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

[anthony263]

I just got a message saying that a step entrance dart is on a low loader heading down the M4 towards Swansea. I have been doing some asking around and it seems we have managed to nick one of Bristol's step entrance darts

That said First cymru was nearly close to 100% low floor now they have at least 2 steap entrance darts back in service (Not that I am complaining mind you)

Now all I have to hope is that First cymru allocate that step entrance dart from Bristol to either the Port Talbot or Bridgend depots where we have a lot of hilly routes to thrash it on.

 

[Ivo]

Anyone care to guess what kind of vehicle ollieb, Robinson and myself travelled on on the 54 in Bristol earlier today?

Yep. A step Dart! (N551 LHU; 46651)

 

[Schnellzug]

I think the last one round here seems to have finally gorn. not First, the last one of they went a while ago, I haven't seen South West Coaches K102 OMW lately. They've still got several MB minibuses, if anyone would like one, though.

 

[83G/84D]

Dart 46365 now with First Devon & Cornwall after transfer from Southampton.

 

[anthony263]

Dart 46365 now with First Devon & Cornwall after transfer from Southampton.

Not a UVG step entrance by chance since we have one of them now in south wales along with a plaxton pointer step entrance both of which I am on the lookout for tommorow

 

[Ivo]

Not a UVG step entrance by chance since we have one of them now in south wales along with a plaxton pointer step entrance both of which I am on the lookout for tommorow

It's this one - yet another Pointer.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Customer Charter Issues: More than two months have passed since S&A introduced their Charter, and I'm not impressed to say the least.

"The provision of clear printed timetable information" - At bus stations maybe, but otherwise?

"We will respond promptly to your queries" - Since when was five weeks prompt?

"Clearly identifiable destinations" - Yes. Such as Bath Spa University on a route that starts there.

"New timetable leaflets two weeks in advance" - Change "weeks" to "days" and they can just about get away with it.

"We will participate in concessionary schemes" - You don't have a choice. It's Law.

"We will consult with the RNIB" - Saying you will isn't good enough. It should have been done before the Charter was introduced. And when anyway?

"Our buses will undergo MOT test every 12 months" - Oh please. That's worse than saying about concessionary schemes.

"Posters at bus stations will be current" - Yes. That's why Bath's hasn't changed since it was first put up - in 2009.

"Safety is of paramount importance" - Then prove it and tell your drivers to drive at 15 in a 15 zone and not 40.

"A dog day rider fare is applicable" - Why?

"Travelling for the First Time?" - This entire section is dim-witted at best.

Result: Must try harder.

 

[Schnellzug]

More than two months have passed since S&A introduced their Charter, and I'm not impressed to say the least.

"The provision of clear printed timetable information" - At bus stations maybe, but otherwise?

"We will respond promptly to your queries" - Since when was five weeks prompt?

"Clearly identifiable destinations" - Yes. Such as Bath Spa University on a route that starts there.

"New timetable leaflets two weeks in advance" - Change "weeks" to "days" and they can just about get away with it.

"We will participate in concessionary schemes" - You don't have a choice. It's Law.

"We will consult with the RNIB" - Saying you will isn't good enough. It should have been done before the Charter was introduced. And when anyway?

"Our buses will undergo MOT test every 12 months" - Oh please. That's worse than saying about concessionary schemes.

"Posters at bus stations will be current" - Yes. That's why Bath's hasn't changed since it was first put up - in 2009.

"Safety is of paramount importance" - Then prove it and tell your drivers to drive at 15 in a 15 zone and not 40..

it may be different in places where they have to recruit drivers from Poland perhaps, but round here, I must say that the drivers are nearly all irreproachable.
I like the bit about the MOT, though; that's a bit like saying "We promise that nearly all our Drivers will have a valid Licence."

 

[Ivo]

Taunton are making some revisions next month, which will have implications for any future "round tour" trips like that sonic2009 and I made last month. On the good side, they are finally increasing the frequency of service 21 between Taunton and Burnham-on-Sea to every 20 minutes, which should have been done a long time ago. However, it's not all good news because the link between Taunton and Wells - service 29 - is being reduced to roughly one bus every 90 minutes! Service 29 never was the busiest route around - but really? Every 90? It seemed to work pretty well at an hourly frequency...

I hope they compensate by putting larger vehicles on the route. Darts will not cope at that frequency.

