Stagecoach announces its largest ever bus order

[GaryMcEwan]

Seems to be some confusion over the number of Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite-i
Press statement states 8 (detailed as 54231-54238 for Aberhill) but list shows additional 17 54239-54255 unallocated?
Press statement lists 28 Scania/Enviro 300 (detailed as 28681-28708 unallocated) but then adds another 4 (detailed as 28709-28712 for Cwmbran) ?

Oddities/mistakes aside, there are going to be a large number of Dart SLF/Pointers cascaded, looks like the whole fleet at Carlisle is being replaced, ditto Grimsby, plus a sizeable number at Peterborough unless of course '04, '05 & '56 reg vehicles are so 'hammered' they are only fit for scrap (which seems very unlikely).

I wonder if some of they Scania E300's are coming to Glasgow to replace the 55 plated MAN ALX300's as they are more off the road than on it these days, and are getting replaced at some point...

 

[Kuyoyo]

More of the dam things? I hope not, given that all we seem to have been getting here for the past 4 years are either Enviro 200 Darts or Alexander 200 Drats (with exception of several Enviro 300s - Which wouldn't have been too bad had they not put them with the modern 'DP' style seats on routes which saw them damaged or are too narrow for them resulting in the nearside mirror swinging around and smashing the door). I wonder when that list was produced though, given that Stagecoach has recently taken over from Courtney Buses on the Centre Shuttle P&R - and are promised new vehicles in the rather gaudy Purple & Lime for this service!

Those 2 have a USP over the other 199 on order this year - 37291/2 are the two with Euro6 engines.

 

[mbonwick]

That list doesn't seem to include any vehicles for either Chester or Rock Ferry depots. I'd assume that any fleet updates on the Wirral & around Chester would be stuff moved on from depots that are receiving new vehicles?

Yes, it is worth remembering that the ex-First operations received significant investment upon takeover, so are unlikely to see anything new for a while.

I admit to not knowing all Stagecoach fleet numbers. What confuses me a bit is the numbering of E200s. I know some 36400 numbers came to Greater Manchester in 2011/12, and some 36500 numbers to London in 2013. However, next thing I knew some early 37000s came to Stockport around Christmas! I think I spotted some 36900s in Newport. So I wonder where these 36600s, 36700s and 36800s are, if indeed they exist?

366xx is a spare range which appears to be for London, although there have been no orders to fill it yet.
367xx are to be found with Western, Yorkshire, Midlands, Oxford, Wales, Wigan.
368xx are found in Chester/Wirral, South, Wales, East Kent.

Seems to be some confusion over the number of Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite-i
Press statement states 8 (detailed as 54231-54238 for Aberhill) but list shows additional 17 54239-54255 unallocated?
Press statement lists 28 Scania/Enviro 300 (detailed as 28681-28708 unallocated) but then adds another 4 (detailed as 28709-28712 for Cwmbran) ?

Oddities/mistakes aside, there are going to be a large number of Dart SLF/Pointers cascaded, looks like the whole fleet at Carlisle is being replaced, ditto Grimsby, plus a sizeable number at Peterborough unless of course '04, '05 & '56 reg vehicles are so 'hammered' they are only fit for scrap (which seems very unlikely).

The list posted above is from the Stagecoach Bus Handbook, which is essentially compiled from rumours (albeit from good sources within the company). As far as I'm aware, the press release is the correct version here - there are only 11 interdecks on order, for Aberhill.
You are right about the Scanias.

Mid-life Dart SLFs are in high demand, due to their DDA compliance and the abundance of cheap replacement parts. The objective with this year's order appears to be to use said darts to replace the last non-DDA single decks (remember a dart only has 4 less seats than an ALX300).

I wonder if some of they Scania E300's are coming to Glasgow to replace the 55 plated MAN ALX300's as they are more off the road than on it these days, and are getting replaced at some point...

Nothing for Glasgow's normal fleet on the order.

 

[Stan Drews]

The list posted above is from the Stagecoach Bus Handbook, which is essentially compiled from rumours (albeit from good sources within the company). As far as I'm aware, the press release is the correct version here - there are only 11 interdecks on order, for Aberhill.

