First Greater Glasgow

[JumpinTrainz]

I see , i never took interest in buses then , i only knew the Scania s at Larky . Did the r and s plates replace LAs ?

The R and S plate Scanias ran alongside the B10LAs from their introduction until about 2001 when the B10BLEs and B7Ls replaced them at Parkhead and they moved to Larky. I’m sure the B10LAs went elsewhere after that and returned to Glasgow years later on the 9 but could still be seen on the 62 occasionally.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Strange I'm the other way round! Would say I'm not sold on seats and the pink poles are a bit lurid but it's light and airy. The barbie interior for me was too dark, in particular dark purple panels and flooring, the light grey floors make a difference. Some of the off white coloured panels on the old barbie often always looked manky too!

On the current interior the floors get dirty far too fast and the rest is just for lack of a better word "bland". It wouldn't take much to improve it, but it's just not there for me.

With the Barbie interior the dark floors were a good thing, many of the buses with the Barbie interior still have their original floor and it's still tidy, where as vehicles that are less than 4 years old with the current interior already look like they need the floors ripped up. the cream panelling could get stained over time, but it wasn't too bad, just down to the local standards of clean.

This is not the best photo but here's one of our almost 18 year old B10BLEs recently. The Interior is still as new and the only work they've had on them was a re-trim at the start of the year. The floor is still in good condition for it's age, there's no permanent staining and all it would need is a good clean. I don't have a good photo of a bus with the newer interior, but if you compare a 5 year old Enviro300 at Aberdeen/Glasgow for example, you'll notice just how bad the staining is on the floor. Some buses have turned more Yellow than lilac.

Spoiler: Photo

 

[Gingerbus1991]

On the current interior the floors get dirty far too fast and the rest is just for lack of a better word "bland". It wouldn't take much to improve it, but it's just not there for me.

With the Barbie interior the dark floors were a good thing, many of the buses with the Barbie interior still have their original floor and it's still tidy, where as vehicles that are less than 4 years old with the current interior already look like they need the floors ripped up. the cream panelling could get stained over time, but it wasn't too bad, just down to the local standards of clean.

This is not the best photo but here's one of our almost 18 year old B10BLEs recently. The Interior is still as new and the only work they've had on them was a re-trim at the start of the year. The floor is still in good condition for it's age, there's no permanent staining and all it would need is a good clean. I don't have a good photo of a bus with the newer interior, but if you compare a 5 year old Enviro300 at Aberdeen/Glasgow for example, you'll notice just how bad the staining is on the floor. Some buses have turned more Yellow than lilac.

Spoiler: Photo

View attachment 55088

Not to forget where the stanchions meet the floor, there corroded and the poles themselfs are chipped, this looks like something that shouldve been rejouvenated or removed years ago

I get the whole corporate image thing with contrasting colours but a better job could still be done doing something that isnt painful on the retina.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Yeah , Firsts Eclipses , all they done was some pink route branding . McGills buses are nicer , though deckers would be nice on the 38 .

Atm with litterally 2 single decks every 5 mins along the paisley<>west corridor if First/McGills run oddly its litterally a bus every 2 and a half minutes along that rd, atm deckers arent the answer, yet if its a route which either operator want to control why do neither have high-spec new buses on it entirely, I’m not sold on mcgills attempts at using a 3 pointed star to try a victory.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Not to forget where the stanchions meet the floor, there corroded and the poles themselfs are chipped, this looks like something that shouldve been rejouvenated or removed years ago

I get the whole corporate image thing with contrasting colours but a better job could still be done doing something that isnt painful on the retina.

The bottom of the poles just need a bit of paint. But my point was about the floors not being heavily stained, even after 15+ years, where as the current floor is getting stained after only 2 or 3 years.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

The bottom of the poles just need a bit of paint. But my point was about the floors not being heavily stained, even after 15+ years, where as the current floor is getting stained after only 2 or 3 years.

Perhaps even the grain is different on the newer floorings, is that is helping it retain dirty?

 

[smtglasgow]

Atm with litterally 2 single decks every 5 mins along the paisley<>west corridor if First/McGills run oddly its litterally a bus every 2 and a half minutes along that rd, atm deckers arent the answer, yet if its a route which either operator want to control why do neither have high-spec new buses on it entirely, I’m not sold on mcgills attempts at using a 3 pointed star to try a victory.

Didn’t the Scottish Government’s Bus Bill suggest going down the Quality Partnership route, rather than re-regulation? Wouldn’t Paisley Rd West be a good place to try a Liverpool-style deal? McGills and First could run a co-ordinated timetable (say on a combined 5 in frequency) with joint ticketing. At that point double-deckers might come into play.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Perhaps even the grain is different on the newer floorings, is that is helping it retain dirty?

I'm unsure if i'm honest. They did update the floor from the 2016 order to rectify the issue, but it's too early to really know if it's made a difference. It also presents an issue with vehicles bought between 2011 and 2015, as it wouldn't be viable nor logical to rip the floors up and fit new ones on all of them.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Didn’t the Scottish Government’s Bus Bill suggest going down the Quality Partnership route, rather than re-regulation? Wouldn’t Paisley Rd West be a good place to try a Liverpool-style deal? McGills and First could run a co-ordinated timetable (say on a combined 5 in frequency) with joint ticketing. At that point double-deckers might come into play.

Paisley rd west could work as a 7/8 minute frequency on route 9/9a with deckers on it, the 10 also helps out on the route on the glasgow side every 10 mins as well.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

The bottom of the poles just need a bit of paint. But my point was about the floors not being heavily stained, even after 15+ years, where as the current floor is getting stained after only 2 or 3 years.

