Stagecoach East Scotland

[AndrewTaylor95]

The ones in Manchester aren't too bad especially compared to earlier models, they are still new though so time will be a deciding factor, I think the Cummins engine is a good match for them personally

They're flying machines with the Cummins engine.

 

[Strathtay 260]

That's 11531 & 11532 in service at Arbroath both running the 73A.

9700DD 50531 out on X24s

 

[voidwxrranty]

9700DD 50531 out on X24s

seems to have broken down!

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

seems to have broken down!

I'm sure there's an incident on the M80 may be why it's stuck there

 

[Strathtay 260]

seems to have broken down!

It seems its tracker has been acting up, I really hope it hasn't broken down...

It is now tracking just north of Glenrothes - I suspect a tracking error.

 

[overthewater]

The tracker is broken on this one, but there is pic flying around the net today of it in operation.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

That's 11531 & 11532 in service at Arbroath both running the 73A.

11533 is also out but not tracking on Bus Times, so the armchair spotters won't know

 

[Strathtay 260]

11533 is also out but not tracking on Bus Times, so the armchair spotters won't know

Yup, that's on the 39.

 

[route101]

Good to see the new Volvo coaches on express routes.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Remind me how many of these are coming again? We're going to need a lot more if they are to replace the worst of the B13s

 

[overthewater]

Is it not 7 for Glenrothes and 6 for Aberhill? It's unclear what is on order for the 2025/26 period, in terms of coaches, but your right they need to get lot more over the next 5 years.

 

[Blindtraveler]

If they could keep up a steady working rate of 15 per year for the next few years, then that would cycle them through reasonably efficiently. However, we don't need another huge hiatus in orders after they are done. Like we've had this time, admittedly probably partly due to the pandemic, but regardless of that.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Stagecoach have announced service revisions to the majority of core Dundee & Angus services:

ServiceUpdatesArticle

www.stagecoachbus.com

Tayside Service Change Proposals for March 2025

We’re planning to make changes to our network of services within Dundee, Angus and the Carse and have used customer and driver feedback to drive these adjustments. Since our last changes in May, customer feedback, our service monitoring and driver reports have been used to identify punctuality issues, congestion and passenger flows and we are now planning revisions to our services to improve reliability across the region.

Full details of these revisions are below, with timetables and route maps available soon to help illustrate the changes.

Services across the Angus, Dundee and Carse of Gowrie will be revised as follows:

**New Service**
Service 16: Dundee – Invergowrie – Inchture – Errol – Perth
This service will be restored. Following changes in May 2024 it has become apparent that the sheer volume of roadworks along the line of the route 39, from Arbroath to Perth, make it very difficult to offer a reliable service at all times. In order to improve reliability and respond to passenger feedback, service 16 will offer an hourly service between Dundee, Ninewells Hospital, Invergowrie, Longforgan, Inchture, Grange, Errol, St Madoes and Perth city centre. This stand-alone service will be operated by our Perth depot.

Connections for Perth Royal Infirmary will be available on services 1 and 2 from the city centre. By removing the extension to the hospital we will remove some of the delays faced travelling through the city centre twice and the time saving in doing so will also allow for the restoration of an hourly service through Errol and Grange.

The new service will not serve Glendoick, currently served by service 39A, however, a limited service is provided by service 51 and several inter-city coach services stop at a number of points along the A90 corridor linking to both Perth and Dundee.

The frequency between Dundee and Invergowrie will generally be hourly rather than every 30 minutes as provided by services 39/A. However, an additional peak journey in each direction will be provided.

Service 16 will operate via the Dundee Technology Park at peak times and Old Perth Road outside of peak times. The Technology Park will continue to be served by Xplore Dundee services at other times of the day.

Service 27: Arbroath – Forfar – Kirriemuir
This service will be rerouted to serve Elmbank Crescent and Elmfield Avenue in Arbroath, replacing part of service 43/A. There will be minor revisions to timings to accommodate the revised routing. Evening and Sunday journeys will continue to operate direct via Cairnie Road.

