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

[TheGrandWazoo]

It would be better in my opinion if the Ex Leeds b9tls come to Wells, due to their power (even though some are quite sluggish) and their reliability. The 14 plate Enviro 400s would do ok in Bath on the town routes.

As I say, I think you're basing that on the condition of the 14 plate e400s now when they're at their worst. I suspect there's a bit of work that has been put off for months that needs sorting.

That the ex Leeds B9s are sent out to Wells, but aren't trusted on X39s, possibly tells you something.....



Talking of B9s, saw a number of the ex Bath ones at Hengrove earlier, all newly vinyled up. They have again been refurbished with the blue/green moquette - so a sad face from me, and a happy face for @Private Baxter I know people don't like the lime green but I'm quite taken with it. You will certainly notice your bus on the 24!!!

 

[carlberry]

I would make a caveat about the 14 plate e400s and it's not simply because they've been on city work so they can't cope with fresh air. You've had vehicles that have been on loan to Diamond. They weren't going to spend big money on repairs for vehicles that weren't going to be theirs in the long run. In fact, they had major problems getting ADL parts so you may well be seeing the product of a backlog of defects. Not defects that would lead to a PG9 but a culture of make do and mend meaning that they did enough to get them out legally and not much more.

However it's now up to First to ensure they meet their standards, chucking them straight out perhaps wasnt the wiseist move. I remember how long it took for Stagecoach to get any of the ex Wessex vehicles back on the road, and several of those never made it!

 

[Streamr_MXP]

As I say, I think you're basing that on the condition of the 14 plate e400s now when they're at their worst. I suspect there's a bit of work that has been put off for months that needs sorting.

That the ex Leeds B9s are sent out to Wells, but aren't trusted on X39s, possibly tells you something.....

I've seen Bath Depot working on a few of the 14 plate e400s, for the past 6 months, and they still remain in a pretty awful condition. Those really do not do well at Wells, with 33836 having had constant issues since moving, and I believe it was either 33831/3 that broke down the other weekend. Having travelled on quite a few, and the ride quality on them makes the 12 plates seem luxurious, and they are pretty awful. I have been thrown out of my seat, after 33836 hit a pothole. I know that they are struggling to work on these, whilst Wells keeps giving them 12 plates that have never ending issues, so that's not helping. As for the Ex-Leeds B9TLs, They were frequently on the X39, before the Scanias were officially put on the route. That fleet of B9tls could do with a bit of work however, including new batteries, as they seem to die pretty quickly on a few of the buses. Other than the battery issues 36232/3 have had at Wells, they perform excellently on routes 172/3/4, of which E400s are awful on, as proven over the past few weeks. If 37605/6/10 & 37771/2 get given euro VI upgrades, and those Ex-Leeds B9tls moved, that could be a better long-term option, rather than the 14 plate Enviros, of which will be rather hopeless at Wells.

It does make me wonder why the Streetdecks never really got a "trail" on routes 172/3/4, as I've had a few of them on the Bath - Wells routes, and they performed really well.

 

[Buses in Bath]

As I say, I think you're basing that on the condition of the 14 plate e400s now when they're at their worst. I suspect there's a bit of work that has been put off for months that needs sorting.

That the ex Leeds B9s are sent out to Wells, but aren't trusted on X39s, possibly tells you something.....



Talking of B9s, saw a number of the ex Bath ones at Hengrove earlier, all newly vinyled up. They have again been refurbished with the blue/green moquette - so a sad face from me, and a happy face for @Private Baxter I know people don't like the lime green but I'm quite taken with it. You will certainly notice your bus on the 24!!!

If theyve refurbished those with new seats when they were e-leather before then they better do the ex-Bolton B9s in Bath soon. They are so uncomfortable and need a refurbish.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I've seen Bath Depot working on a few of the 14 plate e400s, for the past 6 months, and they still remain in a pretty awful condition. Those really do not do well at Wells, with 33836 having had constant issues since moving, and I believe it was either 33831/3 that broke down the other weekend. Having travelled on quite a few, and the ride quality on them makes the 12 plates seem luxurious, and they are pretty awful. I have been thrown out of my seat, after 33836 hit a pothole. I know that they are struggling to work on these, whilst Wells keeps giving them 12 plates that have never ending issues, so that's not helping. As for the Ex-Leeds B9TLs, They were frequently on the X39, before the Scanias were officially put on the route. That fleet of B9tls could do with a bit of work however, including new batteries, as they seem to die pretty quickly on a few of the buses. Other than the battery issues 36232/3 have had at Wells, they perform excellently on routes 172/3/4, of which E400s are awful on, as proven over the past few weeks. If 37605/6/10 & 37771/2 get given euro VI upgrades, and those Ex-Leeds B9tls moved, that could be a better long-term option, rather than the 14 plate Enviros, of which will be rather hopeless at Wells.

