuting with First Essex"... got back to Chelmsford station at around 2130ish. Check Google Maps for the quickest way home, and it suggests the very rare C57 service which is excellent as it stops at a very rarely used stop at the end of my road.

I check the display on the bus stop and it shows the C57 due at 2149... but it does not appear on any printed timetables anywhere on the stop. I check the First Bus app and it shows on there, and crucially it shows the "live countdown" which I assumed was based on some kind of GPS tracking.

It counts down to "due"...




...and then nothing. Disappears, no bus shows, and it's a half hour wait for a C5.

 

[MasterSpenny]

Interesting to see a Wrightbus StreetLite was out in service without lighting after dark…

https://x.com/britbusworldcup/status/1716558714436526536?s=46&t=NwCcaynuPR-k7xjMa0OtGQ

Very inviting, unlit bus in service @FirstEssex…

 

[Lewisham2221]

Interesting to see a Wrightbus StreetLite was out in service without lighting after dark…

https://x.com/britbusworldcup/status/1716558714436526536?s=46&t=NwCcaynuPR-k7xjMa0OtGQ

Looks like the bus is stationary and the driver is either changing the destination blind or about to turn the lights on

 

[MasterSpenny]

33825 has been repainted into a remembrance livery (not my photo)

The new First Essex Remembrance bus, First Colchester ADL Enviro400 33825, SN63 MYH on its delivery run from repaint by Marden Commercials

Copyright © John G. Lidstone, all rights reserved. I hope you enjoy my work and thanks for viewing. NO use of this image is allowed without my express prior permission and subject to compensation/payment. I do not want my images linked in Facebook groups. It is an offence, under law, if you...

www.flickr.com

 

[Canary73]

A little bit early but it will be interesting to see what First Essex and other operators do when Beaulieu Park Station opens. I'd suspect most services that go nearby will include a station stop and whether it is served by places further afield.

 

[Volvodart]

South Essex Anticipates Arrival of Fully Electric, Zero-Emission Buses

South Essex Anticipates Arrival of Fully Electric, Zero-Emission Buses

Fully electric, zero-emission buses are coming to South Essex! More than £30 million is to be invested in safer, greener and healthier travel in Basildon. The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed the town will be one of a number of areas across the south-east of England to receive...

www.firstbus.co.uk

22nd Mar 2024

Fully electric, zero-emission buses are coming to South Essex!
More than £30 million is to be invested in safer, greener and healthier travel in Basildon.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed the town will be one of a number of areas across the south-east of England to receive funding for electric buses.

Essex County Council and First Bus were successful in securing £4.8 million from the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) 2 scheme. This will fund 55 electric buses in Basildon.

First Bus is additionally investing £25.8 million into the scheme, which will also include upgrading the Basildon bus depot.

The Bus is expected to be in place in late 2025, and are expected to service Basildon, as well as routes between the town and neighbouring areas such as Chelmsford, Lakeside and Southend.

Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport said: "The news our bid for 55 electric buses in Basildon has been successful is very exciting. This is an important development in looking to new technology to support how we travel more sustainably and help Essex meet its net zero ambitions."

Councillor Kevin Blake, Cabinet Member at Basildon District Council for the Environment, Carbon Reduction and Waste Enforcement, said: “We have ambitious plans to reach Carbon net zero in the borough and I am delighted to hear of the introduction of these electric buses. I would also like to thank First buses for their significant investment into the transport infrastructure. Making transport more sustainable will contribute considerably to us reaching our net zero targets.”

Piers Marlow, Managing Director of First Bus East of England, said: “We are absolutely delighted with today’s announcement that we have secured Zero-Emission bus funding from the Department for Transport.

“We have worked in close partnership with Essex County Council on this bid, and we are excited about getting these vehicles onto the road.

“The £25.8 million investment from First Bus, combined with £4.8 million of ZEBRA funding, secures the upgrade of our Basildon Depot, and the purchase of 55 brand new fully electric buses for Essex.

“These vehicles are modern and quiet making them great news for our customers, but crucially they are also great news for our communities, as zero tailpipe emissions means cleaner air for residents and visitors.

“This announcement is another important step towards First Bus delivering its commitment to operating a fully electric, zero-emissions bus fleet by 2035.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:  “As part of our plan to improve local transport across the South East, we’re providing over £30 million to roll out 179 brand new zero-emission buses across the region. 

“This latest investment into our bus fleet comes on top of the £3.5 billion we have invested into our bus network since 2020, protecting and improving bus routes into 2025 as well as extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.” 

 

[Canary73]

It will be interesting to see what First and the local authorities do about serving Beaulieu Park when it opens in November 2025. I go past the site regularly using the Maldon or Colchester bus and I would have thought they will serve the station alongside those currently serving Beaulieu Park and Chelmer Village. At the moment traffic can be slow in the peaks so it will be interesting to see if they operate any express services.