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First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)

83G/84D

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Tinner E400MMC's 33466 & 33462 are back in Camborne and receiving attention in the workshops today.
 
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richw

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Couldn't remember if Kernow was directly contacted to run Boardmasters shuttles or First Passenger Solutions were, got a feeling the BoS vehicles were borrowed for Boardmasters rather than hired

First Passenger solutions
Kernow, BoS, Truronian are all trading names of First South West Ltd.

FSW is just a share holder in Sps which is a completely different company, FSW received dividends from their share holding in most recent accounts. Spas has no common management but I believe Alex Carter is a director
 

MB162435

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First Passenger solutions
Kernow, BoS, Truronian are all trading names of First South West Ltd.

FSW is just a share holder in Sps which is a completely different company, FSW received dividends from their share holding in most recent accounts. Spas has no common management but I believe Alex Carter is a director
Thanks for the info Rich, Boardmasters seems so long ago now couldn't remember who done what now
 

Volvodart

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Couldn't remember if Kernow was directly contacted to run Boardmasters shuttles or First Passenger Solutions were, got a feeling the BoS vehicles were borrowed for Boardmasters rather than hired

This might help:-


 

Goldfish62

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First Passenger solutions
Kernow, BoS, Truronian are all trading names of First South West Ltd.

FSW is just a share holder in Sps which is a completely different company, FSW received dividends from their share holding in most recent accounts. Spas has no common management but I believe Alex Carter is a director
He is indeed.
 

MB162435

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This might help:-


Thank you for that @Volvodart, looks like an interesting read might make me talk sense for once!

Interesting to see that Boardmasters is only allowed to happen on the basis that the shuttles or some kind of transport system is run, good job really with the roads certainly suffering even with the shuttles
 

Busaholic

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Chyandour Cliff got to see an opentopper in service late afternoon when a 'police incident' closed the station turn-off from Market Jew Street - the couple sat at the front upstairs on the A1 seemed pretty excited at being able to see Mount's Bay (the bus, with an M6 behind, would have u- turned at the Tesco roundabout.)
 

richw

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44952 at Heligan
 

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Lizard1324

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Cornwall
Anyone know if or when these buses might go back into service in the open toppers,
32027 - open top b7tl Alexander Alx400.
37058 - open top b7tl gemini
Also the b9tl gemini open top
 

83G/84D

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Anyone know if or when these buses might go back into service in the open toppers,
32027 - open top b7tl Alexander Alx400.
37058 - open top b7tl gemini
Also the b9tl gemini open top


I am unable to provide any answers but am looking forward to seeing these three out on the road as well. 37058 only managed two days in service last summer and despite asking around no-one is saying anything as to why. I missed it on the second day as a result of being caught up in traffic on the A30.

I have photo's of the older B7TL conversions and want to get photos of the two new 37xxx examples in service and later on the new conversions when they eventually arrive. Think I may have to wait a while for them.
 

Busaholic

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My sightings on the A1:
open top 322002 on it yesterday
open top 321003 on it today, along with the complete open topper (hooray) plus a green closed top that (I think) only carried a 1 blind on the front, and definitely blank rear, but so many FK buses in Pz no longer display route identification there.

The U4 saw a Uni branded MMC.
 

Goldfish62

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My sightings on the A1:
open top 322002 on it yesterday
open top 321003 on it today, along with the complete open topper (hooray) plus a green closed top that (I think) only carried a 1 blind on the front, and definitely blank rear, but so many FK buses in Pz no longer display route identification there.

The U4 saw a Uni branded MMC.
I do wonder how FK get away with so many buses without working side or rear displays, or any actual LED unit in place. I assume the Mousehole Solos get away with it because the side and rear branding are considered to be route information, although of course this doesn't work when they're on different routes.
 

Goldfish62

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Disappointed to see that it appears that two closed tops are on the A1/2/3 and one on the A5 today. By my reckoning that means 50% of the open top fleet is unavailable for service!
 

MB162435

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Disappointed to see that it appears that two closed tops are on the A1/2/3 and one on the A5 today. By my reckoning that means 50% of the open top fleet is unavailable for service!
I don't think the A5 should of went open top till the E400s arrived, it's just putting extra strain on the Presidents with the Geminis not having a brilliant track record on open tops so far, and just kept the open tops at Penzance for the time being till the full fleet is here or enough are available for service
 

Goldfish62

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I don't think the A5 should of went open top till the E400s arrived, it's just putting extra strain on the Presidents with the Geminis not having a brilliant track record on open tops so far, and just kept the open tops at Penzance for the time being till the full fleet is here or enough are available for service
I don't disagree. Twice last year I went out specially for an open top ride on the wonderful A3 and a closed top turned up.

Are the B7s really so unreliable that there are that many off the road all the time?
 

