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

[ValleyLines142]

Bus involved is 35116 for anyone wondering. If in Knowle, looks as if it was either running empty to UWE for 70/71s or was it on a 53/54 but destination has been set to Not in service as a result of collision?

Either way, a nasty incident. Hope everyone is ok.

 

[Private Baxter]

A frequency boost for the 28 would benefit, especially for the summer with Butlins and boost in demand.
Maybe the 54 & 77 is to be passed to Yeovil depot to free up drivers and room for buses at Taunton/Bridgwater.
The 29 is looking better with passenger wise, the vechicles used is an improvement with B7RLE's being most common with the occasional Streetlite or E200. Hopefully no cuts to frequency to this route. Wonder if the route would no longer serve Windmill Hill road, Leg of Mutton road in Glastonbury? Maybe the 75 would extend from Street to Glastonbury and do a loop around Windmill Hill road and Leg of Mutton road?
As with the 30, lets hope it's a better timetable by spacing out journeys better with the 99 to/from Chard.

Certainly interesting times for Somerset.

Dropping Windmill Hill from the 29 seems a reasonable suggestion. Certainly in its current form of operation, the Windmill Hill detour is probably most unwelcome.
Interestingly the reason the 29 started doing it in the first place was because since the introduction of larger buses (B7RLEs 66716-26) on the 163 (later 375), it became very difficult to navigate the windy roads with all the parked cars, so they decided to reroute 375 along the main road and sent smaller buses along Windmill Hill. Initially the 669 did it, but not long after the 29 took over restoring the link to Wells. Now B7RLEs are common on the route once again, might they change it? If it is true the 77 is to worked from Yeovil, maybe they will do it, using smaller buses.

 

[freetoview33]

Bus involved is 35116 for anyone wondering. If in Knowle, looks as if it was either running empty to UWE for 70/71s or was it on a 53/54 but destination has been set to Not in service as a result of collision?

Either way, a nasty incident. Hope everyone is ok.

It was probably on it's way to Temple Meads to start the first service of the day, 53/54 no longer exist. 70/71 runs dead again to temple meads.

8s run in service from Hengrove to Temple Meads

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Dropping Windmill Hill from the 29 seems a reasonable suggestion. Certainly in its current form of operation, the Windmill Hill detour is probably most unwelcome.
Interestingly the reason the 29 started doing it in the first place was because since the introduction of larger buses (B7RLEs 66716-26) on the 163 (later 375), it became very difficult to navigate the windy roads with all the parked cars, so they decided to reroute 375 along the main road and sent smaller buses along Windmill Hill. Initially the 669 did it, but not long after the 29 took over restoring the link to Wells. Now B7RLEs are common on the route once again, might they change it? If it is true the 77 is to worked from Yeovil, maybe they will do it, using smaller buses.

I guess we will have to wait to see what FSW have planned for Yeovil and the 29/54/77.

As for the 28, they have (in recent years) preferred to duplicate certain journeys and run the X28 on the main transition days at Butlins (Mon and Sat?). When I travelled on the 28 last year in the aftermath of the Webberbus collapse, it was taking some decent loadings with a B6 taking a standing load out of Bishops Lydeard. In Southern National days, it was often decker operated in summer using VRs and latterly ex Badgerline Olympians.

Could just be some timing changes and a few tweaks or something more substantial. Hopefully, time/workload permitting, FSW Official can let us know when appropriate.

 

[Bristol_Buses]

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/updates-six-people-hospital-after-18388

Looks like a bad accident involving a street deck?

I hope everyone involved makes a full and speedy recovery.

I heard it happened at around 03:50 this morning and was probably heading to the 04:30 departure from Rupert Street, I passed it this morning around 05:30 large police, ambulance and fire services present (as expected).

SO15CVA I think?

Hope everyone involved makes a speedy recovery.

