Stagecoach North Scotland (Bluebird and Highland)

[GusB]

Drivers that are currently being familiarised on the bus are all being told it's not here for trial but that it's here to get all the Joint Venture drivers trained on.

What joint venture are you talking about?

 

[Highland050261]

What joint venture are you talking about?

M96, which is due to be moved to Highlands under Citylink.

Mod note: source required

 

[computerSaysNo]

In my opinion electric vehicles shouldn’t be anywhere NEAR express work and kept only for city work

Why?
What are you personally losing by electric coaches being on express services?
I think anything which can draw people out of their cars is a good thing.

 

[Highland050261]

Seems like 54121 SP62 CGY is back or its a tracking error and its another bus tracking as 54121, but its tracking at Edinburgh right now

It's a old citylink machine 54121 still up in Wick.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Wait so a bus has actually transferred to Inverness?? I thought they didn’t like using older buses

36193 to Elgin, 36194 to Inverness, 36418 to Peterhead and 36423 to Aberdeen.

21412 has also transferred from Inverness to Aberdeen while 36031 and 36048 have transferred from Stonehaven to Peterhead and Elgin respectively.

 

[PG]

Another distinctly un-Citylink bus on the M96 today, doing a return trip from Inverness was enviro300 22781.

 

[Volvodart]

Some of Bluebird's E200s are supposedly getting withdrawn according to someone on a bus group on Facebook, due to Aberdeen’s LEZ (Low emission zone) coming into force. The E200s are as follows:

36031 SV07 FCC
36048 SV08 GUW
36066 SY57 AXR
37254 SL64 HWK
37259 SL64 HWS

Seen with my own eyes, 37259 is now back at Aberdeen and 37254 will not now be transferring. They have either been quickly converted or they were Low Emission Zone compliant all along but incorrectly recorded until a few days ago.

 

[GusB]

Remember to include your sources when posting information to the forum. Thanks

 

[Bedford OB]

Thurso operations expanded from today with replacements for Aaron's 915 and 917. Timetables posted on Stagecoach web site.

 

[Volvodart]

Thurso operations expanded from today with replacements for Aaron's 915 and 917. Timetables posted on Stagecoach web site.

Aaron's are still doing the school bus element of these services.

 

[Jordan Adam]

It has been announced internally that Insch and Stonehaven depots are to close from August due to loss of school tenders. Aberdeenshire has been running at a loss for quite a while now so this news isn't really a surprise, the loss of the school tenders were really just the final blow. There will also be a partial closure of Elgin depot with management, maintenance and admin functions moved to Inverness. The service changes originally proposed for last month are to go ahead in August albeit with some revisions including a new hourly cross-city route in Aberdeen.

 

[Scotrail88]

It has been announced internally that Insch and Stonehaven depots are to close from August due to loss of school tenders. Aberdeenshire has been running at a loss for quite a while now so this news isn't really a surprise, the loss of the school tenders were really just the final blow. There will also be a partial closure of Elgin depot with management, maintenance and admin functions moved to Inverness. The service changes originally proposed for last month are to go ahead in August albeit with some revisions including a new hourly cross-city route in Aberdeen.

Presume will result in service cuts to accommodate the work in other depots and turn the profitability round?

Any idea of what’s planned as simply shutting depots and moving to Aberdeen depot can’t really save enough

 

[Jordan Adam]

Presume will result in service cuts to accommodate the work in other depots and turn the profitability round?

Any idea of what’s planned as simply shutting depots and moving to Aberdeen depot can’t really save enough

Insch was down to only a few duties anyway, all of which will now be operated by Aberdeen. Likewise the 8/X8 (Aberdeen - Stonehaven) and 107 (Stonehaven - Montrose) are both going to be Aberdeen woworked. The 4 and Lochside Academy runs are being axed to cater for this.

Portlethen and Inverurie will both gain an extra bus per hour to Aberdeen, the latter seeing its service improved to Every 20 Minutes.

 

[Morayshire]

The 4 and Lochside Academy runs are being axed to cater for this.

So the new builds at Countesswells are losing their bus service via Prime 4 then?

Does this mean the 5/6 to Westhill timetable will be adjusted as well?

 

[Jordan Adam]

So the new builds at Countesswells are losing their bus service via Prime 4 then?

Does this mean the 5/6 to Westhill timetable will be adjusted as well?

Yes but Countesswells is already better served by First with the 15.

The 5/6 are to become a circular in Westhill

 

[Gareth1980]

Full Details: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/north-scotland/bluebird-network-changes-august-2024

 

[Red Onion]

Yes but Countesswells is already better served by First with the 15.

The 5/6 are to become a circular in Westhill

What’s the reasoning behind the reduction in peak time services to every 20 minutes? Are the loadings that light or are there operational reasons. Seems odd to cut. I see the evenings have been cut to hourly but I believe the loadings are light.

 

[Morayshire]

What’s the reasoning behind the reduction in peak time services to every 20 minutes? Are the loadings that light or are there operational reasons. Seems odd to cut. I see the evenings have been cut to hourly but I believe the loadings are light.

