First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)

[MarkC]

First are advertising for bus drivers based in Plymouth on their job site based at The Ride, their old home now owned by Stagecoach

 

[richw]

53255 has been on liskeard looe rail all week.

First are advertising for bus drivers based in Plymouth on their job site based at The Ride, their old home now owned by Stagecoach

Nowhere does it say based at The ride, other than a google maps, which maybe should be taken with a pinch of salt, the Exeter map pin is dead centre of the city, which isn’t the depot location. Presumably Plymouth the ride would be pre loaded into the website

At least 2 more open toppers were spotted in convoy on the M4 Reading earlier today.

 

[MarkC]

53255 has been on liskeard looe rail all week.


Nowhere does it say based at The ride, other than a google maps, which maybe should be taken with a pinch of salt, the Exeter map pin is dead centre of the city, which isn’t the depot location. Presumably Plymouth the ride would be pre loaded into the website

At least 2 more open toppers were spotted in convoy on the M4 Reading earlier today.

No I know I just thought it was funny!

 

[Busaholic]

First are advertising for bus drivers based in Plymouth on their job site based at The Ride, their old home now owned by Stagecoach

Being thick, may I ask the significance of this? I mean Plymouth, rather than the Ride.

 

[MarkC]

Being thick, may I ask the significance of this? I mean Plymouth, rather than the Ride.

They have won about 17 college routes in Cornwall and Devon. Plymouth will be a base for Eastern Cornwall and Plymouth college routes to Duchy college I believe, with Exeter being base for East and Central Devon.

 

[Busaholic]

They have won about 17 college routes in Cornwall and Devon. Plymouth will be a base for Eastern Cornwall and Plymouth college routes to Duchy college I believe, with Exeter being base for East and Central Devon.

Thank you - that explains it.

 

[Lizard1324]

I see the first open top enviro 400 has arrived in truro

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[richw]

Tonight on the 1905 87 truro to Newquay which serves Holywell and crantock, unlike the day services.
This is crantock round gardens which many drivers for the other operator are refusing to serve as apparently their buses don’t fit.

First used to take the 12.5m Volvo B7RLE round!
Tonight I had 33174 rather than wait for a delayed Incoming Gemini as it was parked spare at Newquay. Both first and TFC were suffering 20-30 min delays inbound to Newquay all afternoon due to awful traffic and a couple of car accidents.

 

[83G/84D]

Reports on Facebook that the Volvo B7TL training buses are being prepared for returns to passenger service. Posted by a company employee I believe so unlikely to be gossip or a unsubstantiated rumour.

 

[richw]

Reports on Facebook that the Volvo B7TL training buses are being prepared for returns to passenger service. Posted by a company employee I believe so unlikely to be gossip or a unsubstantiated rumour.

The person who posted would be in the know too. There is a huge pvr increase on 7th September, trebling or more the current pvr. More stuff due for schools and colleges from elsewhere too I believe. The old stuff being Brought in and training buses back to service are until Christmas at present when the MMCs are currently due back

 

[83G/84D]

Interesting times, thanks.

 

[Lizard1324]

Reports on Facebook that the Volvo B7TL training buses are being prepared for returns to passenger service. Posted by a company employee I believe so unlikely to be gossip or a unsubstantiated rumour.

I suppose the colours will stay but will they remove the vinyls

 

[83G/84D]

Unclear what will happen regarding colours. If they are only required for service for a few months seems unnecessary to change the exterior too much but if longer maybe a repaint or rebranding will happen.

 

[Whiteway215]

Reports on Facebook that the Volvo B7TL training buses are being prepared for returns to passenger service. Posted by a company employee I believe so unlikely to be gossip or a unsubstantiated rumour.

Ah well, Kernow will have four in a line then! 30877/78/79/80. I wonder what other oldies are coming? Bath still has 2 maroon ones (32003/007) and 4 WR03 ones (32279/80/84/85) that are still SORNed I believe. Perhaps some of those will be heading down over Bodmin Moor?
I forgot to add 32291 to that lot.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Unclear what will happen regarding colours. If they are only required for service for a few months seems unnecessary to change the exterior too much but if longer maybe a repaint or rebranding will happen.

They'll need to reinstate the destination screens potentially and sort out any other alterations (e.g. cab door, instructor seat?). Mainly just remove the "Driver Under Instruction" and L plates; the rest is probably ok to stay if it's only until December

 

[Lizard1324]

They'll need to reinstate the destination screens potentially and sort out any other alterations (e.g. cab door, instructor seat?). Mainly just remove the "Driver Under Instruction" and L plates; the rest is probably ok to stay if it's only until December

Well when I was at secondary school at mullion we had a old p reg ex first olympian which was in white but the only way you would know its your bus was a piece of paper saying mullion 10... so if they were to use the training bus they wouldn't need to add a screen but remove the L plates and learner seat.
They should keep the livery though as it is nice and is good advertising for the company

 

[83G/84D]

They'll need to reinstate the destination screens potentially and sort out any other alterations (e.g. cab door, instructor seat?). Mainly just remove the "Driver Under Instruction" and L plates; the rest is probably ok to stay if it's only until December

Agree, one is in Camborne I think so will be interesting to see what it looks like in the coming weeks.

