Large places with a lot of Solo operated services

[pemma]

I noticed yesterday that Milton Keynes (population 230,000) seems to have a lot of bus services operated by Optare Solos. Are there any other large places which have a lot of Optare Solo operated services? I know that they are quite commonly used on bus links between the rail station and town/city centre in larger places but in most larger places there aren't the type of bus you'd be most likely to see.

 

[robertclark125]

Nottingham City Transport has quite a few routes run by Solos. I believe that in 2011, they converted two routes from double deck to Solo operation. Blackpool Transport runs quite a few routes with Optare Solos, and Preston Bus has a sizeable minibus fleet, mostly made up of solos.

 

[trentside]

Nottingham City Transport has quite a few routes run by Solos. I believe that in 2011, they converted two routes from double deck to Solo operation. Blackpool Transport runs quite a few routes with Optare Solos, and Preston Bus has a sizeable minibus fleet, mostly made up of solos.

They have since upgraded the Brown Line services to ADL Enviro200 vehicles, though.

 

[overthewater]

What kinds of Solos are we talking about here? since the solos come in different sizes.

 

[starrymarkb]

Exeter used to be a hotbed of Solos (at least 50 on city routes) until 2011 when a large batch of E200Darts arrived. The E/F1/F2 routes can't take bigger then a SlimSolo so they'll be around for a while.

 

[pemma]

What kinds of Solos are we talking about here? since the solos come in different sizes.

Given Solos have 20-35 seats and larger places usually tend to have plenty of buses with 40-75 seats I personally see a Solo as a small bus when it's in a large place whichever variety it is.

 

[Rapidash]

They are used a lot on the innertown routes in Devon, especially in Torbay and East Devon.

 

[overthewater]

Given Solos have 20-35 seats and larger places usually tend to have plenty of buses with 40-75 seats I personally see a Solo as a small bus when it's in a large place whichever variety it is.

You can get solos with 37 seats, and to be fair that only one short of E200.

 

[MK Tom]

I noticed yesterday that Milton Keynes (population 230,000) seems to have a lot of bus services operated by Optare Solos. Are there any other large places which have a lot of Optare Solo operated services? I know that they are quite commonly used on bus links between the rail station and town/city centre in larger places but in most larger places there aren't the type of bus you'd be most likely to see.

MK Metro bought huge numbers of Solos to replace elderly Mercedes 608Ds around 1999/2000 and they've been here ever since. Arriva have started reducing them now with orders of Enviro 300s and Citaros, as well as second hand Wright Cadets, and more will go when the new electric Wright Streetlites arrive. But we are overrun with Solos at the moment. They are standard on routes 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 and 32. Centrebus also use them on routes 90/90A and Z&S have a few they use on routes 11/12. I'm frankly sick of them and the sooner they go the better. But I could say the same of Arriva themselves.

Aylesbury has quite a few Solos, with Arriva using some on route 8 and others using them on routes 3, 5, 6 and 11. Northampton has had a recent influx of them too from other depots.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

on some routes it's going to be a trade off between frequency of service and vehicle size / capacity ...

if you want to grow a route arguably you could take the option of replacing existing aging , but 'full sized' fleet with Solos ( or similar) and relaunch the route with a higher frequency - if the ridership doesn't grow it continues like that but if ridership grows you then start feeding larger vehicles into the route ...

 

[harry42]

Nottingham has quite a few as others have said.

 

[MCR247]

You can get solos with 37 seats, and to be fair that only one short of E200.

We have solo SRs with exactly the same amount of seats as our 10.2m E200s

 

[david16]

It's better to have a quarter hourly solo frequency than a half hourly E300 frequency or an hourly double decker frequency.

 

[pemma]

It's better to have a quarter hourly solo frequency than a half hourly E300 frequency or an hourly double decker frequency.

Agreed which is why frequent shuttle buses between the station and city centre are usually Solos. However, I think it's unusual for larger places to have something like >50% of services operated by Solos which is why I'm asking the question in the original post.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It's better to have a quarter hourly solo frequency than a half hourly E300 frequency or an hourly double decker frequency.

Not entirely. You're effectively doubling your wage costs, and a fair hike on total fuel etc

Hence why after the initial upsurge of 16 seat minibuses in the mid 1980s, things have gravitated to lower headways on local services using larger vehicles (though still better than the old VRs and Nationals heading round on irregular frequencies).

It's always a balance with vehicle size/frequency between revenue generation and protecting the market (with headways) vs. costs.