It does make me wonder why the Streetdecks never really got a "trail" on routes 172/3/4, as I've had a few of them on the Bath - Wells routes, and they performed really well.

Have to say that I didn't see the ex Leeds ones on the X39 and I was commuting on the A4 (road not service) most days. Saw plenty of the natives and sometimes the ex Boltons but not a Leeds one; there will have been the occasional one but they seemed confined to the 3/3A/4 or the P&R and certainly not frequently on the X39.

Fact is that Wells are getting the 14 plates; they're being repainted and that's what we're getting.

If theyve refurbished those with new seats when they were e-leather before then they better do the ex-Bolton B9s in Bath soon. They are so uncomfortable and need a refurbish.

Those have the mk2 barbie lilac that faded really badly. They could definitely do with a refurb. As always with Bath, it seems to be sporadic with repaints and refurbs!!

However it's now up to First to ensure they meet their standards, chucking them straight out perhaps wasnt the wiseist move. I remember how long it took for Stagecoach to get any of the ex Wessex vehicles back on the road, and several of those never made it!

I can't disagree with what you say. However, as we've seen with 33711 (which looks cosmetically awful), they are just turfing stuff out onto the road. I was surprised that any of the Wessex e200s made it out onto the road; they were hammered.

 

[swifty]

It would be better in my opinion if the Ex Leeds b9tls come to Wells, due to their power (even though some are quite sluggish) and their reliability. The 14 plate Enviro 400s would do ok in Bath on the town routes.

Isn’t there a picture further up the tread of an ex Leeds B9 being towed back to Bath from Wells after breaking down

 

[Buses in Bath]

Those have the mk2 barbie lilac that faded really badly. They could definitely do with a refurb. As always with Bath, it seems to be sporadic with repaints and refurbs!!

Yes they really could. It's not great.

 

[georgeloxton02]

Isn’t there a picture further up the tread of an ex Leeds B9 being towed back to Bath from Wells after breaking down

You do have a point... if the 14 plates get a bit of care and attention I suppose they would be fine, they just need some interior work and engine work, if a few screws and bolts were tightened that would solve the rattling and the engine could well be fixed easily aswell. We will just have to wait and see what happens with them

 

[cnjb8]

From what I've read here, the SN12s have settled in ok but the SK14s need a bit of work. Do the 14 plates have different engines to the 12s?

 

[matt_splat]

I've seen Bath Depot working on a few of the 14 plate e400s, for the past 6 months, and they still remain in a pretty awful condition. Those really do not do well at Wells, with 33836 having had constant issues since moving, and I believe it was either 33831/3 that broke down the other weekend. Having travelled on quite a few, and the ride quality on them makes the 12 plates seem luxurious, and they are pretty awful. I have been thrown out of my seat, after 33836 hit a pothole. I know that they are struggling to work on these, whilst Wells keeps giving them 12 plates that have never ending issues, so that's not helping. As for the Ex-Leeds B9TLs, They were frequently on the X39, before the Scanias were officially put on the route. That fleet of B9tls could do with a bit of work however, including new batteries, as they seem to die pretty quickly on a few of the buses. Other than the battery issues 36232/3 have had at Wells, they perform excellently on routes 172/3/4, of which E400s are awful on, as proven over the past few weeks. If 37605/6/10 & 37771/2 get given euro VI upgrades, and those Ex-Leeds B9tls moved, that could be a better long-term option, rather than the 14 plate Enviros, of which will be rather hopeless at Wells.

It does make me wonder why the Streetdecks never really got a "trail" on routes 172/3/4, as I've had a few of them on the Bath - Wells routes, and they performed really well.

I caught a late 172 about 2 years ago and a streetdeck was out operating it it went up dunkerton hill rather well

 

[AB93]

Have to say that I didn't see the ex Leeds ones on the X39 and I was commuting on the A4 (road not service) most days. Saw plenty of the natives and sometimes the ex Boltons but not a Leeds one; there will have been the occasional one but they seemed confined to the 3/3A/4 or the P&R and certainly not frequently on the X39.

They were allocated to the 3/3A/4 because of the double buggy space, making a better transition from the StreetLites. Hence not appearing on the X39 so often, but there were occasions and they have been on again with the new short working journeys over the past couple of weeks.

 

[Whiteway215]

The First allocation changes list for June appearing on the WM Buses in Photos website shows 33834/5/6/7/8/9/40 as now transferred Bath to Wells and 10037 has ‘left the fleet’

 

[freetoview33]

They were allocated to the 3/3A/4 because of the double buggy space, making a better transition from the StreetLites. Hence not appearing on the X39 so often, but there were occasions and they have been on again with the new short working journeys over the past couple of weeks.