Peaks go to 20 mins but daytime offpeaks are every 15 mins? Would have thought it should be the other way around. Timings look to be tight for my evening train as well.

As for loadings, at the moment the morning peak 0740 nr 5 and 0750 nr 6 are usually fully loaded with standing only until Hazlehead where the school pupils get off.

 

[Red Onion]

Peaks go to 20 mins but daytime offpeaks are every 15 mins? Would have thought it should be the other way around. Timings look to be tight for my evening train as well.

As for loadings, at the moment the morning peak 0740 nr 5 and 0750 nr 6 are usually fully loaded with standing only until Hazlehead where the school pupils get off.

It really doesn’t make any sense. Historically the Westhill off peaks were every 15 minutes until that time when they went to every 10 minutes for a period. I’m all for the 15 minute off peak frequency but the poor peak services are just odd. There should be some peak services that don’t wind through the industrial estates & even Kingswells park and ride as the journey time is utterly awful.

I’ve just looked at the Buchan services and that timetable is full of errors, for example it shows the last departure to Peterhead (Mon-Fri) as both 2325 & 2330 and the same Fraserburgh ones as 2245 & 2305. It looks a mess!

 

[Morayshire]

BBC has picked up on these cuts

Stagecoach to cut bus services in north Scotland

Stagecoach to cut bus services in north Scotland​

Updated 3 hours ago
Bus operator Stagecoach is to cut services as it launches a review of its north Scotland operations.
The company said it has been unable to cover the cost of running its local network, with reduced passenger demand and higher costs among the reasons blamed.
From August, a number of services will be stopped in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, with changes made to others.
Other options being considered include the potential closure of its Stonehaven and Insch depots. A consultation is under way. The Unite union said meetings were planned.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland/north_east_orkney_and_shetland
Stagecoach said the current situation was no longer sustainable.
The company said it had met staff and trade unions and was consulting with workers.
There will also be discussions with local authorities in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
Services being withdrawn in Aberdeen include the 21A/22A/22B Cove and Torry to Lochside Academy routes.

'Change can be unsettling'​

Stagecoach North Scotland managing director David Beaton said: "We are a significant local employer and we understand the importance of bus services for the local community. We also know that any change can be unsettling for our people.
"That's why we are working closely with both the trade union to protect as many jobs and as much of the local bus services as possible.
"We're carrying out a consultation and will be working closely with staff during this process, however the reality is that we simply cannot sustain the current operation."
Stagecoach said customers could find details of the upcoming changes, and proposed timetables, on its website, external.

'A shock'​

The Unite union, which represents dozens of Stagecoach workers, said the announcement had come as a shock.
"Unite are determined to engage with Stagecoach and our members to secure employment," regional officer Vic Fraser told BBC Scotland News.
"We are at a very early stage, and there are meetings planned for next week. We will have a better understanding then of what the proposals are and what steps can be taken to avoid any compulsory redundancies.
"We need to look at the rationale for the decisions that are being made, to see if they are justified, and then how we best accommodate and secure continued employment for our members."

 

[overthewater]

BBC has picked up on these cuts

Stagecoach to cut bus services in north Scotland

Not a great piece by the BBC, it fails to highlight the fact the company has lost a number of tender routes.

Just to ask how much damage has the new train station in Inverurie caused to the local bus routes?

 

[GusB]

Just to ask how much damage has the new train station in Inverurie caused to the local bus routes?

There's a new station in Inverurie?

 

[overthewater]

There's a new station in Inverurie?

Your right sorry, it was Kintore I was thinking off. Has the train services grab many of the bus passengers, it used to have 15min service on the 35?

 

[computerSaysNo]

What’s the reasoning behind the reduction in peak time services to every 20 minutes? Are the loadings that light or are there operational reasons. Seems odd to cut. I see the evenings have been cut to hourly but I believe the loadings are light.

Peaks go to 20 mins but daytime offpeaks are every 15 mins? Would have thought it should be the other way around.

It really doesn’t make any sense. Historically the Westhill off peaks were every 15 minutes until that time when they went to every 10 minutes for a period. I’m all for the 15 minute off peak frequency but the poor peak services are just odd.

Must be the traffic making the journeys slower in the peak, so with the same number of vehicles the frequency has to go down.

 

[Red Onion]

Must be the traffic making the journeys slower in the peak, so with the same number of vehicles the frequency has to go down.

A fair point, I suppose that and the addition of the trip to Total etc adds a significant amount of time. I’m not sure what they can do to deal with the traffic without engineering work, which is outside the scope of this thread.

 

[GusB]

Your right sorry, it was Kintore I was thinking off. Has the train services grab many of the bus passengers, it used to have 15min service on the 35?

I can't be bothered looking for the usage figures for Kintore station, but it'd probably be fair to say that the railway has taken some passengers away from the bus. It's quicker and cheaper by train, so it's a no brainer, really. I'm not sure it's fair to blame the railway for something that wasn't unforeseen and didn't happen overnight!