 

[starrymarkb]

the 29 change has been rumoured for months

 

[DaveHarries]

[.....] On the good side, they are finally increasing the frequency of service 21 between Taunton and Burnham-on-Sea to every 20 minutes[.....]

Sounds like an anti-competitive measure to dispose of the competition offered by Webberbus (Bridgwater) Service 15 which runs between Burnham-on-Sea, Highbridge, Bridgwater, Taunton and Wellington.

Dave

 

[Ivo]

Sounds like an anti-competitive measure to dispose of the competition offered by Webberbus (Bridgwater) Service 15 which runs between Burnham-on-Sea, Highbridge, Bridgwater, Taunton and Wellington.

That 15 is a lot faster on end-to-end journeys as well. Bit of a mixed bag as far as vehicles go though; when I went on it last month I had a Solo - and we (Sonic and I) passed all manner of vehicles running on the 15 in the other direction.

To be honest the 21 should have been 3bph anyway. It's certainly busy enough, but can't use deckers because of the bridge in Taunton (or at least, I don't think it can). All we would need now if for the 112 to run every 20 minutes and the entire Bristol to Taunton corridor would be run at least three times an hour - but why would it? Summer aside, the route's practically dead...

Elsewhere, I might have some interesting news relating to Bath at some point in the next week or so, relating to the University services. Nothing definite at this stage - but I think something will come along soon!

the 29 change has been rumoured for months

In that case, why have I only learned about it in the last few hours?

 

[Schnellzug]

Taunton are making some revisions next month, which will have implications for any future "round tour" trips like that sonic2009 and I made last month. On the good side, they are finally increasing the frequency of service 21 between Taunton and Burnham-on-Sea to every 20 minutes, which should have been done a long time ago. However, it's not all good news because the link between Taunton and Wells - service 29 - is being reduced to roughly one bus every 90 minutes! Service 29 never was the busiest route around - but really? Every 90? It seemed to work pretty well at an hourly frequency...

I hope they compensate by putting larger vehicles on the route. Darts will not cope at that frequency.

So having already cut one of the buses per hour between Wells and Street, "but there's plenty of others", the First Bus Comapny are now cutting another one. Bloody incompetent clowns. Can someone force them to sell it?

 

[Ivo]

So having already cut one of the buses per hour between Wells and Street, "but there's plenty of others", the First Bus Comapny are now cutting another one. Bloody incompetent clowns. Can someone force them to sell it?

It was probably planned all along. We're now down to just 8bp3h, having had something like 12 in that time only a few months ago. It's not exactly the busiest avenue they run though is it? None of Wells, Glastonbury and Street are exactly bursting with massive populations (Wells = 10,500; Glastonbury = 8,750; Street = 11,000) - but I agree that the loss of a direct service to Bristol, itself technically maintained by 376 journeys forming 375/377 journeys, may be a bigger problem.

On the plus side, I have found that they have also extended the WsM Day ticket, which previously was a waste of money (and in true First style, they didn't bother telling anyone beforehand from the looks of things). Their information seems a little hard to believe though.

 

[DaveHarries]

Just a thought re. Webbberbus' Service 15. If the 21 is now going to have no journeys via. Brittons Ash then presumably that leaves Brittons Ash and Bathpool with no bus service of any sort. If that is the case then perhaps Webberbus should reroute the 15 to run via those places?

Dave

 

[Class 33]

Bristol.....


http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_kirk/6180183443/ These Gemini double deckers. They're the most bland and boring buses I've ever used! And these things are all over the place here!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mancunian1001/4227457985/ I quite like these slightly older double deckers though. A bit of character and nice engine sound. Up untill a week or so ago these were the fleet of buses operating service 70 UWE-Centre. But now they've all been taken off and replaced with single deckers on this service. Whilst those double deckers have now been placed to work on services such as 4, 5, and 36. Services that were previously all single deckers, and really don't have the volume of passengers to justify the use of double deckers! So bit of an odd decision there whoever decided on this.

There are a few other new/new-ish double deckers which can be seen at times operating the 75, 76, 36, and 90 services. Don't know what they're called. And can't find any photos of them on Flickr. But I think they're quite nice as modern buses go. Miles better than those bland and boring Gemini things!

Went on one of those new Enviro double deckers on the X1 to Weston-Super-Mare a couple of weeks back. Not too bad.

