McGill's Buses - Renfrewshire & Inverclyde

[GaryMcEwan]

spotted a few days ago was one of the new e200mmcs. 10.7m spec

https://flic.kr/p/2dXZCiw

looks like they have opted for standard seating with fabric.

All those Citaros must have left them skint...

 

[Jordan Adam]

spotted a few days ago was one of the new e200mmcs. 10.7m spec

https://flic.kr/p/2dXZCiw

looks like they have opted for standard seating with fabric.

So they've pretty much went with the cheapest specification possible! Even the livery looks a dogs dinner...

Also that appears to be a 10.4M model, there's no 10.7M E200MMC. If there was a 10.7M E200MMC it would just be the 10.4M model with the bigger 6 cylinder engine. The next size up is 10.8M (Glasgow new ones) which this is not.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

So they've pretty much went with the cheapest specification possible! Even the livery looks a dogs dinner...

Also that appears to be a 10.4M model, there's no 10.7M E200MMC. If there was a 10.7M E200MMC it would just be the 10.4M model with the bigger 6 cylinder engine. The next size up is 10.8M (Glasgow new ones) which this is not.

Looking at the spec sheet, the 10.7M version does exist with the 6 cylinder engine.

 

[SarahDFIG]

if they have went with basic interior etc I guess this will be the 10.4m. my mistake sorry.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Looking at the spec sheet, the 10.7M version does exist with the 6 cylinder engine.

Indeed it is an option, however none have been built. Same goes with the 11.1M model (10.8M with the 6 cylinder engine).

 

[CM]

A company invests in new vehicles and yet people still moan.....

 

[GaryMcEwan]

A company invests in new vehicles and yet people still moan.....

On the cheap by the looks of things...

 

[Arriva Fan]

Don't McGill's lease? I thought the last new vehicles they actually purchased were the 2011 Volvo B7RLE Wright Urban Eclipses (2230-2239).

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Don't McGill's lease? I thought the last new vehicles they actually purchased were the 2011 Volvo B7RLE Wright Urban Eclipses (2230-2239).

Would be a bit silly of them to get company name stitched into the seats if they were only on lease. Inchinnan IMO always seem to get a bum deal fleet wise.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Would be a bit silly of them to get company name stitched into the seats if they were only on lease. Inchinnan IMO always seem to get a bum deal fleet wise.

In fairness quite a number of companies lease large number of vehicles with the interior to their full specification. Transdev being a good example. The Enviro500s with First were on a 10 year lease too, however they were bought outright when they moved to Aberdeen in 2015/16.

 

[Arriva Fan]

Would be a bit silly of them to get company name stitched into the seats if they were only on lease. Inchinnan IMO always seem to get a bum deal fleet wise.

It's no different from Stagecoach Leasing Vehicles with their moquette and floor onboard, which I believe they do especially for their london divisions.

I'm 100% sure the Euro 6 Citaros and new Enviro 200 Deliveries from 2015 are all leased.

 

[SarahDFIG]

I am guessing some of the vehicles will have the leather seating as show in their mockup pictures.

 

[Jordan Adam]

I am guessing some of the vehicles will have the leather seating as show in their mockup pictures.

If all the vehicles are for the 23/X23/XP23 then i'd assume they'd all be the same specification.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

If all the vehicles are for the 23/X23/XP23 then i'd assume they'd all be the same specification.

It also looks like there to get Alcoa wheels, doubt this though.

 

[Jordan Adam]

It also looks like there to get Alcoa wheels, doubt this though.

They don't have them. If you look further up in the chat there's a photo of one of the actual buses. Nowhere near the spec of the one in the promo photos!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60476578@N06/46578624544/

 

[lastbus]

They don't have them. If you look further up in the chat there's a photo of one of the actual buses. Nowhere near the spec of the one in the promo photos!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60476578@N06/46578624544/

Not covinced the bus in the photo is for McGill’s the front is grey rather than white.

 

[SarahDFIG]

Not covinced the bus in the photo is for McGill’s the front is grey rather than white.

100% is McGill's. it does look grey slightly and it's either a filter on the camera that has made it look like that or McGill's has requested this colour. Also the seat pattern looks the exact same as the Mercedes Strata they have.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Not covinced the bus in the photo is for McGill’s the front is grey rather than white.

Just the way the camera picks it up, look at that users other photos and you see the same sort of effect.

 

[lastbus]

Just the way the camera picks it up, look at that users other photos and you see the same sort of effect.

Apologies wasn’t sure.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

They don't have them. If you look further up in the chat there's a photo of one of the actual buses. Nowhere near the spec of the one in the promo photos!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60476578@N06/46578624544/

Hence why I've mentioned this in the 1st place, the Computer generated image looks to have dura's but the camera image doesn't.

For all intended purposes, it doesn't surprize me in the least if we get another low end bus from McGill's, first, citybus...stagecoaches chosen colours are just as bad..

 

[Volvodart]

MCGILL'S stand to lose hundreds of thousands of pounds leading to cuts in services because of the spiralling cost of free bus passes.



https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk...usands-of-pounds-leading-to-cuts-in-services/

McGill's stand to lose hundreds of thousands of pounds leading to cuts in services
By Paul John Coulter @paulcoulter89
Reporter

The boss of the Greenock-based company, Ralph Roberts, has warned of the impact of a 29 per cent reduction in Scottish Government funding for the popular concessionary travel scheme.

Introduced by the then-Scottish Executive 13 years ago, the flagship policy allows pensioners and disabled people to travel on buses for free.

Operators usually receive 56 per cent of the fare from the government but that figure is being reduced.

Bus companies will now have to foot a bill of around £6 million during March - the final four weeks of the financial year - because the government's £202m budget for 2018/19 has almost been used up.