There are no Interdecks on order for Aberhill, .....8 or 11.

 

[Blindtraveler]

whats Aberhills intended use of the interdecks? express City Connect work?

 

[mbonwick]

Are you saying therefore that the order has changed (again) since the press release?

Blindtraveller - looking at the numbers I'd suggest they'd have been for X58/X60 if there'd been just 8.

 

[hassaanhc]

I admit to not knowing all Stagecoach fleet numbers. What confuses me a bit is the numbering of E200s. I know some 36400 numbers came to Greater Manchester in 2011/12, and some 36500 numbers to London in 2013. However, next thing I knew some early 37000s came to Stockport around Christmas! I think I spotted some 36900s in Newport. So I wonder where these 36600s, 36700s and 36800s are, if indeed they exist?

They really seem to be leaving random gaps in them :/

Ones I know from London:
36261-36299 are from 2011.
36301-36375 are from 2006-2009, which all started as 36001-36075 but were renumbered after the 2010 takeover of East London Bus Group (36001-36008 were were originally ordered by Stagecoach with those numbers before they sold the operation while the rest were from ELBG, renumbered probably because they clashed. Not the only vehicles where this happened).
36528-36554 are from 2012
36555-36583 are from 2013

Meanwhile there are quite a few 369** from 2013 with Stagecoach South.

Also noticed they are filling in the 151** series, well 15001-15174 were the Scania N230UD/OmniCity acquired with East London Bus Group. The routes that the first 96 of these were for were retendered and all vehicles have been kept, some on the same routes while others reallocated elsewhere.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Looking at the numbers I'd suggest they'd have been for X58/X60 if there'd been just 8.

That would certainly make some sense as these routes woant take B13s but as you point out the numbers dont seam to add up - unless X54 is transfering over as well? Freeing up all the profiles will certainly help highland replace Jonks and B10 Coaches on the many runs, the darts transfering out of every depot woant be idle iether though wonder how well some rural routes will manage with them.↲
↲

 

[Surreyman]

There are no Interdecks on order for Aberhill, .....8 or 11.

I'm pretty sure the original press statement indicated that these were for Megabus?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
"Mid-life Dart SLFs are in high demand, due to their DDA compliance and the abundance of cheap replacement parts. The objective with this year's order appears to be to use said darts to replace the last non-DDA single decks (remember a dart only has 4 less seats than an ALX300)".

With the 31/12/2015 deadline only 20 months away, I wonder if Stagecoach are making sure that they have 'booked' production line space to avoid a last minute order rush by other bus companies (in 2015) to meet the DDA deadline: Also the current opportunity to buy (At lower prices) Euro 5 buses (The 2 Euro 6 examples excepted!).

 

[fgwrich]

I'm pretty sure the original press statement indicated that these were for Megabus?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
"Mid-life Dart SLFs are in high demand, due to their DDA compliance and the abundance of cheap replacement parts. The objective with this year's order appears to be to use said darts to replace the last non-DDA single decks (remember a dart only has 4 less seats than an ALX300)".

With the 31/12/2015 deadline only 20 months away, I wonder if Stagecoach are making sure that they have 'booked' production line space to avoid a last minute order rush by other bus companies (in 2015) to meet the DDA deadline: Also the current opportunity to buy (At lower prices) Euro 5 buses (The 2 Euro 6 examples excepted!).

We do seem to be seeing some odd changes here in Hampshire lately, as a few of the ALX Darts seem to have been sold on, whilst others have turned up in Basingstoke again (for the third time now!). Our batch of the rather nice ex Portsmouth Plaxton Super Pointer Darts with Voith gearboxes have also been sold on over the past year - shame really, they were rather beastly for a dart and still in good nick after 10 years in service.

Those 2 have a USP over the other 199 on order this year - 37291/2 are the two with Euro6 engines.

