Lothian Buses and ECB Discussion

[scosutsut]

From the BUS2020 document:

Does anyone know what the fleet mixture is like Euro wise these days with the XLBs? I'd have thought if another significant order was needed it wouldn't be too long until we heard about it.

Time between the initial XLB order annoucement and entry into service was ~9 months IIRC.

Pre Euro 5 your looking at the Irish plated ex Arriva and native 04/55 plate B7 singles and surviving native 55/56 plate B7 doubles I reckon.

Based on that all three fleets will need some form of replacements either directly or via cascade as the 2020 commitment is off fleet not just off city centre duties.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Pre Euro 5 your looking at surviving the Irish plated ex Arriva and native 04/55 plate B7 singles and surviving native 55/56 plate B7 doubles I reckon.

Based on that all three fleets will need some form of replacements either directly or via cascade as the 2020 commitment is off fleet not just off city centre duties.

Unless they've had modifications already all the Pre-2009ish B7RLEs and B9TLs would need Ad-Blue fitted to get them up to Euro 5.

 

[OmniCity999]

Unless they've had modifications already all the Pre-2009ish B7RLEs and B9TLs would need Ad-Blue fitted to get them up to Euro 5.

Believe all of the single deck fleet is now Euro 5 or above with only the arriva buses being below.

 

[computerSaysNo]

Are Lothian having reliability problems with the fleet at the moment? I've noticed a lot of deckers on routes such as the 1, 20 and 24 recently, which normally use single-deckers, as well as the use of standard Lothian vehicles on the 300 (which should only use Skylink vehicles).

 

[ScotRail158725]

Are Lothian having reliability problems with the fleet at the moment? I've noticed a lot of deckers on routes such as the 1, 20 and 24 recently, which normally use single-deckers, as well as the use of standard Lothian vehicles on the 300 (which should only use Skylink vehicles).

only 15 singles at Central (1-10, 36-40) so theres not enough for the total PVRs of the 1, 6 & 24. the 20 & 63 usually get doubles anyway so nothing new there

 

[Darklord8899]

...as well as the use of standard Lothian vehicles on the 300 (which should only use Skylink vehicles).

Being someone who uses the 300 for daily commute to/from work, at certain times of the day buses can be filled to the gunnels with commuters (rather than holidaymakers with luggage) so using standard vehicles makes sense and a welcome change!

 

[mark-h]

Odd thing about Lothian system, it does NOT tell you how late the buses are....

Google Maps on Android does tell you (only the current status is accurate, you cannot find out where a bus lost time).

 

[ScotRail158725]

Google Maps on Android does tell you (only the current status is accurate, you cannot find out where a bus lost time).

but for that feature you need an android

 

[scosutsut]

but for that feature you need an android

Having just checked it appears to be on the Google maps application on iPhone as well - it's saying the next X7 near me is running one minute early.

 

[cnjb8]

Skills Coaches seem to be having trouble with their former Lothian Tridents as by now their step-entrance deckers should have gone, some have but not all. I've seen two broken down in the past month.
Littles Travel also have a former Gemini still in Lothian livery. Its SN55 BMZ

 

[ScotRail158725]

Skills Coaches seem to be having trouble with their former Lothian Tridents as by now their step-entrance deckers should have gone, some have but not all. I've seen two broken down in the past month.
Littles Travel also have a former Gemini still in Lothian livery. Its SN55 BMZ

quite a lot of B7s sold, think i posted the full list 2 or 3 weeks ago

 

[route101]

Seen ex east coast trident in Dumbarton.

 

[ScotRail158725]

Seen ex east coast trident in Dumbarton.

will be one of the 3 with Marbill, they operate some schools up there, belive its 20624-26, 656/7/70/1 are also at Marbill but all over White

 

[computerSaysNo]

Does anyone know of any Lothian passenger services or empty stock workings which use the City Bypass?
I've noticed on the tracker some buses heading eastbound at about 0400 in the mornings with a destination of "Edinburgh Airport", I presume these are from Longstone to Fort Kinnard for the 400? Why do these go out of the city and around the bypass rather than just directly to the Fort?
Thanks!

 

[etetetetet]

Does anyone know of any Lothian passenger services or empty stock workings which use the City Bypass?
I've noticed on the tracker some buses heading eastbound at about 0400 in the mornings with a destination of "Edinburgh Airport", I presume these are from Longstone to Fort Kinnard for the 400? Why do these go out of the city and around the bypass rather than just directly to the Fort?
Thanks!

