McGill’s Midland Bluebird

[smsm1]

Is the all zone ticket valid on the Trossachs Explorer?

Long journey time to get there and connection reliability is partly why I haven't tried it yet.

 

[trei2k]

Is the all zone ticket valid on the Trossachs Explorer?

Long journey time to get there and connection reliability is partly why I haven't tried it yet.

Yes, it is listed on the national park website: https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.or...ng-around-the-park/trossachs-explorer-prices/

 

[roadierway77]

Is the all zone ticket valid on the Trossachs Explorer?

Long journey time to get there and connection reliability is partly why I haven't tried it yet.

Yes, I can confirm it is valid as I used the All Zones ticket on the Trossachs Explorer with no problems.

 

[Stan Drews]

A further batch of former First stock has been sold to Ensign Bus:
Streetlites - 0413, 0415, 0425, 0435, 0436, 0437, 0438, 0447, 0453, 0456, 0472, 0473, 0475, 0476, 0477.
Volvo B7RLEs - 2275, 2276, 2280, 2282, 2299, 2302, 2304, 2305.

A few more have gone to Clyde Metals for scrap:
Scania L94 - 1614.
Volvo B7RLEs - 2245, 2252, 2262,
Volvo B7TLs - 2849, 2855.

 

[NorthClyde320]

A further batch of former First stock has been sold to Ensign Bus:
Streetlites - 0413, 0415, 0425, 0435, 0436, 0437, 0438, 0447, 0453, 0456, 0472, 0473, 0475, 0476, 0477.
Volvo B7RLEs - 2275, 2276, 2280, 2282, 2299, 2302, 2304, 2305.

A few more have gone to Clyde Metals for scrap:
Scania L94 - 1614.
Volvo B7RLEs - 2245, 2252, 2262,
Volvo B7TLs - 2849, 2855.

Are Ensign using them as a source for spares/donors or refurbishing them for further sale as some were in bits?
Saw some of the original McGill's E200's are now with Redline presumably via a dealer.
Thanks for your fleet updates btw.

 

[Blindtraveler]

That is some clear out of vehicles

 

[Baileygirl]

That is some clear out of vehicles

Not surprising with the closure of Eastern Scottish at Livingston.

 

[Stan Drews]

That is some clear out of vehicles

Still many more to go. Remember that they inherited over 100 buses from First that had either been stood for quite a while or which they quickly parked up after acquisition.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

Still many more to go. Remember that they inherited over 100 buses from First that had either been stood for quite a while or which they quickly parked up after acquisition.

I’m surprised to see E300s in a sorry state considering their age and the fact that Glasgow and Aberdeen’s are all still on core services.

 

[Stan Drews]

I’m surprised to see E300s in a sorry state considering their age and the fact that Glasgow and Aberdeen’s are all still on core services.

Most of the EuroVI examples of the E300 have been retained and repainted out of First colours.

 

[stevenedin]

Does anyone have a list of the ex First buses sold or scrapped including their First fleet numbers that McGill’s acquired when they purchased First Scotland East?

From the Business Bulletin for next weeks Transport and Economic committee:

Edinburgh & The Lothians Council Tender Services

Are the council actually allowed to take into account past performance of an operator on other contracts or do they have to be awarded on the basis of cost alone?

www.railforums.co.uk

McGill’s have won 2 x City of Edinburgh Council tendered services.

Do they still have the Eastern Scottish branded StreetLite?

 

[Baileygirl]

Does anyone have a list of the ex First buses sold or scrapped including their First fleet numbers that McGill’s acquired when they purchased First Scotland East?



McGill’s have won 2 x City of Edinburgh Council tendered services.

Do they still have the Eastern Scottish branded StreetLite?

0468 is still showing on the Midland Bluebird fleetlist in the green livery. Bustimes.org does not show it.

 

[Stan Drews]

0468 is still showing on the Midland Bluebird fleetlist in the green livery. Bustimes.org does not show it.

I don’t think 0468 is currently active, but believe it is still in the green colours.

 

[Stan Drews]

A few more former First vehicles have recently moved on.
Scania L94 1611 and Volvo B7TL 2850 have gone to Clyde Metals for scrap, whilst Streetlite 0479 and Volvo B7RLE 2306 have been sold to Ensign.

 

[stevenedin]

A few more former First vehicles have recently moved on.
Scania L94 1611 and Volvo B7TL 2850 have gone to Clyde Metals for scrap, whilst Streetlite 0479 and Volvo B7RLE 2306 have been sold to Ensign.

Thanks for the info

 

[overthewater]

There is some minor changes to a number of services from 28th October but your have to look them up on the website and click on the route to get details.

 

[CSB0241]

Midland Bluebird & Bright Bus have been split into their own categories on bustimes, however the fleet lists for both are still under the McGills Scotland East page. Do we know if this’ll get reverted or not, since that’s what happened when the AirX was introduced in January.

There is some minor changes to a number of services from 28th October but your have to look them up on the website and click on the route to get details.