Thought so, so nothing different apart from a more buzzier engine and a different livery then. :roll:

(Stagecoach aren't gaining a good reputation here in Basingstoke at the moment after another round of 'Network Changes' which see more confusion, more routes cut and joined to others and more Olympians turning up on Low Floor branded routes - as one complainant recently put it, we hoped to see more of an improvement in the quality of services in Basingstoke but disappointingly not, further disappointingly when the council ran Reading Buses are just up the road, and look what First has brought in for Portsmouth P&R)

 

[317 forever]

Yes, it is worth remembering that the ex-First operations received significant investment upon takeover, so are unlikely to see anything new for a while.


366xx is a spare range which appears to be for London, although there have been no orders to fill it yet.
367xx are to be found with Western, Yorkshire, Midlands, Oxford, Wales, Wigan.
368xx are found in Chester/Wirral, South, Wales, East Kent.


The list posted above is from the Stagecoach Bus Handbook, which is essentially compiled from rumours (albeit from good sources within the company). As far as I'm aware, the press release is the correct version here - there are only 11 interdecks on order, for Aberhill.
You are right about the Scanias.

Mid-life Dart SLFs are in high demand, due to their DDA compliance and the abundance of cheap replacement parts. The objective with this year's order appears to be to use said darts to replace the last non-DDA single decks (remember a dart only has 4 less seats than an ALX300).


Nothing for Glasgow's normal fleet on the order.

Thank you for answering my question about E200 fleetnumbers. It is interesting about Darts being used to replace ALX300s. A few ALX300s in Stockport have been replaced by E200s, mainly routes 11 and 325. So maybe this has not meant much reduction in seat capacity.

 

[robertclark125]

I can also tell you interdeck coaches wouldn't get across the Bawbee Bridge in Leven, until Fife Council gets round to fixing the bridge to ease the wewight restriction. Two axle single deck coaches therefor would be used on the X58/60

 

[Surreyman]

I am vaguely aware that a new Model/version/makeover of the Enviro 400 bodywork is due soon, does anyone know if any of the Stagecoach examples - Scanias will have the new style?
I guess if it's new it will be 'underwraps' until formally launched but does anyone know if this is just a 'mid-life restyling' of the existing design or something more radical?

 

[mbonwick]

It's basically just a midlife restyling. And no, the Scania examples will be the current E400 design.

The only 'new' E400s will be the 29 for Manchester and B5LH hybrids for Strathtay.

 

[Surreyman]

Info posted on another web site gives more details: -

The 12 Scania/Enviro for South are for Worthing - presumably to 'beef-up' the 700.
Confirms total 25 Enviro 300s for Stockton & 5 for Mansfield.

14 Scania/Enviro 300 for Kilmarnock + 6 for Cumnock.
8 Scania/Enviro 300 for Cheltenham & confirms the 4 additional for Cwmbran.

Enviro 200 are as follows: -
12 - Cheltenham
6 - Kilmarnock
6 - Inverness
6 - Chichester
18 - Worthing
5 - Portsmouth
2 - unknown
2 - Eastbourne, Euro 6 (possibly the ones originally marked for Basingstoke?)
This adds up to more than the 44 originally unallocated.

'GOLD' vehicles are detailed as(All Scania/Enviro 400): -
10 - Folkestone
7 - Chesterfield
11 - Cambridge (carried over from last year)
3 - Torquay (extra capacity for increased Plymouth routes)
3 - Oxford
10 - Swindon

Of the B11R/Plaxton Elite-i - 8 still listed for Fife?
and the extra 17 rumoured to be for the X5 at Bedford.
(Both of these allocations have been disputed I know).

Before anyone asks, I have no idea if this is 100% accurate but it looks plausible and of course plans may change anyway in the coming months.
Your comments please!!

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Just a wee update, looks like 27131-27140 haven't went to Perth. 27117 and 27125 have appeared as part of the new E300 batch for services 1 & 2. Not sure on the rest of the fleet numbers for this batch though.

 

[Stan Drews]

Just a wee update, looks like 27131-27140 haven't went to Perth. 27117 and 27125 have appeared as part of the new E300 batch for services 1 & 2. Not sure on the rest of the fleet numbers for this batch though.