 

[iantherev]

I forgot about the frequencies. Would make sense for them both to be the same sort of frequency. 30 could really do with a 2 hourly frequency, as the timetable is very tight at the moment - whenever I've caught 30 it always comes in late and leaves late. Either 2 hourly or hourly - we could see 99 and 30 hourly each, creating a 30 min frequency from Taunton to Chard, but I really struggle to see the demand for that.

It manages to keep time perfectly well at the other end and is reasonably well used within Axminster and from Axminster to Chard/Taunton. There were a lot of complaints when it went down to every 90 minutes - I don't think that folk would be very happy for it to go down to 120 just to satisfy a desire for a Chard- Taunton timetable hat looks neat on paper.

 

[THarris123]

It manages to keep time perfectly well at the other end and is reasonably well used within Axminster and from Axminster to Chard/Taunton. There were a lot of complaints when it went down to every 90 minutes - I don't think that folk would be very happy for it to go down to 120 just to satisfy a desire for a Chard- Taunton timetable hat looks neat on paper.

It does indeed keep time the other end of Chard very well - it arrived into Taunton on Saturday 10 mins late and left 10 mins late and by Axminster we were nearly I time. Whenever I've experienced 30 I have never seen many passengers from Chard to Axminster section.

I wonder if the route change is just to change the route in Axminster and save a bit of time?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It does indeed keep time the other end of Chard very well - it arrived into Taunton on Saturday 10 mins late and left 10 mins late and by Axminster we were nearly I time. Whenever I've experienced 30 I have never seen many passengers from Chard to Axminster section.

I wonder if the route change is just to change the route in Axminster and save a bit of time?

Surely that would indicate that the right time end to end but that the southern end is slack, and not a reason to affect the frequency or route? A reflection on Taunton's traffic possibly!

 

[THarris123]

Surely that would indicate that the right time end to end but that the southern end is slack, and not a reason to affect the frequency or route? A reflection on Taunton's traffic possibly!

If I was to guess, I'd say the 30 changes would be rerouting the service along the main road straight to Axminster, rather than going around the estate that the Stagecoach 4 terminates at, that would then give enough time to complete the journey end to end, then the section between Chard and Taunton will be retimed. Either that or a change of route in Chard? Whatever happens something needs to be done about the timing, because although they make up the time, they are still very much rushing along the route and then getting stuck in traffic in Taunton, as Wazoo suggests.

 

[DaveHarries]

Six people in a Vauxhall Corsa (max capacity of five) according to the Bristol Post. Five walking wounded and one serious.

Hope all in the car, and the driver of the bus, will be ok.

Firstly I also hope that all of those in the car will be ok. Bristol Post says that, fortunately, the driver of the bus was unhurt but, unsurprisingly, badly shaken. As for the Vauxhall Corsa, and going on what I can remember of the ones we had at the car hire place I work at, you are lucky to be able to comfortably fit 5 in a Corsa let alone 6!

Dave

 

[ValleyLines142]

I heard it happened at around 03:50 this morning and was probably heading to the 04:30 departure from Rupert Street, I passed it this morning around 05:30 large police, ambulance and fire services present (as expected).

SO15CVA I think?

Hope everyone involved makes a speedy recovery.

Indeed. I can just make out the registration on the picture even though the front panel has fallen. 35116 is the only one with a SO15CV.. registration (all the others are SO15CU..)

It was probably on it's way to Temple Meads to start the first service of the day, 53/54 no longer exist. 70/71 runs dead again to temple meads.

8s run in service from Hengrove to Temple Meads

Thanks for confirming re 53/54s. Must confess I couldn't remember if they ran still but I've seen 8s to Hengrove.

 

[diffywood]

deleated

 

[diffywood]

changes to x3 and x4 from april 30th

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C8tnFbuXcAEdVaV.jpg

 

[Citistar]

changes to x3 and x4 from april 30th

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C8tnFbuXcAEdVaV.jpg

All the North Somerset X-prefixed services will be changing from this date. Having done some extensive trawling of Traveline, i've written a summary of the changes:
https://citistar.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/winners-and-losers-in-north-somerset/

 

[THarris123]

All the North Somerset X-prefixed services will be changing from this date. Having done some extensive trawling of Traveline, i've written a summary of the changes:
https://citistar.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/winners-and-losers-in-north-somerset/

I thought you had a marketing department to advertise this for you?