For those who, alike myself normally, can’t be bothered to go through all these changes, the only changes are some light timetable changes on services 2/2A, 51, 52, 56, 59, C11, X10/X10A, & X38, along with the new winter timetables coming into effect on the Bright Bus City & Britannia tours (with all bus departures from Waterloo Place after 4pm axed, & the City Tour being reduced from every 10min to every 15min).

 

[stevenedin]

Midland Bluebird & Bright Bus have been split into their own categories on bustimes, however the fleet lists for both are still under the McGills Scotland East page. Do we know if this’ll get reverted or not, since that’s what happened when the AirX was introduced in January.


For those who, alike myself normally, can’t be bothered to go through all these changes, the only changes are some light timetable changes on services 2/2A, 51, 52, 56, 59, C11, X10/X10A, & X38, along with the new winter timetables coming into effect on the Bright Bus City & Britannia tours (with all bus departures from Waterloo Place after 4pm axed, & the City Tour being reduced from every 10min to every 15min).

I am curious as to what brand they will operate the new City of Edinburgh Council tenders under. It may make sense to use Bright Bus and then they can share buses with the 801 and AIRX either that or they operate from Larbert under the Midland Bluebird brand and they arrive into Edinburgh as an X38 then dead run to their starting point of the new routes.

 

[Observer]

I am curious as to what brand they will operate the new City of Edinburgh Council tenders under. It may make sense to use Bright Bus and then they can share buses with the 801 and AIRX either that or they operate from Larbert under the Midland Bluebird brand and they arrive into Edinburgh as an X38 then dead run to their starting point of the new routes.

They're not going to run these out of Larbert. And I can't see them using those Airport E300s either as they're all in use.

They will probably bring in a few E200MMCs from elsewhere as those will be good enough for the job and of reasonable age as well.

Will just have to see if anything gets painted orange soon, or any other livery for that matter! How many buses do they need in total for the contracts (including spares)?

 

[Stan Drews]

They're not going to run these out of Larbert. And I can't see them using those Airport E300s either as they're all in use.

They will probably bring in a few E200MMCs from elsewhere as those will be good enough for the job and of reasonable age as well.

Will just have to see if anything gets painted orange soon, or any other livery for that matter! How many buses do they need in total for the contracts (including spares)?

The Peak Vehicle Requirement is 3 (2 for the 13 and 1 for the new service 60).

 

[markymark2000]

Midland Bluebird & Bright Bus have been split into their own categories on bustimes, however the fleet lists for both are still under the McGills Scotland East page. Do we know if this’ll get reverted or not, since that’s what happened when the AirX was introduced in January.

The services have been 'split' because local authorities have put the new operator codes on timetables on Traveline. The fleet list remains under Scotland East because of the way that tracking details are obtained by Bustimes. Previous attempts of moving buses from Scotland East to Bright Bus ended up in duplicate entries being made and it became a mess at the time.

Whether it will be merged again remains to be seen but the above may help to explain what's happened.

 

[Baileygirl]

The services have been 'split' because local authorities have put the new operator codes on timetables on Traveline. The fleet list remains under Scotland East because of the way that tracking details are obtained by Bustimes. Previous attempts of moving buses from Scotland East to Bright Bus ended up in duplicate entries being made and it became a mess at the time.

Whether it will be merged again remains to be seen but the above may help to explain

I noticed today that Bustimes.org has put the Bright Bus fleet under Eastern Scottish.

 

[stevenedin]

I noticed today that Bustimes.org has put the Bright Bus fleet under Eastern Scottish.

They show on the bus trackers in Edinburgh under Eastern Scottish.

 

[markymark2000]

I noticed today that Bustimes.org has put the Bright Bus fleet under Eastern Scottish.

Admin changed a setting. It's better than it was but not as good as it could be.

 

[Stan Drews]

I noticed today that Bustimes.org has put the Bright Bus fleet under Eastern Scottish.

I think some of their believers just like to constantly tinker with things. If they had to split things, you’d have thought simply using the two different operator licences (PM3/PM923) would be the most sensible.

 

[markymark2000]

I think some of their believers just like to constantly tinker with things. If they had to split things, you’d have thought simply using the two different operator licences (PM3/PM923) would be the most sensible.

The change was done by the admin by changing a setting in the admin panel. That is what sparked the change.

 

[Stan Drews]

The change was done by the admin by changing a setting in the admin panel. That is what sparked the change.

Yeah, I thought it would be the result of some tinkering. It would be a fantastic resource if it didn’t have dozens of different people constantly making changes, apparently just because they can!

 

[318266]

Yeah, I thought it would be the result of some tinkering. It would be a fantastic resource if it didn’t have dozens of different people constantly making changes, apparently just because they can!

The website does have a system by which an operator (and by extension their vehicles) can be locked to the trusted users (i.e. those that can approve/disapprove edits) and people known to be reliable to that company. For example, Lothian vehicles are locked as such to trusted users and 2 such "local experts".

 

[stevenedin]

0480 on Princes Street in Edinburgh with Bright Bus crew onboard. Looking like driver training or familiarity. I didn’t get a picture sorry but it’s in Midland Bluebird livery.

 

[Resuwen]

Surely 0480 is in Trossachs Explorer livery?