That is the reason in Bristol that I like the E400MMCS and Scanias, that they have more wheelchair/buggy spaces. On some routes like the 4 going through Lawrence Weston they would be amazing due to higher than average numbers of bus users with buggies.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

That is the reason in Bristol that I like the E400MMCS and Scanias, that they have more wheelchair/buggy spaces. On some routes like the 4 going through Lawrence Weston they would be amazing due to higher than average numbers of bus users with buggies.

It would seem that the 3/4 isn't able to sustain newer vehicles with 2001 vehicles being replaced by 2008 ones. Mind you, I'd have said the same about the 6/7 but the AQMA was the reason behind those new vehicles.

I caught a late 172 about 2 years ago and a streetdeck was out operating it it went up dunkerton hill rather well

I guess so but unfortunately and ultimately, they weren't up to the job. Like the 376, the 172-4 has a mix of urban (but not much) and fast rural running with some testing hills.

 

[freetoview33]

It would seem that the 3/4 isn't able to sustain newer vehicles with 2001 vehicles being replaced by 2008 ones. Mind you, I'd have said the same about the 6/7 but the AQMA was the reason behind those new vehicles.vehicles.

During the first part of all this the scainas did amazing well on the 3/4!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

During the first part of all this the scainas did amazing well on the 3/4!

I'm sure they did but it's now gonna be purple B9s! Not seen any of those up close so wonder if they have been similarly refurbished to the 24 ones.

 

[freetoview33]

I'm sure they did but it's now gonna be purple B9s! Not seen any of those up close so wonder if they have been similarly refurbished to the 24 ones.

For the time being! I will get a good look next week hopefully.

 

[fgwrich]

Not seen it mentioned yet, but it seems 36206 has came a cropper yesterday after having an argument with an Ash Tree. Screenshots from one of the businesses I follow on Instagram.

 

[Streamr_MXP]

Isn’t there a picture further up the tread of an ex Leeds B9 being towed back to Bath from Wells after breaking down

36232 was sounding unhealthy when it first went out, so I was expecting something to go wrong. 36233 also broke down in Wells bus station the other week, though that was a minor issue, where the battery died. 36232 has previously done a few weeks at Wells, back earlier this year, and it had no problems whatsoever. Most of the other Gemini 2s in Bath have been to Wells at some point since arriving, and I believe the past 2 issues have been the only problems they have had.

I caught a late 172 about 2 years ago and a streetdeck was out operating it it went up dunkerton hill rather well

Those decks were great on the 172/3/4, very quick, and very comfortable. They would've been up for the job, though never really got given a proper chance.

Not seen it mentioned yet, but it seems 36206 has came a cropper yesterday after having an argument with an Ash Tree. Screenshots from one of the businesses I follow on Instagram.

Oh dear. I wouldn't be suprised if something similar happens to one of the buses at Wells or Malborough Street/Lawrence Hill, as there's lots of over hanging trees, with branches now hanging over the road, especially on the 174, between Shepton & Wells and also the 178, which serves Old Mills Tesco, via the car park.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Those decks were great on the 172/3/4, very quick, and very comfortable. They would've been up for the job, though never really got given a proper chance.


Oh dear. I wouldn't be suprised if something similar happens to one of the buses at Wells or Malborough Street/Lawrence Hill, as there's lots of over hanging trees, with branches now hanging over the road, especially on the 174, between Shepton & Wells and also the 178, which serves Old Mills Tesco, via the car park.

If the Streetdecks couldn't hack the pounding on the 376, I doubt they'd have faired any better on the 172-4, climbing through Dunkerton or past Clandown or through Nettlebridge or the Horringtons.

Deckers will be ok on the 174 - it's not like no deckers have been down the road for ten years. The 178 might be more of an issue between High Littleton and Timsbury though

 

[Private Baxter]

Talking of B9s, saw a number of the ex Bath ones at Hengrove earlier, all newly vinyled up. They have again been refurbished with the blue/green moquette - so a sad face from me, and a happy face for @Private Baxter I know people don't like the lime green but I'm quite taken with it. You will certainly notice your bus on the 24!!!

Well indeed. I do like the style, particularly on newer buses such as Bath's solos where it complements the interior nicely, though agree it does rather clash with the purple on the various B9s!

 

[spw24]

If the Streetdecks couldn't hack the pounding on the 376, I doubt they'd have faired any better on the 172-4, climbing through Dunkerton or past Clandown or through Nettlebridge or the Horringtons.

