First West of England (Bristol, Bath & The West)

[CD]

Buses of Somerset operating a Saturday service next week, although buses are currently running with no passengers more often than not.
Couldn't run a Sunday services as the vast majority of routes have no Sunday service.
I suppose nobody had ever formulated an emergency timetable/crew duties in case anything like this ever happened.

https://www.firstgroup.com/somerset/current-bus-service

 

[BBC]

Emergency timetable out now, basically a Sunday timetable but some reduced further such as the 42 which goes to hourly !
https://www.firstgroup.com/bristol-...dates/coronavirus-covid19-service-information

 

[diffywood]

Service 349 will be operating a normal Saturday service tomorrow, for timetable information visit https://www.firstgroup.com/uploads/maps/KeynshamGuide-WEB_0.pdf

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

All allocations have gone out of the window now!

Just had to collect my better half from Westbury and saw 66722 on the D1....which was nice

 

[swifty]

Service 349 will be operating a normal Saturday service tomorrow, for timetable information visit https://www.firstgroup.com/uploads/maps/KeynshamGuide-WEB_0.pdf

According to the Abus website that’s their last day in service.

Does that mean First will be running the 349 Keynsham loop, or like an evening will it be the taxi service?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

According to the Abu’s website that’s their last day in service.

Does that mean First will be running the 349 Keynsham loop, or like an evening will it be the taxi service?

That does have a slight feel of finality about it??

Who operates the evening taxi service these days? It was part of the famed CityFox empire.....

 

[swifty]

That does have a slight feel of finality about it??

Who operates the evening taxi service these days? It was part of the famed CityFox empire.....

I’m not sure it was run by CityFox for long.

At the moment it’s driven by the same lady in a Bristol Blue Fiat Berlingo every evening. Don’t know if the contracts with a specific company though.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I’m not sure it was run by CityFox for long.

At the moment it’s driven by the same lady in a Bristol Blue Fiat Berlingo every evening. Don’t know if the contracts with a specific company though.

It was CityFox a few months but I suspect it was really just subcontracted and First ended up dealing direct. The boasts of Mr Hand were seldom backed up!

 

[BBC]

It was CityFox a few months but I suspect it was really just subcontracted and First ended up dealing direct. The boasts of Mr Hand were seldom backed up!

I wouldn’t say anything about Mr hand he might get his lawyers on you like he threatened me with once...never happened btw. The guy is something else.

 

[henairs]

I wouldn’t say anything about Mr hand he might get his lawyers on you like he threatened me with once...never happened btw. The guy is something else.

Bully's often hide behind Lawyers, as they both have so much in common.
Mike R

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I wouldn’t say anything about Mr hand he might get his lawyers on you like he threatened me with once...never happened btw. The guy is something else.

Bully's often hide behind Lawyers, as they both have so much in common.
Mike R

I don't think any of us needed to worry. Mr Hand's pronouncements and the truth were often diametrically opposed

 

[freetoview33]

Another odd working a Brislington park and ride bus on the 76!
And
A new Citylines east bus on the 4!

 

[Whiteway215]

I see the First West of England timetables for next week are up to Saturday 4 April so will they be reduced further after that date?

 

[BPWUser1]

The new green coloured gas buses are out on the 73 today. Saw 39463/4/5/6/8, mostly while queueing patiently outside the Bradley Stoke Tesco.

 

[Whiteway215]

69253 seemingly now working from Westbury!

And when I was looking at the tracker on the same day 66943 was allegedly on D1.

 

[freetoview33]

I see the First West of England timetables for next week are up to Saturday 4 April so will they be reduced further after that date?

I think it's mainly down to 2 things number 1 any stricter lockdown by government, and number 2 depending on how many drivers are about. If anything is likely to change it would most likely be daytime frequencies dropped and or some routes cut short, like the 35 could do Kingswood - Marshfield if needed.

 

[Tommy Walters]

And when I was looking at the tracker on the same day 66943 was allegedly on D1.

So it was! I completely glanced over that!

Steve has confirmed 69253's transfer, so not a tracker error. Essentially most B7s in Bath & Bristol are now all parked out of use, with the exception of 37003. Most services being run with B9s or Gas Scanias from LH where possible (although even some m3 Scanias are laid up!). Bath also mainly using B9s (including loanees 37329/40/42/47/57) for their decker routes. Also mentions Westbury closing (not for good, I'm assuming?).