Of course none of these buses are even half as good as the great classics such as the Leyland Olympian, Leyland National, Bristol VR, Bristol RE, and Bristol Lodekka's. If these were all still running in normal service I'd be out and about on the buses a lot more often!

 

[Blindtraveler]

thought I'd just but in here and say that its roomered that much of the fleat from FSE's Dalkeith depot which is being closed and some from the shruncan musselburgh depot have been sent for scrap, a rather worrying thought as all other depots in the area have buses of same age or older as im sure does the rest of the empire!

Also on a side note Lothians new runs have brought them to reintroduce some older tridents and (much to the discust of many)
some awfull slow Y reg darts, the latter being truly dredfull!

 

[anthony263]

Hopefully Blindtraveler those Y reg darts are just being re-instated until they can get some new vehicles in to replace them.

 

[Ivo]

They can't possibly be worse than the S-reg ones we inherited from Sheffield/Rotherham. They are truly awful.

 

[Blindtraveler]

do your S's go above 40? These dont and some even slower!
As to First its also floating round on the grapevine that our promised new vehicles woant now come due to all the nonsense here. Hope you guys benifit instead.

 

[Ivo]

do your S's go above 40? These dont and some even slower!
As to First its also floating round on the grapevine that our promised new vehicles woant now come due to all the nonsense here. Hope you guys benifit instead.

They can clear 40, but not by much. Instead, they jumpstart when changing gear (which takes ages, especially 3rd to 4th), they rev horribly even in the lower gears just to move, they are easily the tattiest vehicles in the fleet, etc...

See this post.

Shocking buses!

They should have been scrapped a couple of years ago. But then First decided to swap around thirty Geminis from Sheffield to Glasgow (getting single deckers in exchange)...

...the single deckers were put on a new route to Barnsley (outside the traditional "Mainline" areas, tackling Stagecoach in their own back yard) which meant that First had to bring the SPDs out of retirement.

They might be okay in York, Norwich etc (flat areas suited to milk floats)

And, yes, we have plenty of the things left in South Yorkshire

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Shame the 234 has a Dart SLF turn on it, but this is the one that ends up in Frome and then does the Frome - Trowbridge in the morning, but I can't figure what it does from Trowbridge (I *think* it's the 236 local turn).

But either case it falls onto the time at 3pm, so at 15:18 at Trowbridge, it is wedged with kids going back, and trying to stand was somewhat a mission. Thankfully it eased out a bit by Melksham and unfortunately the only one that would get me to work on time (well an hour early, but better than a dodgy 10 minutes on the next one!)

I see the PIS in the saloon is still pointless, I've done the 22:30 back from Melksham most nights which is also a SLF (different numbered one) and all scrolled gibberish like sS2fkits234 or something like that, apart from the one yesterday which was bold letters and looked like it was in Russian!

 

[Class 33]

Why did First Bristol take away the season ticket validating machines on buses several months ago? When these machines were on buses it meant if you had a season ticket you could skip a queue of people waiting to pay the driver and just put your ticket in the machine and sit down. Now this is no longer possible and you have to wait in the queue(including some annoying people who don't even have their money ready or fiddling about asking questions) in order to show the driver your season ticket. And with some drivers you have to actually give the driver your ticket and he/she then inspects/studies it, even though it is clearly stated on the ticket the start and expiry date. This really slows things down. It was a backward step getting rid of those machines. Bring back the season ticket validating machines please!

On a lighter note, I notice that South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach Company are using some old Badgerline double deckers from the mid 1980's on a few of their services, including the 462 Centre-Emersons Green. I will have to go for a spin on those soon. Prober buses with a bit of character, unlike those boring Gemini things!

 

[anthony263]

Looks like I need to pay a visit to Bristol soon then.

 

[Ivo]

Why did First Bristol take away the season ticket validating machines on buses several months ago? When these machines were on buses it meant if you had a season ticket you could skip a queue of people waiting to pay the driver and just put your ticket in the machine and sit down. Now this is no longer possible and you have to wait in the queue(including some annoying people who don't even have their money ready or fiddling about asking questions) in order to show the driver your season ticket. And with some drivers you have to actually give the driver your ticket and he/she then inspects/studies it, even though it is clearly stated on the ticket the start and expiry date. This really slows things down. It was a backward step getting rid of those machines. Bring back the season ticket validating machines please!