 

[THarris123]

Just noticed the timetable change on 20 from 30th April. It appears the PVR will be 5, rather than 4 like it was last year. 3 open top and 2 closed maybe?

 

[D2007wsm]

Just noticed the timetable change on 20 from 30th April. It appears the PVR will be 5, rather than 4 like it was last year. 3 open top and 2 closed maybe?

2 open top and 3 closed

 

[THarris123]

2 open top and 3 closed

Ta. 32001/2 as the open tops and then 3 E400s.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Ta. 32001/2 as the open tops and then 3 E400s.

Why would it not be the existing closed top B7s as opposed to e400s? Changed your mind already?

 

[D2007wsm]

Ta. 32001/2 as the open tops and then 3 E400s.

It should be B7s as all of the E400s will be required for the North Somerset work, plus some extras I would imagine.

 

[Private Baxter]

It should be B7s as all of the E400s will be required for the North Somerset work, plus some extras I would imagine.

I wonder what we might see working the X6/7/9 circuit. It's all to be decker operated I'm assuming. Don't know if it would necessarily be more e400s. Either way it doesn't leave much room for the 'rumoured' current airport buses heading to Weston....
As for X5 I imagine that will stay as it is as that service can get very busy at certain times (or so I'm told) but single decks during the quieter periods should probably suffice.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I wonder what we might see working the X6/7/9 circuit. It's all to be decker operated I'm assuming. Don't know if it would necessarily be more e400s. Either way it doesn't leave much room for the 'rumoured' current airport buses heading to Weston....
As for X5 I imagine that will stay as it is as that service can get very busy at certain times (or so I'm told) but single decks during the quieter periods should probably suffice.

The interworking of the X6/X7/X9 seems a bit overkill to be 100% decker; the X6 obviously is but the other two would be more single deck orientated. Might there be a mix of single and double deck workings?

 

[D2007wsm]

RUMOUR is that the X9 is to be operated by deckers, with the X6 and X7 being singles

 

[Private Baxter]

RUMOUR is that the X9 is to be operated by deckers, with the X6 and X7 being singles

All well and good but I was under the impression they were all to be interworked. As ever we shall wait and see.

 

[THarris123]

From what I've heard from various sources - X6/7/9 to be decker operated and 20 have 2 open top B7TLs and 3 E400s. It would make more sense for all of 20 to be B7TLs, but I've been told differently.

 

[D2007wsm]

X1/X2/X3/X4 as it is now, X6/X7 to interwork and X8 (On First operated departures)/X9 standalone with driver changes at Nailsea is what I was heard from a variety of sources.

 

[THarris123]

X1/X2/X3/X4 as it is now, X6/X7 to interwork and X8 (On First operated departures)/X9 standalone with driver changes at Nailsea is what I was heard from a variety of sources.

That might make sense. What I was thinking was X1-4 interwork together then X6/7/9 interwork. If you're right, it seems a bit daft to give X9 to Weston, especially as they will be so short.

 

[D2007wsm]

That might make sense. What I was thinking was X1-4 interwork together then X6/7/9 interwork. If you're right, it seems a bit daft to give X9 to Weston, especially as they will be so short.

I heard they will have cars to get Drivers to and from Nailsea as they want to minimise breaks at Marlborough Street, but as with anything I will believe it when it happens. I hear all sorts from different people in the company.

 

[THarris123]

I heard they will have cars to get Drivers to and from Nailsea as they want to minimise breaks at Marlborough Street, but as with anything I will believe it when it happens. I hear all sorts from different people in the company.

Well at one stage they were talking about having a car for drivers in Wells to use on 172 for breaks, but that never happened. Too much expense. I can't see it happening.

 

[matt_splat]

the X8s that are done by First will need to be single deckers, are these deffo being ran by weston or could bristol run this few trips using single deckers.