Some more surprising workings picked up from the tracker:

33943/5/6/8/50 all on the 376!! (The Bath U1 is now running a single bus service, this explains why these are all free!)

36805/16/17/21 - all tracking as X39s (though presumably working 39s), so the middle two have recently transferred to Bath!

 

[Class 33]

Whilst out on my permitted daily exercise(!!!) today, I seen two of the new green gas buses on the 73. They look pretty smart, and a pleasant change to the same old Gemini's that have been on this service for years.A shame were not able to get out and about on the buses at the moment.

The new 2A service which was due to start next Sunday, I reacon that will be scrapped now for the time being. Most people wouldn't have been aware it was due to be introduced anyway.

 

[BBC]

I think it's mainly down to 2 things number 1 any stricter lockdown by government, and number 2 depending on how many drivers are about. If anything is likely to change it would most likely be daytime frequencies dropped and or some routes cut short, like the 35 could do Kingswood - Marshfield if needed.

I’d say shortage of drivers will be a big factor. We have lost hundreds in Bristol already with many being furloughed next week.

 

[Tommy Walters]

Not sure if this has been picked up yet, but Faresaver's new 270/2/3 service is to start on Monday. The D3 will soldier on in the form of the last 3 evening journeys for another week, before finally being axed!

 

[Whiteway215]

So it was! I completely glanced over that!

33943/5/6/8/50 all on the 376!! (The Bath U1 is now running a single bus service, this explains why these are all free!)

I hope the passengers getting off in Temple Cloud and Clutton are using the middle doors!

 

[Tommy Walters]

I hope the passengers getting off in Temple Cloud and Clutton are using the middle doors!

You make a very good point here - in several continental European countries (Germany & Sweden are the two I'm aware of), all bus boarding & alighting is now done through the middle or rear doors of buses, the front area (including any seats in close proximity to the driver), being taped off! With no tickets being sold on board, and m-tickets & passes being the norm, could this not be implemented on dual door vehicles (metrobus ones in particular) in FWoE's fleet? The customers could simply show the m-ticket or pass to the driver from outside the bus, before joining it through the middle doors.

I appreciate that most continental European buses do not have assault screens as protection, like in the UK, but surely every step taken helps. It's certainly easier to implement this outside of London, where the Oyster card system would hinder this method somewhat!

 

[Marcus Fryer]

The new green coloured gas buses are out on the 73 today. Saw 39463/4/5/6/8, mostly while queueing patiently outside the Bradley Stoke Tesco.

39463/4 carrying full Citylines 73 branding, but 39468/9 still in plain green with no branding/names.

 

[CD]

Yeovil update.

Walked to town this afternoon to pick up my repeat prescription from Boots, while there I saw:
51 42949 no passengers, 53151 2 passengers (me being one of them on my way home).
53 53205/209 both no passengers, 53056 one passenger.
54 42953 one passenger.
58 42952 one passenger.

Unlike other First companies BoS is continuing with a Saturday service next week !!

 

[-Colly405-]

Whilst out on my permitted daily exercise(!!!) today, I seen two of the new green gas buses on the 73. They look pretty smart, and a pleasant change to the same old Gemini's that have been on this service for years.A shame were not able to get out and about on the buses at the moment.

The new 2A service which was due to start next Sunday, I reacon that will be scrapped now for the time being. Most people wouldn't have been aware it was due to be introduced anyway.

The revised 1/2/2a timetable booklet has disappeared from the Route Maps page of First's website...

 

[swifty]

The revised 1/2/2a timetable booklet has disappeared from the Route Maps page of First's website...

All the new booklets, that had been uploaded, were taken down earlier this week. Who knows if those changes will ever be implemented now.

 

[freetoview33]

All the new booklets, that had been uploaded, were taken down earlier this week. Who knows if those changes will ever be implemented now.

Sure they will but most likely they will become July's or September's changes

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Sure they will but most likely they will become July's or September's changes

Think July is probably optimistic.

 

[freetoview33]

Think July is probably optimistic.

I guess legally it would have to come as soon as the end of the emergency timetable.

 

[Streamr_MXP]

I wonder how those Unibus MMC's are doing out on the 376. Anyone know what gearboxes they've got?