Deckers will be ok on the 174 - it's not like no deckers have been down the road for ten years. The 178 might be more of an issue between High Littleton and Timsbury though

not really a problem on the 178 as plenty of lorries go through there as well. Ive recently taken B9s through without too many problems.

 

[matt_splat]

not really a problem on the 178 as plenty of lorries go through there as well. Ive recently taken B9s through without too many problems.

that and wells have been using deckers between High Littleton and Timsbury for a long while now on the late 172s

 

[lx12ddo]

36232 was sounding unhealthy when it first went out, so I was expecting something to go wrong. 36233 also broke down in Wells bus station the other week, though that was a minor issue, where the battery died. 36232 has previously done a few weeks at Wells, back earlier this year, and it had no problems whatsoever. Most of the other Gemini 2s in Bath have been to Wells at some point since arriving, and I believe the past 2 issues have been the only problems they have had.


Those decks were great on the 172/3/4, very quick, and very comfortable. They would've been up for the job, though never really got given a proper chance.


Oh dear. I wouldn't be suprised if something similar happens to one of the buses at Wells or Malborough Street/Lawrence Hill, as there's lots of over hanging trees, with branches now hanging over the road, especially on the 174, between Shepton & Wells and also the 178, which serves Old Mills Tesco, via the car park.

36232 and 233 seen on the city routes throughout lockdown seemed absolutely fine (some rocketing on the 1), as well as pre-lockdown when tackling Bathwick Hill on the U1/U3 routes - hoping these issues are the only ones they've had down at Wells? The SN14 E400s I'm shocked to hear are being so troublesome down at Wells. This must be quite a kick in the teeth for the fleet management team at First WoE....

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

not really a problem on the 178 as plenty of lorries go through there as well. Ive recently taken B9s through without too many problems.

that and wells have been using deckers between High Littleton and Timsbury for a long while now on the late 172s

Fair enough. Knew the A39 would be fine; it was only that short bit from the A39 to Timsbury that is quite leafy that sprang to mind.

I’d forgotten about the late run to Farmborough tbh

 

[georgeloxton02]

36232 and 233 seen on the city routes throughout lockdown seemed absolutely fine (some rocketing on the 1), as well as pre-lockdown when tackling Bathwick Hill on the U1/U3 routes - hoping these issues are the only ones they've had down at Wells? The SN14 E400s I'm shocked to hear are being so troublesome down at Wells. This must be quite a kick in the teeth for the fleet management team at First WoE....

Yea the SN14s are causing some trouble with their reliability and speed. They aren’t great. I wonder what will happen with them in the future if Wells can’t handle them.

 

[D2007wsm]

Probably get swapped with Weston’s lol

 

[swifty]

Thanks to Ross at Ensign here are a few relevant snippets from the in & outs through Ensign in June.

VEHICLES IN.
From First Wessex : Scania’s YN04GNV / GNY / GNZ.
From First Essex : Tridents LN51GMO / LN51GNP Scania YS03ZKE Darts WX05UAN / SN05DZX B10BLEs Y939CSF / X685ADK B7RLE WX54XDC
From First West of England : Scania LK55ACJ / Volvo B7Las W122CWR / WX55HVZ.

VEHICLES OUT
Scanias YN04GNV / GNZ : Connexions Buses, Harrogate.
Darts X201WAE / WK52MTV: Squarepeg Buses, Leeds.
Solo WX05RSO : Wealden PSV, Tonbridge, Kent.
Dart WX06OMM : Seaford and District.

The following all to Shelton Motors for scrap :
Scania’s :/ YN04GNY .
Volvo B10BLE’s Y939CSF / X685ADK B7LA’s W122CLR / WK55HVZ

I can pop the whole list up if anyone is interested in all the other comings and goings.

I’ve heard that 4 bendies migt be working the 5 between the bus station and depot from next week in Bath, so a possible reprieve for some of them!

 

[Streamr_MXP]

I’ve heard that 4 bendies migt be working the 5 between the bus station and depot from next week in Bath, so a possible reprieve for some of them!

That certainly sounds interesting. I suppose that would allow the Ex-Mendip B7RLEs to give a little extra capacity on the 1, and also help out on the D1/2 & 172.
I mean there is always the option of sending a bendy or two on the 172. They are as good at tight manoeuvres as a B7RLE, and yet have extra capacity, and quite some power too. It wouldn't be the first time a bendy makes it way thorough Paulton, as I do remember sighting on on the 178 many years back now. Although this is a very unlikely thing to happen.

 

[matt_splat]

lots of busses out today doing driving assesments it would seem first used this as a way of route training the 172 as well with many B9s a pink streetlite and at least 2 e400s and a number 5 b7 out i saw 7 busses in peasedown in about 15 minutes earlier today