McGill's Buses - Renfrewshire & Inverclyde

[sannox]

Is there any chance the 17 will return to the west end? I always found it a useful link between Paisley and the West End. I realise it's been hit due to lack of students.

 

[Scotrail314209]

Is there any chance the 17 will return to the west end? I always found it a useful link between Paisley and the West End. I realise it's been hit due to lack of students.

I hope so too. It’s quite handy for people who want to visit Kelvingrove too.

They dropped the West End leg quietly didn’t they?

 

[sannox]

I hope so too. It’s quite handy for people who want to visit Kelvingrove too.

They dropped the West End leg quietly didn’t they?

I think it made sense in terms of covid and driver shortages, but would be a decent one to return.

 

[Trnsprt4Sctlnd]

I think it made sense in terms of covid and driver shortages, but would be a decent one to return.

Every time you see them at the moment they're carrying fresh air on them along Ralston. It’s still a problem with privatisation - it would be ideal for the 17 & First 77 to actually be part of the same route.

 

[ClydeCoaster]

One of the Yutongs was stretching its legs on the 904 late yesterday afternoon, arriving in Largs just before 5pm. A B7RLE was dragged off by a tow truck in Kilbrinie shortly before that though.

 

[AlexanderPS]

Following all the new EVs, it looks like the old Citaros, Darts, B7RLEs and ex Gibson Solos are no longer in use.

Have these just been scrapped or are any moving on to new operators?

Spotted 7259 YE08EBD on the 72 today, although it's tracking on Bus Times as 0116 LM18URC.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Spotted 7259 YE08EBD on the 72 today, although it's tracking on Bus Times as 0116 LM18URC.

YJ55 BHA is also tracking as LN69 ONK 0122.

 

[Volvodart]

McGills hav received funding for more electric buses:-

https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/scottish-zero-emission-bus-challenge-fund/

McGills Bus Service Ltd

£9,086,933

41

 

[Dfatcontroller]

McGills hav received funding for more electric buses:-

https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/scottish-zero-emission-bus-challenge-fund/

I should imagine that these will be the shorter Yutong e10 to see off some of the shorter diesels in the towns.

 

[Surreyman]

I should imagine that these will be the shorter Yutong e10 to see off some of the shorter diesels in the towns.

What about Dundee and the clean air zone?

 

[Jordan Adam]

I may be wrong but i suspect Dundee may have been included under "McGill's", certainly it would be unusual for Xplore Dundee not to be getting funding for more vehicles yet the main McGill's operation getting so many.

 

[ClydeCoaster]

There’s an article in Route One today where Ralph Roberts is claiming the volatility in electricity prices is causing McGill’s to rethink their purchase of EVs at the moment. Price increases has added £624k a year to charging their fleet of EVs.

Electricity costs impact procurement plans at McGill’s

A bus operator in Scotland has said that rising electricity costs have caused it to reconsider its procurement plans.

www.route-one.net

A bus operator in Scotland has said that rising electricity costs have caused it to reconsider its procurement plans.

McGill’s Buses Managing Director Ralph Roberts tweeted on 8 February that the increase in electricity prices, due to take place in October, amounted to an increase of £624,000 per annum to charge its fleet of battery-electric buses. According to Mr Roberts, the calculations showed that diesel generated electricity would come in at approximately £100,000 per year less, though clarified that such a calculation was merely an exercise and there was no serious consideration of charging its buses using diesel.

However, Mr Roberts says the rising costs have affected the operator’s attitude to vehicle procurement. “We were not expecting this level of volatility in electricity prices, mainly because they have never been this volatile,” he explains. “They are still volatile, and the prices are still going up.”

He says the volatility of the market will make it very difficult to meet Scottish Government ambitions to deliver 50% of bus mileage using zero-emission vehicles by the end of 2023. “There are macro matters that are affecting that, such as what is going on in Ukraine. Hopefully that will right itself at some point and allow prices to come back down. But maybe it won’t… the best we could say is the picture is very unclear. In short, our attitude towards moving overt to electric vehicles has changed.”

 

[Stan Drews]

The price of diesel is also going through the roof, so it’s going to be very tough, however you ‘refuel’ your buses.

 

[retro.kid]

Quick one - Was Yutong 5000 (SG71MYF) the unregistered demo vehicle in use at the Greenock Open Day on 3rd July 2021?

Cataloging photos and occurred to me i never did get the fleet number for this.
TIA.

 

[Stan Drews]

Quick one - Was Yutong 5000 (SG71MYF) the unregistered demo vehicle in use at the Greenock Open Day on 3rd July 2021?

Cataloging photos and occurred to me i never did get the fleet number for this.
TIA.

Yes

 

[retro.kid]

Yes

Thanks very much.

 

[Dfatcontroller]

Quick one - Was Yutong 5000 (SG71MYF) the unregistered demo vehicle in use at the Greenock Open Day on 3rd July 2021?

Cataloging photos and occurred to me i never did get the fleet number for this.
TIA.

Easy to identify from the rear as its the only one without a full width destination screen on the back, having only a numeral.

 

[Stan Drews]

Four Volvo B9TL with open top Wright Gemini bodywork have been acquired from Lothian Buses. They are:
2852 - BF60UUG
2853 - BF60UUH
2854 - BF60UUJ
2855 - LX60DXA

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

Four Volvo B9TL with open top Wright Gemini bodywork have been acquired from Lothian Buses. They are:
2852 - BF60UUG
2853 - BF60UUH
2854 - BF60UUJ
2855 - LX60DXA

Are they for Dundee or normal McGills? If so maybe they could start an open top service linking places like Largs or something.