I'm guessing speed? Maybe just to get them to the fort for the start of the day.
I know the training buses do occasionally go up the bypass, I saw one this morning use it

 

[buslad1988]

Does anyone know of any Lothian passenger services or empty stock workings which use the City Bypass?
I've noticed on the tracker some buses heading eastbound at about 0400 in the mornings with a destination of "Edinburgh Airport", I presume these are from Longstone to Fort Kinnard for the 400? Why do these go out of the city and around the bypass rather than just directly to the Fort?
Thanks!

There are lots of buses running empty in both directions along the city bypass before/after rush hours. It’s much quicker and makes more sense than running through the town - so they are heading directly there. Especially the 400... otherwise it might as well be in service.

 

[Edirim]

Yes a lot of depot runs along the bypass.
Would be great if some were in service though perhaps if the council is serious about climate emergency it could work to get a hard shoulder bus lane for an orbital route...anyway tangent.

Services 2,3,4,21,25,30,33,44,48,49 & 400 off top of my head use bypass for some depot runs.

 

[BobScott]

Anything running along the bypass in service would certainly not be profitable. These are only positioning journeys to get to the start point more quickly than running through the city.

 

[ANWP Tom]

A few X buses return to Marine OOS via the Bypass in the evening. Less so some heading back to Central (At a guess central ex 15/31/37/47 and back into the city via London Road rather than through the centre and OOS from 12/49 plus Xs to Marine)

Empty 5 starter in the morning from Marine aswell

Central X44s also use the A1 back into town for completeness

 

[computerSaysNo]

Thanks for all the replies, I hadn't realised so many buses used the bypass!

Anything running along the bypass in service would certainly not be profitable.

If the bypass is so busy at peak times though, would a service running from where everyone is coming from, going to where everyone is going to, not make sense? I'm never on the bypass so I don't know if it has a hard shoulder which could be turned into a bus lane? If so then that might be faster for a lot of people than waiting in traffic queues?

 

[TheEastCoaster]

Thanks for all the replies, I hadn't realised so many buses used the bypass!

If the bypass is so busy at peak times though, would a service running from where everyone is coming from, going to where everyone is going to, not make sense? I'm never on the bypass so I don't know if it has a hard shoulder which could be turned into a bus lane? If so then that might be faster for a lot of people than waiting in traffic queues?

The one service I know that runs via the Bypass is horseburghs 40/X40 between Gilmerton and Hermiston! If LCB took over the tender for that service I wonder how well it would do

 

[oldman]

The bypass has a hard shoulder for one section only. The problem would be that there is no single traffic flow to justify a bus service.

 

[overthewater]

The one service I know that runs via the Bypass is horseburghs 40/X40 between Gilmerton and Hermiston! If LCB took over the tender for that service I wonder how well it would do

I think it would do rather well for lot of connections between south east of the city to Uni and sighthill.

Also its been over 10 years since the Southern orbital bus route has been on the books.

 

[scotrail158713]

The one service I know that runs via the Bypass is horseburghs 40/X40 between Gilmerton and Hermiston! If LCB took over the tender for that service I wonder how well it would do

Probably quite well as I’m sure the quality of buses would be better than some of the current ones

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

If the congestion on the bypass wasn’t that bad the 40/X40 could have provided a link between two of the Park and Ride sites. Given this enquiry into Horsburgh it will be interesting to see if anything happens as a result of that

 

[scosutsut]

Is there a view on whether the Bus 2020 plan allows for any exceptions, or will it be the end of the line for the open top Tridents and Scanias that are still owned? Will the promotional Dart also need to go?

On one hand you'd say yes but the preserved fleet is presumably exempt so surely that gives scope for a ruling on the others? Deemed non service buses and exempt? Follow BBTs example and sling compliant engines in them?

 

[ScotRail158725]

Is there a view on whether the Bus 2020 plan allows for any exceptions, or will it be the end of the line for the open top Tridents and Scanias that are still owned? Will the promotional Dart also need to go?

On one hand you'd say yes but the preserved fleet is presumably exempt so surely that gives scope for a ruling on the others? Deemed non service buses and exempt? Follow BBTs example and sling compliant engines in them?

open top scanias havent been used in almost 2 years so doubt they need to worry with them, not sure about the tridents but tbh they probably dont need to worry about stuff like that that come out every now and again

 

[Lothiangem22]

120 buses are on order this year which should put bus 2020 plan right on track. Don’t have confirmation on vehicle types though it’s rumoured some movement from Longstone to Marine with at least some of the new batch going to Longstone including the replacement of the current B7 training fleet

 

[CN04NRJ]

120 buses are on order this year which should put bus 2020 plan right on track. Don’t have confirmation on vehicle types though it’s rumoured some movement from Longstone to Marine with at least some of the new batch going to Longstone including the replacement of the current B7 training fleet

Are Longstone getting new singles?

 

[Auld reekie]

Are Longstone getting new singles?

They could certainly do with them.