27117-26 are the new Perth buses. The first 9 are branded for services 1/2, and entered service today. The last one is unbranded, and also entered service today.

27127-40 are in the course of delivery with 64 plates, and are for Glenrothes.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

27117-26 are the new Perth buses. The first 9 are branded for services 1/2, and entered service today. The last one is unbranded, and also entered service today.

27127-40 are in the course of delivery with 64 plates, and are for Glenrothes.

Aye a knew they were going out today as the launch was at McDiarmuid Park, wonder how long before the unbranded spare gets thrashed on the motorway either on the 23/34 or 47...

 

[Stan Drews]

Aye a knew they were going out today as the launch was at McDiarmuid Park, wonder how long before the unbranded spare gets thrashed on the motorway either on the 23/34 or 47...

Not long I'd imagine, as it would be ideal for such routes when not required to cover the routine maintenance of the other nine. Although I'm not sure which motorway you're thinking of??

The unbranded E200 was on the 15 today.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Not long I'd imagine, as it would be ideal for such routes when not required to cover the routine maintenance of the other nine. Although I'm not sure which motorway you're thinking of??

The unbranded E200 was on the 15 today.

Well the A9 between Perth and Luncarty for the 34 is a dual carriageway tecnhincally speaking, then you've got the M9 at Greenloaning to Dunblane for the 47 from Crieff to Stirling....

SN64OFP and SN64OFR are sitting at Aberhill apparently. Bit early with the 64 plates aren't they? Still got over a fortnight before they can legally go on the road...

 

[starrymarkb]

Well the A9 between Perth and Luncarty for the 34 is a dual carriageway tecnhincally speaking, then you've got the M9 at Greenloaning to Dunblane for the 47 from Crieff to Stirling....

SN64OFP and SN64OFR are sitting at Aberhill apparently. Bit early with the 64 plates aren't they? Still got over a fortnight before they can legally go on the road...

Trade Plates (though not in Service of course)

Exeter's just had 12 E200s put into service (replacing 06 darts)

 

[fgwrich]

Trade Plates (though not in Service of course)

Exeter's just had 12 E200s put into service (replacing 06 darts)

Saw one of those in service last Saturday too, along with a ExCiti E200 working the Exeter to Plymouth Express service - fun!

 

[317 forever]

27117-26 are the new Perth buses. The first 9 are branded for services 1/2, and entered service today. The last one is unbranded, and also entered service today.

27127-40 are in the course of delivery with 64 plates, and are for Glenrothes.

That is good about routes 1 and 2 gaining new buses. These circulars run every 10 minutes and I was quite shocked to see old ALX300s on them last Wednesday.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

That is good about routes 1 and 2 gaining new buses. These circulars run every 10 minutes and I was quite shocked to see old ALX300s on them last Wednesday.

They've done 14 years on the same route which is pretty good going apart from the odd out of town routes...

 

[83G/84D]

Interesting Megabus news,sorry if this news has been posted elsewhere / previously.

http://focustransport2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/15m-scania-irizar-i6-for-megabus.html

 

[starrymarkb]

So it's a long term Demo from Scania rather then Irizar*. I can't see Stagecoach switching from Plaxton but I wouldn't be surprised if a future build of Panthers end up on Scania chassis if Stagecoach like the Scania chassis of the i6.

*IIRC Scania now sell Irizar for Right Hand Drive Vehicles (they may still sell the OmniExpress but other Integral bus/coach products have been replaced by Irizars for the the UK)

 

[Volvodart]

http://www.stagecoachbus.com/pressreleasesdetails.aspx?Id=1893

STAGECOACH ORDERS LOW-CARBON BUSES FOR NORTH SCOTLAND OPERATIONS

Transport group Stagecoach is investing more than £600,000 in five state-of-the-art electric vehicles for its bus operations in Inverness, with additional funding coming from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund.

Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown has announced that the Scottish Government is to invest a further £477,000 from its Green Bus Fund in the new Stagecoach buses.