This is very true. I’m not sure who’s idea it was to order a light blue floor for heavy main stream buses. The darker flooring I suspect would have been a more expensive quality also. It’s all about saving money these days unfortunately

 

[Gingerbus1991]

This is very true. I’m not sure who’s idea it was to order a light blue floor for heavy main stream buses. The darker flooring I suspect would have been a more expensive quality also. It’s all about saving money these days unfortunately

I doubt that there be any difference in actual quality of any bus floor material, perhaps the “perceived quality” when its wood effect flooring but thats about it.

 

[alangla]

I see , i never took interest in buses then , i only knew the Scania s at Larky . Did the r and s plates replace LAs ?

About the same time roughly I think, though not direct replacements. If anything, the N,P&R plate Volvo Olympians probably had the biggest effect on the Atlantean fleet

 

[route101]

The S plate scanias disappeared almost overnight in 2015 . Same with the X reg tridents .

Used a 240 this afternoon . Got on the bus at the bus stn and was quiet by the time it got to Trongate was full and standing . Getting off a full single decker is no fun . Will try and get on the 61 next time "

 

[route101]

Paisley rd west could work as a 7/8 minute frequency on route 9/9a with deckers on it, the 10 also helps out on the route on the glasgow side every 10 mins as well.

Think the 10 is down to every 15 mins , could be wrong

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Think the 10 is down to every 15 mins , could be wrong

So it is.

 

[Realistic_Spy]

I wonder if First Glasgow would ever purchase the Wright StreetDeck's, it is of course very unlikely but it would be nice anyway

 

[Gingerbus1991]

I wonder if First Glasgow would ever purchase the Wright StreetDeck's, it is of course very unlikely but it would be nice anyway

If it was an absolute must, the Wright Streetdeck likely has superior fuel economy with its Micro-Hybrid Tech and its Stop-Start feature, comparing it to an Equivalent B5TL bus and the bus of choice of many the Enviro 400.

It likely will never happen though.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

May be old news but I saw that First Aberdeen, Glasgow and Scotland East are losing some of their E300s to First Essex. What’s the deal there? I would have thought at this point First would be trying to keep their Enviros and try to cascade their B7RLEs or B7TLs...

 

[Volvodart]

It is common for new buses to replace the rather newer buses in the fleet for cascade elsewhere. Look at what happens with the Leeds Streetdecks.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

It is common for new buses to replace the rather newer buses in the fleet for cascade elsewhere. Look at what happens with the Leeds Streetdecks.

I totally get that but what I mean is that Glasgow have targets to meet for LEZ. I’d have thought they’d be trying to hold on to their newer enviros rather than cascade them elsewhere and try and slowly get rid of their Euro 3 buses instead. Do we know what’s replacing them?

 

[Volvodart]

The older stuff not getting converted will be going anyway, or will be used in non Lez routes

 

[Jordan Adam]

May be old news but I saw that First Aberdeen, Glasgow and Scotland East are losing some of their E300s to First Essex. What’s the deal there? I would have thought at this point First would be trying to keep their Enviros and try to cascade their B7RLEs or B7TLs...

Aberdeen have just lost 67805, no more are to move. There will be no replacement either as 69294 is yet to enter service.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I totally get that but what I mean is that Glasgow have targets to meet for LEZ. I’d have thought they’d be trying to hold on to their newer enviros rather than cascade them elsewhere and try and slowly get rid of their Euro 3 buses instead. Do we know what’s replacing them?

The same issue exists in Leeds - new Streetdecks are arriving (or have arrived) but a lesser number of 2012 B9TLs that have been cascaded to East Anglia.

Guess it's a balance otherwise the non LEZ areas will get very little modern fleet for years

 

[JumpinTrainz]

I see some of the E200MMCs are starting to arrive. They seem to like the colour red with the 18 and Uni links also featuring red branding. Hope to see some orange in there somewhere!

I also noticed a Caetano dart in the new livery however the back looked some what darker than usual. It was more like a navy colour. Not sure if it had just been done hence why it was so dark looking but it definately looked different.

 

[Volvodart]

That is the First Scotland East livery.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

That is the First Scotland East livery.

Just seeing this! I wasn’t aware FSE were getting a new livery. I must say I’m glad as I was never a fan of the blue livery it was really dull. The Streetlite I saw looked great and really fresh. The dark navy is nice.

 

[route101]

I rev

I see some of the E200MMCs are starting to arrive. They seem to like the colour red with the 18 and Uni links also featuring red branding. Hope to see some orange in there somewhere!

I also noticed a Caetano dart in the new livery however the back looked some what darker than usual. It was more like a navy colour. Not sure if it had just been done hence why it was so dark looking but it definately looked different.

Yeah i saw a few at Caley . Thats 3 routes in red . How far will they go ?

 

[route101]

I wonder if First Glasgow would ever purchase the Wright StreetDeck's, it is of course very unlikely but it would be nice anyway

Surprised we dont have any , other first areas down south do .

 

[route101]

Atm with litterally 2 single decks every 5 mins along the paisley<>west corridor if First/McGills run oddly its litterally a bus every 2 and a half minutes along that rd, atm deckers arent the answer, yet if its a route which either operator want to control why do neither have high-spec new buses on it entirely, I’m not sold on mcgills attempts at using a 3 pointed star to try a victory.

The McGills buses seem nicer internally . Though it its a mish mash of Citaros , and Eclipses .

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Surprised we dont have any , other first areas down south do .

Depends - West Yorkshire seem to really like them as do South Yorkshire. Midlands have them at Worcester (only four) and Leicester, and Norwich also have some.

However, West of England seem to have gone off them; wouldn’t be surprised if some of theirs moved on elsewhere.