Service 30: Arbroath – Montrose – Brechin – Stracathro - Edzell
Service 33: Arbroath – Montrose – Midgrip
Following the changes made in May 2024 it has become apparent that the reliability of service 40, linking Arbroath, Montrose, Midgrip, Brechin and Stracathro, has not been as good as it should have been. We will revise the service to return to operate as service 30, omitting Ferryden, Borrowfield and Midgrip, with service 47 being reintroduced to serve these areas (see below for detail). Evening services will operate either as 30A (via Midgrip) or 30B (via Craigo) following the existing route of service 40.

Within Arbroath, most journeys will be routed via Brechin Road (Wardykes) rather than Montrose Road and most journeys will be extended, Monday to Saturday daytimes, to serve Kirkton, Westway Retail Park and Arbroath Infirmary.

These changes will speed up journey times between Arbroath and Stracathro and improve punctuality, as well as creating cross town new links within Arbroath and providing an improved service for the Infirmary.

We will also be introducing new vehicles on many journeys from February 2025.

Service 34: Brechin Town Service
This service is operated under contract to Angus Council and following a competitive tendering competition the contract for this service passed to another operator from Monday 13th January.

Service 39: Arbroath – Dundee – Ninewells Hospital – Perth
Recognising the poor overall reliability of this service and considering passenger feedback, it will be withdrawn and replaced by two separate routes; service 16 (see above) and service 72 (see below).

Limited peak hour services to and from Kingoodie will be withdrawn without replacement due to very low usage. The off peak service provided by Moffat & Williamson remains unchanged and evening service forms part of new service 16B.

Service 40: Arbroath – Brechin – Edzell
Following the changes made in May 2024 it has become apparent that the reliability of service 40, linking Arbroath, Montrose, Midgrip, Brechin and Stracathro, has not been as good as it should have been. We will revise the service to return to operate as service 30, omitting Ferryden, Borrowfield and Midgrip, with service 47 being reintroduced to serve these areas (see above for detail). Evening services will operate either as 30A (via Midgrip) or 30B (via Craigo) following the existing route of service 40.

One morning journey will remain as service 40, operating via Friockheim to enhance the existing service 140 and provide links to Stracathro.

Service 43/A: Arbroath Town Service
This service will be withdrawn, with several new and improved services (75/76) creating a new Arbroath network.

Alternative services will be provided by 30/75 for Kirkton and Timmergreens with the frequency remaining every 30 minutes for most of the daytime. Elmbank Crescent and Elmfield Avenue will be served by journeys on service 27.

Service 30 will continue to provide links to Morrisons and create new links to Westway Retail Park and Arbroath Infirmary.

Service 75 will follow the existing route of service 43 through Kirkton and Timmergreens until reaching Westway and will then serve Emislaw Drive, Charles Avenue, Arbirlot Road, Keptie Road and Lochlands Drive to then join Cairnie Street and serve Tesco on the inward route to the bus station.

For Cliffburn, service 73 and 76 will provide replacements, with generally two departures per hour from the bus station.

Service 73 journeys will operate via the existing 43A route within the town, albeit omitting Morrisons, but will now provide through links to Westway Retail Park and Pinnaclehill in addition to journeys through to Dundee.

Service 76 will follow the existing 43 route to Flairs Avenue then Seaton Road, Bearfaulds Road, Montrose Road, Tarry Road, Brothick Way, Tarry Road, Brechin road, Bruce Road, Fisheracre and through to the bus station.


Service 47: Ferryden – Montrose Town Centre – Borrowfield – Midgrip
This service is restored as a standalone route to ensure better punctuality. In the early morning and late evening, revised service 30A/B will cover the existing route of service 40 providing local links within the town. Frequency remains approximately every hour.

There are no changes for journeys dedicated to serving Montrose Academy on services 47A or 47B.

Tayway Services
In recognition of the upcoming introduction of electric buses and changing travel habits, existing services 39 and 73 are revised to create new services 72/73/74. Our family of Tayway routes.