 

[Christmas]

I wonder if McGill's have ever considered running an express service from Largs to Glasgow via the Haylie Brae? Trains take an hour from Largs to Glasgow and I'm sure that a bus via Kilbirnie, Lochwinnoch and even Braehead or Glasgow Airport would be a comparable journey time.

 

[ClydeCoaster]

I wonder if McGill's have ever considered running an express service from Largs to Glasgow via the Haylie Brae? Trains take an hour from Largs to Glasgow and I'm sure that a bus via Kilbirnie, Lochwinnoch and even Braehead or Glasgow Airport would be a comparable journey time.

I've thought this for some time. The train is a dreadful service, the first to get cancelled in and weather and frequently beset by engineering works at weekends. When Harte Buses offered a Braehead Express it was fast and often busy; I was told, whether remotely true or not, that despite feedback to extend it to Glasgow they "didn't want to provoke McGill's".

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Are they for Dundee or normal McGills?

2850 (BF60 UUC) and 2851 (BF60 UUE) are for the Dundee service, I believe. 2850 was in the Dundee garage last week

 

[sannox]

I wonder if McGill's have ever considered running an express service from Largs to Glasgow via the Haylie Brae? Trains take an hour from Largs to Glasgow and I'm sure that a bus via Kilbirnie, Lochwinnoch and even Braehead or Glasgow Airport would be a comparable journey time.

Wonder if McGill's don't want to compete with Stagecoach or maybe would split the usage of the current 904 service hurting viability?

The old Stagecoach X37 via Kilbirnie and Lochwinnoch was just over 65mins from Kilbirnie Centre. The current X34 via Beith is timetabled at 67 mins from Garden City. Rough calculations would suggest running times from Largs of 85 mins via Lochwinnoch (no operator runs this now) or 90mins via Beith.

Worth pointing out it was not uncommon to have passengers from Glasgow area to Largs on the Arriva 17 despite it being a very much local bus service.

 

[Falcon1200]

Worth pointing out it was not uncommon to have passengers from Glasgow area to Largs on the Arriva 17 despite it being a very much local bus service.

Similarly my in-laws use McGills 3 between Neilston and Glasgow, even though it takes more than twice as long as the train, for two reasons; The bus stop is much nearer their home than the station, and more importantly, they travel on the bus for free !

 

[ClydeCoaster]

Wonder if McGill's don't want to compete with Stagecoach or maybe would split the usage of the current 904 service hurting viability?

The old Stagecoach X37 via Kilbirnie and Lochwinnoch was just over 65mins from Kilbirnie Centre. The current X34 via Beith is timetabled at 67 mins from Garden City. Rough calculations would suggest running times from Largs of 85 mins via Lochwinnoch (no operator runs this now) or 90mins via Beith.

Worth pointing out it was not uncommon to have passengers from Glasgow area to Largs on the Arriva 17 despite it being a very much local bus service.

It wouldn’t compete with Stagecoach if it skipped Beith and went via Lochwinnoch, unless you want to count that one bus stop at Lochwinnoch road end roundabout to Glasgow, no Stagecoach services serve Lochwinnoch and none from Largs or Kilbirnie to Glasgow. It may well be too niche for them but given the popularity of the Harte service to Braehead back in the day it might not be a stretch of the imagination.

 

[gnolife]

and none from Largs or Kilbirnie to Glasgow

Kilbirnie gets a half-hourly Stagecoach service to Glasgow

 

[markymark2000]

Didn't the 904 continue to Braehead and Glasgow at one point then got cut back due to low usage?

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Kilbirnie gets a half-hourly Stagecoach service to Glasgow

The X36 is hourly.

 

[Stan Drews]

Rough calculations would suggest running times from Largs of 85 mins via Lochwinnoch (no operator runs this now) or 90mins via Beith.

Therefore, it would be around 20 minutes quicker than the frequent 901/906, but travelling through areas with much lower populations, and missing out the stunning Clyde coastal scenery. I’m not sure that would be enough to make a regular service viable via that routing.
The 904 caters for the Paisley/Johnstone - Beith/Kilbirnie - Largs traffic fairly well, although there is a lot of empty countryside between Kilbirnie and Largs, which probably influences the lower hourly frequency, when compared with the combined 15 minute frequency the 901/906 provide on the ‘via Inverclyde‘ route.

 

[ClydeCoaster]

Kilbirnie gets a half-hourly Stagecoach service to Glasgow

Garden City does, yes. The south of the town, before it turns right and heads for Beith through Glengarnock. The Largs service would serve the north of the town, nearer the Milton Quadrant estate, before turning left to head for Lochwinnoch. There’s about a mile and a half between them as Stagecoach‘s X34/X36 don’t travel down the high street. the south side of the town is much closer to Glengarnock station too so a north end service would be handier for people who’d have to get a bus or taxi to the station anyway.

Didn't the 904 continue to Braehead and Glasgow at one point then got cut back due to low usage?

Braehead, yes, after Harte stopped, but it didn’t go on to Glasgow. It was cut back as it was a normal stopping service that went through Howwood, Johnstone, Elderslie, Paisley and Renfrew before getting to Breahead, so naturally the same customers that used the fast service didn’t flip over.