 

[Goldfish62]

Well when I was at secondary school at mullion we had a old p reg ex first olympian which was in white but the only way you would know its your bus was a piece of paper saying mullion 10... so if they were to use the training bus they wouldn't need to add a screen but remove the L plates and learner seat.
They should keep the livery though as it is nice and is good advertising for the company

Front, side and rear screens will be needed for PSVAR compliance, unless they're confined to closed door school contracts where an ever extending exemption remains in place.

 

[richw]

Front, side and rear screens will be needed for PSVAR compliance, unless they're confined to closed door school contracts where an ever extending exemption remains in place.

The training buses still have side and rear, they display route number 0, which corresponds to not in service on the normal fleet, and I guess front under the vinyl.

Front, side and rear screens will be needed for PSVAR compliance, unless they're confined to closed door school contracts where an ever extending exemption remains in place.

Psvar isn’t applicable to closed door where no student pays. That’s the case for Kernow’s school contracts so psvar is irrelevant anyway.
If we had them still a step entrance would be good to go on these school contracts from a legal perspective.

 

[Goldfish62]

The training buses still have side and rear, they display route number 0, which corresponds to not in service on the normal fleet, and I guess front under the vinyl.


Psvar isn’t applicable to closed door where no student pays. That’s the case for Kernow’s school contracts so psvar is irrelevant anyway.
If we had them still a step entrance would be good to go on these school contracts from a legal perspective.

That's correct if no one pays (directly or indirectly) but it does apply to closed door contracts if there is a payment involved. But as you point out, not the case in this Instance.

 

[Whiteway215]

I was interested to read a news item in September ‘Buses’ magazine. It states FSW are setting up depots in Plymouth, Exeter and Winkleigh to house 19 vehicles-13 deckers, 3 coaches and 3 midi coaches. I wonder what these midi coaches could be?

 

[richw]

I was interested to read a news item in September ‘Buses’ magazine. It states FSW are setting up depots in Plymouth, Exeter and Winkleigh to house 19 vehicles-13 deckers, 3 coaches and 3 midi coaches. I wonder what these midi coaches could be?

Marc tweeted “ The Cornwall College fleet is a pool incl traffic and engineering spares of 25 - 5 Darts, 4 coaches and 16 deckers.“

I suspect the vehicles Buses call midi coaches are in fact Darts. The green midi darts have had tachos installed I believe

 

[Lizard1324]

Marc tweeted “ The Cornwall College fleet is a pool incl traffic and engineering spares of 25 - 5 Darts, 4 coaches and 16 deckers.“

I suspect the vehicles Buses call midi coaches are in fact Darts. The green midi darts have had tachos installed I believe

Thought the darts were going to be used for smaller school contracts around helston.
Thats were they were parked at the moment anyway

 

[Whiteway215]

Marc tweeted “ The Cornwall College fleet is a pool incl traffic and engineering spares of 25 - 5 Darts, 4 coaches and 16 deckers.“

I suspect the vehicles Buses call midi coaches are in fact Darts. The green midi darts have had tachos installed I believe

Thank you Marc and RichW

 

[richw]

Thought the darts were going to be used for smaller school contracts around helston.
Thats were they were parked at the moment anyway

You thought wrong. Things that were off road not required are stored in helston. Like the bendies. They are clearly not going to be used around helston!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I suspect the vehicles Buses call midi coaches are in fact Darts. The green midi darts have had tachos installed I believe

You mean 42558 etc....?

Marc tweeted “ The Cornwall College fleet is a pool incl traffic and engineering spares of 25 - 5 Darts, 4 coaches and 16 deckers.“

That answers a question (I think) of how they are going to cover spares (and breakdowns) considering their distance from the main operations, especially given the age of the vehicles concerned.


An interesting observation (and nothing more) in that FSW didn't tender for Cornwall Council tenders out of area but has college work in Devon.

It's going to be an interesting few months for FSW with some superannuated fleet with 6 20 year old deckers and some other mature vehicles supplementing the fleet, if only for a few months. Given how well FSW were dispensing with older fleet to dealers just a few months ago, there's a slight irony that a temporary "needs must" affair has seen some ex Leicester KP51s arrive having only just packed off 32097 a few months ago. There again, if we knew then what we know now, wouldn't life be so much simpler

 

[MarkC]

Any idea where First depot will be in Plymouth?

 

[richw]

You mean 42558 etc.

Yes those five

An interesting observation (and nothing more) in that FSW didn't tender for Cornwall Council tenders out of area but has college work in Devon.

Maybe pays enough to be worthwhile? Cornwall council tenders are known to be marginal at best.

 

[MarkC]

Seems extravagant to have depot in Plymouth etc just for few college routes!!

 

[richw]

Seems extravagant to have depot in Plymouth etc just for few college routes!!

Where does it say depot and not just an outstation?
Outstation could just be a parking area with very basic facilities.