**New Service**
Service 72: Arbroath – Ethiebeaton Park – Balgillo – Dundee – Ninewells Hospital
This service will replace route 39 between Arbroath and Dundee then Ninewells Hospital.

The service will operate up to every 30 minutes Monday to Saturdays, as service 39 currently provides.

Service 73: Arbroath – Easthaven - Carnoustie – Barry – Monifeith – Broughty Ferry – Dundee – Ninewells Hospital
Service 73A: Arbroath – Carnoustie – Monifeith – Broughty Ferry – Dundee – Ninewells Hospital
Service 73C: Arbroath – Muirdrum – Carnoustie – Monifeith – Broughty Ferry – Dundee – Ninewells Hospital
Revised route and timetable will be introduced.

Service 73 will operate hourly between Arbroath and Ninewells (Monday to Saturday daytime). Daytime services will be extended to serve Cliffburn within Arbroath and will no longer serve Charles Avenue (which is replaced by service 75).

Combined with service 73C, the 73 will provide a half hourly service between Carnoustie and Ninewells and when combined services will provide journeys every 15 minutes between Monifeith and Dundee and from there to Ninewells.

In the early morning and later evening, service 73A will typically provide an hourly frequency omitting Easthaven and Barry (although stopping on the bypass).

Service 73C will continue to serve the Westhaven and Shanwell Road areas of Carnoustie, providing an hourly service, Monday to Saturday daytimes. Service 74 (see below) will serve Westhaven Park on Sundays, increasing the frequency between Carnoustie and Dundee (to two journeys per hour), while service 73B will provide two hourly links to Shanwell Road.

The frequency of daytime services via Easthaven will revert to every hour. Muirdrum turning circle will only be served at peak times, by service 73C, rather than every two hours as at present. Service 72 will provide a half hourly service from the Muirdrum stops on the A92. On a Sunday, when service 72 does not operate, a two hourly service will be provided by service 73B.

Existing journeys on service 73A within Monifeith and Ethiebeaton will be replaced by new service 74 (see below).

**New Service**
Service 74: Ethiebeaton – Monifeith – Broughty Ferry – Dundee – Ninewells Hospital (Sunday service commences from Carnoustie)
This service will replace existing services 73A and 73B between Ethiebeaton and Dundee, continuing to provide a half hourly, Monday to Saturday daytime link and hourly in the evenings and on Sundays.

The routes in Monifeith will generally run as clockwise or anticlockwise loops providing enhanced frequencies for the Grange Road area and quicker links from there to the town centre as well as quicker links from the town centre to Broomhill.

Within Monifieth, service 74A will operate from High Street (eastbound) via Lorne Street, Hill Street, Victoria Street to Ethiebeaton Park then return via West Grange Road, Grange Road, High Street (eastbound), Lorne Street, Broomhill Drive, The Fairway, Panmure Street and the High Street (westbound).

Service 74C will operate from the High Street (eastbound) via Lorne Street, Hill Street, Durham Street, Grange Road, West Grange Road, Ethiebeaton Park, Victoria Street, Hill Street, Lorne Street, Broomhill Drive, The Fairway, Panmure Street and the High Street (westbound) as is the current 73A route for journeys via Grange Road.

Services on evenings and Sundays will run as service 74 and follow the existing route of service 73A/B, albeit Sunday daytime journeys continuing beyond Ethiebeaton will loop round Broomhill before travelling on to Ethiebeaton.

The Sunday daytime service will extend to Carnoustie Westhaven Park increasing the current frequency between Dundee and Carnoustie.

Service 74B will operate in late evenings and replaces existing service 73B via the same route, with some journeys also extended to serve Ethiebeaton and with additional running time to improve reliability.

**New Service**
Service 75: Arbroath Bus Station – Kirkton – Timmergreens – Charles Avenue – Bus Station

This service will operate hourly throughout the day via the existing service 43B evening routing, taking in Charles Avenue and replacing part of service 73. Daytime trips will run via Lochlands Drive, Cairnie Street and Lochlands Street to continue providing links to Tesco.