Yarp1

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I don't think the A5 should of went open top till the E400s arrived, it's just putting extra strain on the Presidents with the Geminis not having a brilliant track record on open tops so far, and just kept the open tops at Penzance for the time being till the full fleet is here or enough are available for service
The.presidrnts are on the A5 due to having to go over the bridge at harlyn bay. The A5 is purely aimed at tourists as pcb/gc are running their 56 commercially.am.lead to believe that as soon as the other open toppers can be motd they will be put on A5 instead. Pcb/gc are running all kinds of buses on their 56 and this is noticable by the scrape marks on top of harlyn bridge. They are scrapping it and that's with not having many passengers on ! If there is ever any damage to engine on the bridge then it will be over the stream which leads on to the beach 5 yards away.
 

MB162435

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I don't disagree. Twice last year I went out specially for an open top ride on the wonderful A3 and a closed top turned up.

Are the B7s really so unreliable that there are that many off the road all the time?
Pretty much every time I've gone to Penzance or St Ives I have seen at least one closed top on A1-3, must be even worse for tourists who I would think one of their main things to do in Cornwall is to go on a open top bus, and when a closed top rocks up it must be a bit of a let down, and have never seen a closed top in person or on social media full on a booked open top service so certainly not popular with customers

Kernow and their staff have certainly been quiet about the lack of appearances of the Gemini's on A1-A3 which certainly says something
 

MB162435

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The.presidrnts are on the A5 due to having to go over the bridge at harlyn bay. The A5 is purely aimed at tourists as pcb/gc are running their 56 commercially.am.lead to believe that as soon as the other open toppers can be motd they will be put on A5 instead. Pcb/gc are running all kinds of buses on their 56 and this is noticable by the scrape marks on top of harlyn bridge. They are scrapping it and that's with not having many passengers on ! If there is ever any damage to engine on the bridge then it will be over the stream which leads on to the beach 5 yards away.
But if Kernow promise open tops but end up allocating closed tops then Kernow loses their USP of the A5 service compared to the 56, it would be better of Kernow not advertising the use of open tops on Atlantic Coaster services until enough are available, which obviously there isn't at the moment
 

fgwrich

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I hate to say it but closed tops on open top routes goes well back into the days of First Western National / FDC. I've got memories of growing up in the days of when the VRs ran the 300, we went out for one and aiming specifically GWR liveried VDV 141S. Of course by the time we had our tickets that morning, it had been switched with ex Western National but open top A750 VAF (which we later found out had expired somewhere near Pendeen), the return journey was in some First Barbie liveried, Excel branded Vanhool coach. Kudos for First not leaving us stranded in Boscaswell.
 

MB162435

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It makes you wonder what the situation would of been like if Kernow ran all 9 of their purposed open top routes, don't think many would of been actually open
 

TheGrandWazoo

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Pretty much every time I've gone to Penzance or St Ives I have seen at least one closed top on A1-3, must be even worse for tourists who I would think one of their main things to do in Cornwall is to go on a open top bus, and when a closed top rocks up it must be a bit of a let down, and have never seen a closed top in person or on social media full on a booked open top service so certainly not popular with customers

Kernow and their staff have certainly been quiet about the lack of appearances of the Gemini's on A1-A3 which certainly says something

A couple of years back, I had a closed top Trident because it was raining in Penzance and so it was definitely necessary (about 15 mins late after fishing around for it) and pretty full. Two hours later after lunch, we went from Sennen to St Ives, and it was an open topper B7TL. The Trident would see have been making its way round through Marazion in the sun.

It's not a science sadly. As @fgwrich says, any bus is perhaps better than no bus.

IIRC, I think it was mentioned that 37058 had some electrical issues, and didn't @richw say that 37729 was awaiting certification after its conversion.
 

MB162435

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A couple of years back, I had a closed top Trident because it was raining in Penzance and so it was definitely necessary (about 15 mins late after fishing around for it) and pretty full. Two hours later after lunch, we went from Sennen to St Ives, and it was an open topper B7TL. The Trident would see have been making its way round through Marazion in the sun.

It's not a science sadly. As @fgwrich says, any bus is perhaps better than no bus.

IIRC, I think it was mentioned that 37058 had some electrical issues, and didn't @richw say that 37729 was awaiting certification after its conversion.
Of course sometimes it would be lucky to have a closed top on those routes, and any bus is better then no bus, but only if the weather changes midday and people are caught out, of it is predicted bad people wouldn't plan to use those routes

Haven't heard anything about 37058's disappearance last year but electronical issues would be one of the most likely issues, did see on Facebook about 37729 not being registered yet as everyone thought it had broken down
 

Goldfish62

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Of course sometimes it would be lucky to have a closed top on those routes, and any bus is better then no bus, but only if the weather changes midday and people are caught out, of it is predicted bad people wouldn't plan to use those routes

Haven't heard anything about 37058's disappearance last year but electronical issues would be one of the most likely issues, did see on Facebook about 37729 not being registered yet as everyone thought it had broken down
37058 is on the A1/2/3 today.
 

Goldfish62

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Of course sometimes it would be lucky to have a closed top on those routes, and any bus is better then no bus, but only if the weather changes midday and people are caught out, of it is predicted bad people wouldn't plan to use those routes
Isn't that the point of the semi-open tops, though, that they're an all weather bus? Pre Covid FK stated that the A1 would be open top all year.
 

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