 

[Jordan Adam]

Truth be told in terms of the commercial network in Aberdeenshire/Buchan there isn't that many cuts if anything there's probably an increase in commercial mileage as the X9 is essentially a new service and doesn't replace any existing services. The cuts are mostly to tendered services.

There are quite a significant number of improvements which i'd say ought to be highlighted.

• Portlethen to Stonehaven service reinstated
• Services to Newtonhill/Stonehaven simplified and made far more consistent. For example the 8/X8 provide a consistent 30 minute frequency, whereas at the moment the various different variations of services all seem to run in the space of about 10 minutes followed by a massive 50 minute gap.
• Increase from two to three buses per hour to Portlethen.
• New cross-city links created through the X9.
• Aberdeen to Inverurie increased from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes.
• The Inverurie Town section of the 37 is doubled in frequency and the direct through service to Aberdeen reinstated.
• Kintore gains an hourly Service 9.
• Uryside gains a direct service to Aberdeen (presently not served by Stagecoach)
• Additional Sunday services to Alford making it actually possibly to go to Alford on a Sunday and return back to Aberdeen the same day.
• Service 231 improved with through connections to Aberdeen via the 220/X20 giving numerous towns west of Alford a direct link to Aberdeen for the first time in many years.
• Ellon - Fraserburgh buses doubled in frequency to hourly.
• Fraserburgh - St Combs offpeak service reinstated
• Additional buses in the summer to Braemar
• Services to Elrick and Berryhill Circle in Westhill doubled thanks to the 5/6 becoming a circular.

The closure of Insch depot has been a long time coming, it has only had a small number of duties for quite a number of years now. Certainly not enough to sustain a site that size. Meanwhile with the loss of contracts Stonehaven would be left with just the 8/X8 and 107, which can all easily be worked from Aberdeen. Its a shame to see these depots close but when the company has been losing money to the extent it has its not really a surprise.

Your right sorry, it was Kintore I was thinking off. Has the train services grab many of the bus passengers, it used to have 15min service on the 35?

Kintore has never had high bus usage even before the station opened so i'd doubt its had much impact. The 37/37A used to operate on a 15 minute frequency but that was well over a decade ago now.

These changes actually see a significant improvement in the services to Kintore. The revised 9 which is essentially just the previous 37 reincarnated will see the service level doubled.

 

[Red Onion]

Truth be told in terms of the commercial network in Aberdeenshire/Buchan there isn't that many cuts if anything there's probably an increase in commercial mileage as the X9 is essentially a new service and doesn't replace any existing services. The cuts are mostly to tendered services.

There are quite a significant number of improvements which i'd say ought to be highlighted.

• Portlethen to Stonehaven service reinstated
• Services to Newtonhill/Stonehaven simplified and made far more consistent. For example the 8/X8 provide a consistent 30 minute frequency, whereas at the moment the various different variations of services all seem to run in the space of about 10 minutes followed by a massive 50 minute gap.
• Increase from two to three buses per hour to Portlethen.
• New cross-city links created through the X9.
• Aberdeen to Inverurie increased from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes.
• The Inverurie Town section of the 37 is doubled in frequency and the direct through service to Aberdeen reinstated.
• Kintore gains an hourly Service 9.
• Uryside gains a direct service to Aberdeen (presently not served by Stagecoach)
• Additional Sunday services to Alford making it actually possibly to go to Alford on a Sunday and return back to Aberdeen the same day.
• Service 231 improved with through connections to Aberdeen via the 220/X20 giving numerous towns west of Alford a direct link to Aberdeen for the first time in many years.
• Ellon - Fraserburgh buses doubled in frequency to hourly.
• Fraserburgh - St Combs offpeak service reinstated
• Additional buses in the summer to Braemar
• Services to Elrick and Berryhill Circle in Westhill doubled thanks to the 5/6 becoming a circular.

The closure of Insch depot has been a long time coming, it has only had a small number of duties for quite a number of years now. Certainly not enough to sustain a site that size. Meanwhile with the loss of contracts Stonehaven would be left with just the 8/X8 and 107, which can all easily be worked from Aberdeen. Its a shame to see these depots close but when the company has been losing money to the extent it has its not really a surprise.

Kintore has never had high bus usage even before the station opened so i'd doubt its had much impact. The 37/37A used to operate on a 15 minute frequency but that was well over a decade ago now.

These changes actually see a significant improvement in the services to Kintore. The revised 9 which is essentially just the previous 37 reincarnated will see the service level doubled.

Do you know where I could view the Buchan timetable? As I say, the one they link to appears to have a few errors.

 

[aberdeen1]

By the looks of the timetable, the M96 is still moving to Highland operation. Does anyone know what vehicles will be used for this? The Citylink liveried Elites originally talked about in this thread don't exactly seem 'available', with them being used constantly!

Will some of the current Bluebird Elites be transferred?

 

[Volvodart]

If the 4 branded Gordon Highlander coaches are not available for the M96 when they transfer to Inverness, I would guess Inverness will use their single and double decker buses that appear quite frequently on the service already.