Most journeys will continue as service 76 through the town centre to Morrisons, Cliffburn and Warddykes. Though fares will be available.

Combined with service 30, Kirkton and Timmergreens will continue to have a half hourly service for most of the daytime with some additional peak journeys compared to the current timetable.

Timings will be revised for evening departures.

**New Service**
Service 76: Arbroath Bus Station – Morrisons – Cliffburn – Warddykes – Bus Station

This service will follow the existing service 43 route to Flairs Avenue and will then serve Seaton Road, Bearfaulds Road, Montrose Road, Tarry Road, Brothick Way, Tarry Road, Brechin road, Bruce Road, Fisheracre and through to the bus station.

Most journeys will continue as service 75 through the bus station to Tesco, Kirkton and Timmergreens. Through fares will be available.

Combined with service 73, this will provide two journeys per hour between the bus station and Cliffburn, which is the same frequency as current timetable.

When combined with service 30, the frequency of service to and from Warddykes will be doubled to two per hour.

Evening and Sunday journeys will operate as service 76A via the existing 43B routing.

Service 181: Monifeith - Forfar
This service is operated under contract to Angus Council and following a competitive tendering competition the contract for this service passed to another operator from Monday 13th January.

Service X7: Aberdeen – Stonehaven – Montrose – Arbroath – Dundee
One morning peak journey is extended to provide links to Invergowrie for the James Hutton Institute, and for access to the Technology Park, with one evening peak journey commencing from Invergowrie. These journeys will operate via Riverside Drive and Riverside Avenue.

Note that there are no changes planned to service 20/21/22 or those to Blairgowrie.

Minor revisions for Fife services into Dundee will be communicated separately.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

ServiceUpdatesArticle

www.stagecoachbus.com

I think PR wise this will come as a bit of a disaster to Stagecoach, unfairly or not. A bit of a u turn in several places with a second attempt at a new idea in others.

At least the 16 is proposed to return, which is positive. Though I can’t help but think with all these 72/73/74’s running to Ninewells in addition to some A/B/C variants, it’s too many different variants of the same core network from Arbroath to Ninewells. It could be made a lot more straightforward in my opinion.

The ideas make sense, it’s just the confusing way in which its laid out.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

I think PR wise this will come as a bit of a disaster to Stagecoach, unfairly or not. A bit of a u turn in several places with a second attempt at a new idea in others.

At least the 16 is proposed to return, which is positive. Though I can’t help but think with all these 72/73/74’s running to Ninewells in addition to some A/B/C variants, it’s too many different variants of the same core network from Arbroath to Ninewells. It could be made a lot more straightforward in my opinion.

The ideas make sense, it’s just the confusing way in which its laid out.

Having a bit of local knowledge does help things but it took me several reads to understand the 74 fully!

In simple terms, as I understand it:

• Existing service 30 Warddykes circular replaced by the new service 30 in addition to the new 76
• Service 39 replaced by the new 72 between Arbroath and Ninewells, and the new 16 between Dundee and Perth
• Service 40 replaced by the new 30 and 47
• Service 43/43A replaced by the 30/75 around Kirkton/Timmergreens, the 27 around "The Elms" and the 73/76 around Cliffburn
• Service 73A/73B is now the 74 - something I've been advocating for years!
• Sunday Tayway service is now every 30 minutes between Ninewells and Carnoustie (an increase from the current hourly service)

Hopefully draft timetables and route maps are published to fully understand the changes

 

[Tayway]

The 72/73/74 concept is frankly barmy.

The current situation of 73 going to Arbroath, 73A to Ethiebeaton Park, 73B to Ashludie, and 73C to Westhaven was fine.

Now we've got (deep breath...)