 

[BrummyBoy]

Diamond seem to operate a fair few in Kiddiminster

 

[34D]

Otley is full of solos operated by small companies, along with First volvo deckers

 

[pemma]

Not entirely. You're effectively doubling your wage costs, and a fair hike on total fuel etc

Hence why after the initial upsurge of 16 seat minibuses in the mid 1980s, things have gravitated to lower headways on local services using larger vehicles (though still better than the old VRs and Nationals heading round on irregular frequencies).

It's always a balance with vehicle size/frequency between revenue generation and protecting the market (with headways) vs. costs.

And of course a Solo is not a minibus so you can't employ drivers who are licensed to drive just minibuses, meaning there's a higher chance of the company needing to provide driver training.

 

[SuffolkRaider]

We have loads here now in beccles lol as Anglian had a shake up with Konect, the town service and quite a few if the inter town and rural ones use them unless its the dreaded omnicity's. Our gas buses are moving ever nearer to Norwich

 

[gordonthemoron]

don't Cumfybus in Liverpool have solos too or am I dreaming?

 

[trentside]

don't Cumfybus in Liverpool have solos too or am I dreaming?

Quite a significant number, I believe.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

And of course a Solo is not a minibus so you can't employ drivers who are licensed to drive just minibuses, meaning there's a higher chance of the company needing to provide driver training.

no one can drive a mimibus in commercial use without a proper D1 licence gained by test - pre 97 D1 on the basis of car test can't be used for paid work (restriction 101 - not for hire and reward)

 

[34D]

no one can drive a mimibus in commercial use without a proper D1 licence gained by test - pre 97 D1 on the basis of car test can't be used for paid work (restriction 101 - not for hire and reward)

Not any more - see the bottom of https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driver-training-exemption-set-to-cut-costs-and-bureaucracy

 

[pemma]

no one can drive a mimibus in commercial use without a proper D1 licence

What I was trying to get at is a number of people who have the D1 licence -allowing them to drive something like an Optare Alero don't have a full D licence which would allow them to drive something like an Optare Solo. In particular people who work or have worked with children or community groups get a D1 licence but don't have a full D licence.
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don't Cumfybus in Liverpool have solos too or am I dreaming?

Quite a significant number, I believe.

The C routes in Liverpool are Cumfybus Solo operated but I think overall they only make up a small proportion of the bus services that operate in Liverpool. Cumfybus now operate across quite a wide area including Southport, Bolton and Liverpool so a lot of their bus services don't go in to Liverpool. (Their Bolton routes are mainly the former Maytree Travel routes with Maytree formely operating a large number of Solos.)

 

[SuffolkRaider]

So if I read that right 34D as a community volunteer minibus driver it looks like I may have to do the DCPC too unless we get an exemption. Hmmmm and bugger stayed away from commercial driving to avoid that but hey ho looks like the devil farts in my face again lol :roll:

 

[Temple Meads]

Exeter has quite a lot of Solo operated services, although Enviro's are the more common sight on the city confined routes.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

Not any more - see the bottom of https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driver-training-exemption-set-to-cut-costs-and-bureaucracy

DCPC exemption has nothing to do with the fact that pre 97 D1 are restriction 101

the D1 (101) and DCPC issue has arisen over stuff operated as bus services but under s .19 and some of the use of D1 vehicles in education as 'incidental' driving ( i.e. teachers taking groups of field study or sports facilities / fixtures off site )

 

[BestWestern]

Another operator of Solo's is Wilts & Dorset; you see a good few in and around Poole and elsewhere. Poole also has a town centre free bus which uses SR's.

 

[starrymarkb]

Exeter has quite a lot of Solo operated services, although Enviro's are the more common sight on the city confined routes.

There used to be a lot more. Only the E/F are fully Solo now (The route is very tight in Places).

The WA04 batch of Solos were the first SlimSolos in the UK, The old PR4 (now Blue P&R) batch were the first 9.9m with upgraded interior in the UK

 

[34D]

So if I read that right 34D as a community volunteer minibus driver it looks like I may have to do the DCPC too unless we get an exemption. Hmmmm and bugger stayed away from commercial driving to avoid that but hey ho looks like the devil farts in my face again lol :roll:

No. You are covered (in my view) by the existing exemption for "non-commercial carriage of passengers/goods".
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DCPC exemption has nothing to do with the fact that pre 97 D1 are restriction 101

the D1 (101) and DCPC issue has arisen over stuff operated as bus services but under s .19 and some of the use of D1 vehicles in education as 'incidental' driving ( i.e. teachers taking groups of field study or sports facilities / fixtures off site )

My point is that those with a pre 1997 D1 with 101 restriction _can_ attend 5 CPC days and get a D1 for H&R work.

Well worth doing, for anyone looking to get work as a minicoach driver.