The new bus order is made up of five Optare Solo electric vehicles. The buses – which produce zero emissions - will be put into service in place of existing diesel vehicles on several routes around Inverness, including:

- Inverness – Raigmore

- Inverness – Lochardil

- Inverness – South Kessock

The new vehicles - which will be the first electric buses operated by Stagecoach - will be manufactured by British company Optare and will be built at the company’s factory in Leeds. They will go into service next year.

Five charging points will be installed at Stagecoach’s Inverness depot where vehicles will be charged overnight. The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership HITRANS is partly funding the installation of a further charging point at Inverness Bus Station to allow the buses to receive a top-up charge during the day.

Stagecoach North Scotland Managing Director Steve Walker said: “We’re pleased to be ordering these new vehicles, with support from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund, for our customers.

“Our buses play a vital role in keeping communities connected across the north of Scotland and we are committed to investing in cleaner, greener vehicles for our passengers. Sustainability is at the heart of our business – we are reducing our own carbon footprint as a company and will continue to encourage more people to try our greener, smarter bus services.”

Announcing the funding award, Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "This fund is helping our bus industry invest in the latest emission reducing technology and is another clear indication of our support and commitment to the bus industry in Scotland.

"The Scottish Government is committed to public transport and to our ambitious climate change target of reducing carbon emissions by 42% by 2020."

Ranald Robertson, Partnership Director, HITRANS added: "The introduction of these new carbon free buses in Inverness is great news for the city. HITRANS is pleased to have supported Stagecoach on this project with a contribution towards the recharging infrastructure and we really look forward to seeing these new vehicles entering service where we are sure they will be welcomed by passengers."

Stagecoach is a leading investor in cleaner, greener vehicles that run on alternative fuel. The Group has more than 270 hybrid-electric vehicles in service across its UK bus operations. In Scotland, there are 13 hybrid buses in Aberdeen and nine in service in Perth. Stagecoach North Scotland is also playing a key role in a multi-million pound project to introduce 10 hydrogen-powered buses in Aberdeen. A fleet of gas buses is also in operation at Stagecoach’s operations in Sunderland.

In 2010, Stagecoach Group launched Revolution in the Way We Travel, a five-year plan to reduce further the carbon emissions from its transport operations in the UK and North America. The strategy has been supported by an £11million green investment programme. Employee initiatives and eco teams set up by staff have also helped drive dramatic improvements in energy and carbon efficiency.

The Group has delivered its targets 12 months ahead of schedule, and has cut its carbon intensity by 30% in the past five years. It has also achieved an overall absolute reduction of 8% in carbon emissions from buildings and a cut of 3% in annual carbon emissions per vehicle mile from fleet transport.

To maintain the momentum of the Group’s programme, work is now underway to develop a new five-year strategy. This will include identifying further cost-effective energy-saving opportunities, continuing investment to make the business greener, and setting new targets around carbon reduction, water consumption and waste recycling rates.

Last year, figures compiled as part of the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme showed that Stagecoach Group is among the top 10% of large companies in the UK for its performance in reducing the carbon emissions from its business.

Every year, Stagecoach reports on its carbon emissions through its corporate website, www.stagecoach.com. It also provides information on its global carbon footprint to the Carbon Disclosure Project, the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emissions database.

 

[Blindtraveler]

And another announcement about an electric vehicle for Kirkwall to Kirkwall Airport. This one will be council owned and opperated by whoever wins the new bus contracts, currently held by Stagecoach Orkney. http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2014/10/government-funding-towards-electric-bus/

 

[jamieintercity]

There are no Interdecks on order for Aberhill, .....8 or 11.

They are bound for dundee/Arbroath for the X7 next month. 4 to dundee and 4 to Arbroath. The X7 is being extended to perth royal infirmary and replacing the 333 from ninewells.