72 Ninewells to Arbroath via A92 (renumbered from 39 for no particular reason)

73 Ninewells to Arbroath via Easthaven and Barry, hourly Mon-Sat daytime and ?two-hourly Sunday
73A Ninewells to Arbroath avoiding Easthaven and Barry, hourly Mon-Sat early morning and late evening
73B Ninewells to Arbroath via Muirdrum, two-hourly Sunday
73C Ninewells to Carnoustie, hourly Mon-Sat, with peak extensions to Arbroath via Muirdrum

74 Ninewells to Ethiebeaton Park (hourly Mon-Sat evening) or Carnoustie via Ethiebeaton (hourly Sunday daytime)
74A Ninewells to Ethiebeaton Park via anticlockwise loop of Monifieth, hourly Mon-Sat daytime
74B Dundee City Centre to Ashludie, late evenings with some extensions to Ethiebeaton Park (these replace the tendered 73B journeys)
74C Ninewells to Ethiebeaton Park via clockwise loop of Monifieth, hourly Mon-Sat daytime

If it ain't broke, don't fix it... You'll notice there aren't actually any frequency improvements except to Carnoustie on Sundays!

Return of the 16 is good, although Invergowrie is down to an hourly service apart from a random X7 journey via Riverside Drive. Why couldn't one 72 per hour keep serving it?

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Return of the 16 is good, although Invergowrie is down to an hourly service apart from a random X7 journey via Riverside Drive. Why couldn't one 72 per hour keep serving it?

Impossible to tell without seeing timetables but would probably require an extra bus to retain reliability; the Invergowrie-turners at the moment get very little layover either end so not much recovery time, which is the biggest issue with the 39 at present

 

[overthewater]

think PR wise this will come as a bit of a disaster to Stagecoach, unfairly or not. A bit of a u turn in several places with a second attempt at a new idea in others.

At least they have put thier hands up and said they got it wrong.

 

[kez19]

I heard about the 16 returning on Original 106 this morning (generally surprised), I do agree with the comments in terms of the renumbering of the 39 to the 72 (74?), I could get the idea behind the logic as maybe to realign the services better but its going to cause some confusion!

As long as they keep the 39 (new 72) on Balgillo Road I am happy!

On the subject briefly of the 16/39, I think they should have just kept it as the 16 originally but this flip/flop over the years doesn't help hopefully this time round they stick with the 16.

 

[Strathtay 260]

The 74C is essentially the current 73A via Grange Road On the other hand, the 74A serves Grange Road on the route into Dundee, which hasn't been done since the 75. I'm curious if the 74A and 74C will be scheduled as circular routes. Currently, the 73A, 73B, and 73C are effectively circular services, as passengers remain on board beyond the designated 'terminus.' However, to simplify the timetable, they aren't officially designated as circular.

Carnoustie via Ethiebeaton

That's a long ride to Carnoustie!

It is also worth noting the 73 is being extended to Cliffburn in Arbroath

For Cliffburn, service 73 and 76 will provide replacements, with generally two departures per hour from the bus station.

 

[Resuwen]

As a person of a certain age it's odd to see the 75 and 76 being Arbroath town services rather than the RM operated runs out to Invergowrie and Kingoodie!

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Is someone a bit more in the know able to explain the historic routes and numbers along this corridor please? Perhaps that would help someone a little bit less knowledgeable on the subject matter such as myself.

 

[ajrm]

As a person of a certain age it's odd to see the 75 and 76 being Arbroath town services rather than the RM operated runs out to Invergowrie and Kingoodie!

75 was Ninewells in RM days, with the 76 eventually extending to Kingoodie, though it started out as city centre to Monifieth only in 1986 (when more of the cross-city stuff started at Tayport as 71/72).

Is someone a bit more in the know able to explain the historic routes and numbers along this corridor please? Perhaps that would help someone a little bit less knowledgeable on the subject matter such as myself.

Pre-1986 the Tayway was shared between Tayside Region and Northern/Strathtay. All services ran east of Dundee city centre: 41 to Carnoustie/ Arbroath via Victoria Road (SBG only), 43/44 to Ashludie Hospital/ Broomhill Drive respectively, shared between Strathtay and Tayside. 4 buses an hour plus the 101 limited stop to Aberdeen (precursor of the 40X/39).