But half the time those things didn't even work! And even when they did, their cards became corrupted far too easily...

I don't like the new Almex machines much myself. For me, I have to out my card against the scanner, wait for the driver to find the correct fare stage (or be lazy and just key in "1"/"12"/"20"/"24"/"28", depending on my journey), and then wait about a second for a ticket to appear.

What is wrong with the model used in Bracknell? All you do (assuming they still have the same system they did last time I was there) is show the driver your pass and he presses a button! It saves time and it saves paper.

On a lighter note, I notice that South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach Company are using some old Badgerline double deckers from the mid 1980's on a few of their services, including the 462 Centre-Emersons Green. I will have to go for a spin on those soon. Prober buses with a bit of character, unlike those boring Gemini things!

I shall have to keep an eye out

 

[starrymarkb]

But half the time those things didn't even work! And even when they did, their cards became corrupted far too easily...

I don't like the new Almex machines much myself. For me, I have to out my card against the scanner, wait for the driver to find the correct fare stage (or be lazy and just key in "1"/"12"/"20"/"24"/"28", depending on my journey), and then wait about a second for a ticket to appear.

What is wrong with the model used in Bracknell? All you do (assuming they still have the same system they did last time I was there) is show the driver your pass and he presses a button! It saves time and it saves paper.



I shall have to keep an eye out

Some councils now require the pass to be scanned for fraud prevention (ie validity and forgery check) and will not pay the fare unless the pass passes the electronic validation check

 

[anthony263]

I have never liked using Almex machines the latest version of the Wayfarer's are much better

 

[Class 33]

I shall have to keep an eye out

http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/48F2F128-C9C4-41B4-A8C2-6A5B509BE45D/0/PTE110019.pdf

During the last few weeks I've noticed the 1625 service from Broadmead-Emersons Green is usually one of these buses http://www.flickr.com/photos/castlebay/6944835798/ But occasionally it's a coach on this 1625 service. Seems a range of different buses and coaches have/are being used on these service ranging from old 1980's buses to modern day National Express coaches. http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=462 bus bristol (NB: five of the photos here are non relevant)

Also everday I see one of these Volvo B10M Citybus'es ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/4754680915/ ) running northwards along Filton Avenue at about 7:15am. The service number is 135 and the destination blind just says "South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach Company". I can't find a timetable of this service online anywhere. I suspect it's probably a schools or university service, and not for the general public unfortunately. Which is a shame, as I'd love to ride on one of those again.

 

[Ivo]

Some councils now require the pass to be scanned for fraud prevention (ie validity and forgery check) and will not pay the fare unless the pass passes the electronic validation check

I know, and it's good that they're doing as much. But do First really have to insist on inputting a destination - an incorrect one more often than not - and printing a ticket? Other operators around the area just scan the card and go...

But occasionally it's a coach on this 1625 service. Seems a range of different buses and coaches have/are being used on these service ranging from old 1980's buses to modern day National Express coaches. http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=462 bus bristol (NB: five of the photos here are non relevant)

I've seen the coach around a few times (in Bath mainly), but more importantly I don't like the look of this one

Also everday I see one of these Volvo B10M Citybus'es ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/4754680915/ ) running northwards along Filton Avenue at about 7:15am. The service number is 135 and the destination blind just says "South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach Company". I can't find a timetable of this service online anywhere. I suspect it's probably a schools or university service, and not for the general public unfortunately. Which is a shame, as I'd love to ride on one of those again.

135: Stoke Gifford to Kingswood College

 

[Schnellzug]

I notice that in one of the other pictures accompanying this,

Also everday I see one of these Volvo B10M Citybus'es ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/4754680915/ ) .

the on-bus equipment for those Real Time Information thingies apparently cost about £1800 each. Well, round here there seems to be a fair bit of someone's* money being wasted, since only about half of them ever seem to work. But that could just be Frist Hampshire's standards of maintenance, of course. I wonder if whoever paid for them know that Frist can't be bothered to maintain them?

* but probably the Government, so it doesn't matter

 

[anthony263]

Seems First are withdrawing the 18 from Emersons Green in Bristol:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/with...vice-Bristol/story-16356233-detail/story.html

Maybe a chance for some other operaters such as CT Plus or even Stagecoach perhaps especially if Bristol ends up getting a transport authority similar to TFL