 

[Volvodart]

http://www.stagecoach.com/media/news-releases/2015/2015-03-10.aspx

Stagecoach invests more than £80m in new buses and coaches

10 Mar 2015
Passengers to benefit from nearly 470 new vehicles for UK and mainland Europe, many equipped with wi-fi
Investment in UK regions hits £630million in last eight years, plus over £100million in London since 2010, and over £20million for megabus.com services in mainland Europe since 2013.
Further major boost for British bus manufacturing and UK supply chain
Britain's lowest bus fares and continued passenger growth providing profits to reinvest
Cross-industry smart, multi-operator ticketing programme for key city regions underway

Stagecoach Group today (10 March 2015) announced passengers are to benefit from an investment of more than £80million in new buses and coaches for services in the UK and mainland Europe.

A new fleet of nearly 470 vehicles, many equipped with free wifi, will be introduced in the coming 2015-16 financial year as the company continues its policy of reinvesting profits in improving services for local communities.

The orders by Britain's biggest bus and coach operator are a further boost for the country's manufacturing sector, with most vehicles set to be built in the UK. It will support hundreds of British manufacturing jobs and smaller businesses in the supply chain who produce key components from drivers' seats and toilets to wheelchair lifts and destination displays*.

More than £75million of new buses and coaches will be introduced in Stagecoach's regional networks in England, Scotland and Wales. There is also a £2.7million order for new buses for London, as well as £6.9million of new coaches for the company's expanding megabus.com low-cost service in the UK and mainland Europe.

The latest announcement takes Stagecoach Group's total orders of new buses and coaches for its regional bus operations in the UK to around £630million in the last eight years. The Group has also ordered more than £20million of new coaches for megabus.com services in mainland Europe as well as £105million of new vehicles for its London bus operations since buying the business in 2010.

All of the new vehicles will be fitted with CCTV while many will also have wi-fi installed, giving customers free internet access during their journeys.

The latest orders follow an annual competitive tendering process and the first of the new vehicles will be delivered from Spring 2015.

Highlights of the latest investment are 412 low-floor double-decker, single-decker, midi and mini buses for Stagecoach regional bus networks in the UK as well as a total of 22 new coaches for megabus.com in the UK and Europe, and a further 34 coaches for Stagecoach Express operations in the UK. Of the local bus order, 93 will be manufactured to the company’s Gold specification to operate on Stagecoach’s luxury Gold services.

All of the new vehicles meet Euro 5 or Euro 6 emissions standards.

These orders will ensure Stagecoach’s entire single deck fleet meets the UK Disability Discrimination Act deadline later this calendar year, and the Group remains on track to meet the deadlines for other vehicle types over coming years.

Along with the country's other major bus operators, Stagecoach is also making a multi-million pound investment in smart multi-operator ticketing across all of the main city regions in the UK. Work on the ground-breaking project is underway and is due to be completed during 2015.

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said: “This new investment is all about delivering better bus and coach journeys for our passengers. We have the lowest bus fares in Britain and a strong track-record of investment over many years that has attracted growing numbers of people back on board the bus. We believe strongly in reinvesting our profits to continue that growth and our sector-leading levels of customer satisfaction.

"Buses are central to our communities, giving people a greener way to access work, health, education and leisure. They are also critical to our economy. I'm delighted that most of our new buses will be built right here in the UK, helping support British manufacturing and hundreds of jobs in the supply chain."

Details of the new orders are as follows:

UK REGIONAL OPERATIONS
50 ADL Enviro 400 Scania double-deckers
30 ADL MMC E400 Scania double-deckers
57 ADL MMC E400 double-deckers
10 Wrightbus Eclipse Volvo single-deckers
28 ADL Enviro 300 Scania single-deckers
89 ADL Enviro 300 single-deckers
33 ADL MMC E200 11.9metre midibuses
27 ADL Enviro 200 midibuses
23 ADL MMC E200 10.8metre midibuses
42 Optare Solo minibuses
23 Optare Solo Slimline minibuses
12 Volvo Plaxton Elite 12.5metre coaches
44 Volvo Plaxton Ellite i 15metre coaches (8 left-hand-drive)

LONDON
7 ADL MMC E400 double-deckers
8 ADL MMC E200 10.8metre midibuses