Post deregulation Strathtay introduced conductors and roughly doubled the frequency. Off the top of my head the initial pattern was:

71/72: Tayport to Ninewells/ Invergowrie. Driver only, run by Dundee
73/73A/74/74A: Carnoustie or Arbroath to Ninewells (73) or Invergowrie (74), with the A serving Easthaven. One bus every 30 mins cycling through all 4 options every 2 hours. Conductor operated, run by Arbroath mainly with doored buses (Olympians, then Manchester Fleetlines, then ex Fife Olympians)
75: peak hours only, Monifieth to Ninewells. RM operated by Dundee
76/77: quarter hourly Dundee City Centre to Monifieth (alternating Broomhill Drive/ Ashludie Hospital). 76 via Dundee Road and 77 via Strathern Road. 77 westbound originally extended over the bridge to Wormit and Gauldry (possibly returning from Wormit as a 76?). RM operated by Dundee

There was a big shakeup after a couple of years which dropped the Tayport services except for peak runs, took out the 77 as a separate OPO service to avoid sending deckers over the bridge, and turned the RM runs into cross city with the 75 going to Ninewells and the 76 going to Kingoodie. That pattern then remained relatively stable for many years until the Stagecoach era when the 73 became the principal service.

 

[Strathtay 260]

We will also be introducing new vehicles on many journeys from February 2025.

Does anyone have any information on this?

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Does anyone have any information on this?

Not sure how much I can say, but can definitely confirm 5 new diesel vehicles are due for Arbroath by the end of the month

 

[Strathtay 260]

Does anyone know which bus is using the spare ticket machine 99092?

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Does anyone know which bus is using the spare ticket machine 99092?

The Bus Times user who has added the spare machine back to the fleetlist has kindly told us all it is 10586 (if you look at the history tab)

 

[marks87]

73/73A/74/74A: Carnoustie or Arbroath to Ninewells (73) or Invergowrie (74), with the A serving Easthaven. One bus every 30 mins cycling through all 4 options every 2 hours. Conductor operated, run by Arbroath mainly with doored buses (Olympians, then Manchester Fleetlines, then ex Fife Olympians)

Are we now on a third iteration of a 74?

The first being the one you mention, and the second being a (relatively) short-lived service from Barnhill to Dundee University (then Ninewells) introduced in 2007. That was a time when Stagecoach, having not long taken over, tried to introduce some Dundee city services to compete with Travel Dundee. None of them lasted long, and I think all were pretty much gone by the end of the decade.

 

[Tayway]

Are we now on a third iteration of a 74?

The first being the one you mention, and the second being a (relatively) short-lived service from Barnhill to Dundee University (then Ninewells) introduced in 2007. That was a time when Stagecoach, having not long taken over, tried to introduce some Dundee city services to compete with Travel Dundee. None of them lasted long, and I think all were pretty much gone by the end of the decade.

I do have a vague recollection of that, I think it went a circuitous way around Menzieshill before reaching Ninewells. There was also the even more circuitous 69, which was replaced by the tendered 204 and 206 in 2011.

This iteration will actually be the fourth 74, there was a further attempt at a competitor to NatEx Dundee (as Travel Dundee became) in circa 2014(?) – half hourly daytime only from Broughty Ferry town centre to Dundee High Street, sank without a trace after a year or so as it basically followed the 5's route but at 1/3 of the frequency.

 

[ajrm]

This iteration will actually be the fourth 74, there was a further attempt at a competitor to NatEx Dundee (as Travel Dundee became) in circa 2014(?) – half hourly daytime only from Broughty Ferry town centre to Dundee High Street, sank without a trace after a year or so as it basically followed the 5's route but at 1/3 of the frequency.

Also... long after the original 74 disappeared there was a 74C variation which only ran on Dundee public holidays, which lasted for years afterwards.