It means bus companies now have to make tough decisions to try and cover the shortfall.

Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Roberts said: "Effectively it leaves a funding gap. "The overrun of budget range is £4.7m to £6.4m so the share for McGill's runs into the hundreds of thousands of pounds, the shortfall.

"Another policy is free prescriptions, so if we talk about free travel and free prescriptions, they wouldn't say to a chemist shops 'we're going to cut your payment by 29 per cent in the last month of the financial year and let you pay for all those medications you dispense yourself'."

The McGill's chief says operators now face the difficult task of trying to trim fat from a 'fairly lean' bus industry, which he added has suffered from falling passengers numbers because of factors like the decline of the high street, fluctuations in the jobs market and squeezed household budgets.

He said: "Footfall’s been declining on buses since 1952, there was 20 years of relative stability but the last four years have been pretty tough so most bus companies have cut out wastage and they’re fairly lean organisations so the only way to do it is the direct costs and that’s things like cutting bus routes."

Further fare increases have been ruled out for fear of pushing people 'further away' from buses so routes will now come under the microscope.

Government officials insist the concessionary scheme is being properly funded.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "We are continuing to spend over £250m a year to support our vital bus industry, working with operators to keep fares at affordable levels and providing free bus travel to older and disabled passengers.

"Last year we announced that there will be no change to the age of eligibility and that the scheme will be extended to include carers of under-fives with disabilities. "It is a principle of the scheme that operators should be no better or no worse of as a result of their participation.

 

[overthewater]

You watch this, he will use that as an escape goat for the cuts in early April.

 

[smtglasgow]

An escape goat would certainly be a distraction! I’ve got a lot of sympathy for McGills on this one. Hard to think of another business where you ‘sell’ a product without any certainty that you’ll be paid. Unfortunately, buses don’t have the cut-through of rail – if the points fail at Haymarket at 8am, the whole of Scotland hears about it.

McGills are clearly in a weakened state, so this couldn’t have happened at a worse time. They’ve been cutting so much recently that a lot of the low-hanging fruit must have gone – maybe we’ll see some evening and Sunday services disappearing?

Be interesting to see if the MDs at other big operators speak out - they've got a good case to make.

 

[SarahDFIG]

https://flic.kr/p/Rn6T2i

not sure why the emergency door is black though?

 

[Jordan Adam]

https://flic.kr/p/Rn6T2i

not sure why the emergency door is black though?

It's on a test run, so won't be finished up yet.

 

[christopherrfc]

The first of the april changes have appeared online with the 757 being reduced to every 30 mins monday to saturday over the full route between Paisley and Clydebank

http://www.mcgillsbuses.co.uk/mcgills-bus-timetables/757-paisley-to-glasgow-airport.aspx

We're making changes to service 757 from Monday 1 April!

• Will continue to operate every 30 minutes between Clydebank and Paisley town centre Monday to Saturday
• Will no longer operate every 15 minutes between Paisley and Glasgow Airport, this will now be every 30 minutes from 08.00 - 18.00 Monday to Saturday
• Early morning peak journeys Monday to Saturday remain unchanged
• No change to Sunday timetable

You can view your new 757 timetable here.

 

[Volvodart]

Information about the X21 renumbered XP21 is in the timetables section. It will have the same fares as the XP23. All day £5.50, weekly £24.00 and monthly £80.00.

WE’RE REVISING YOUR SERVICE X21!
From Monday 1 April, this service will be renamed XP21.
No change to route or timetable
Student and child fares will remain the same on this service, and travel with our GoZone1 tickets
Your Zone XP tickets are valid on our XP23 and across all GoZone1 services
Zone cards remain valid on this service

pdf link for download:- http://www.mcgillsbuses.co.uk/systems/file_download.ashx?pg=330&ver=27

 

[Volvodart]

Look out for our new XP23 service!

http://www.mcgillsbuses.co.uk/news/service-23x23-update.aspx

Look out for our new XP23 service!

XP23 - Your new service starting 1 April 2019, everything you need to know:
Current X23 journeys pre 9am, will change to operate two separate routes to Glasgow as an XP23.
One half of the route will operate from Erskine direct to Glasgow via junction 30 (Erskine Hospital) and the other half of the route will operate from Inchinnan via Renfrew direct to Glasgow.
Added journeys to this service! With more journeys to Glasgow than our current X23 morning peak service, this will ensure more seats are available for those travelling
X23 journeys will remain the same after 9am
As it's a peak express service this will have a new fare structure, however XP23 tickets can also be used on all GoZone 1 services
Zonecards will be accepted
Tripper tickets will not be accepted on service XP23, but are valid on service 23 & X23
Student and child tickets will remain GoZone 1 fares
You can view your new XP23 timetable here.

http://www.mcgillsbuses.co.uk/resources/site1/General/23X23XP23 Info Leaflet (002).pdf

Fares for XP23, have been revised, and will now be:

All-day ticket - £5.50 - available on bus, contactless and via McGill's m-ticket app

Weekly ticket - £24.00 - available on bus, m-ticket app, GoSmart and contactless

Monthly ticket (this will be for 30 days) - £80.00 - available via our m-ticket app and GoSmart only

If you require any further information in regards to these changes, please email [email protected]
Thank you.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Still not impressed with the increases in ticket costs!

 

[David M]

A few pages back, a poster suggested the National Entitlement Card would not be accepted on the XP23 - to my knowledge, it is accepted on every other bus route in Scotland. I know the Edinburgh trams and Glasgow Subway restrict to their own local authority's cards - are McGill's permitted to introduce this exclusion?
Talkino of the card, a relative took a bus from Theatre Royal in Glasgow to roughly Firhill in Maryhill but her ticket stated from Broomielaw to Clydebank - was this the operator trying to pull a fast one and claiming more from the journey?